BABS1201 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Developmental Psychology, Language Development, Social Change
17 May 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
PSYC1001
5TH MARCH 2018
DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY
× In humans, what develops? (i.e. domains of development)
- Physical development
- Cognitive development
- Language development
- Emotional development
- Social development
× Characteristics of developmental change
- Orderly (happens in a predictable sequence)
- Cumulative (building on fundamental, rudimentary skills, which become more
complex and sophisticated with age)
- Directional
× Why should we study development?
- From a basic science perspective, the social interactions of adults and how
relationships work are very complex and difficult for scientists to study- however,
all of this started out in a simpler form during development
× By studying children, we may be able to gain an understanding of how these
complexities in adulthood work, through determining their origin (i.e.
where these things began) in childhood
- From an applied science perspective, psychologists are interested in understanding
how development works, so we can apply our knowledge into different fields
× For example, understanding how clinical disorders first manifest themselves
in adolescence can help inform methods of treatment for both adolescents
and adults
- Most often, even basic science questions are asked because we are interested in
applying our knowledge to ensure that the developmental outcomes of children are
maximised
× The ‘Big 3’ issues in developmental psychology
1. Nature vs. nurture- what causes developmental change?
2. Early vs. later experience- to what extent does early experience shape later
functioning?
3. Continuity vs. discontinuity- what is the nature of developmental change?
× Nature vs. nurture-
- Biology vs. experience
- Genes vs. environment
- Neither view is right, as development proceeds as an interaction of biological and
environmental factors
Nature/Biology/Genes
Nurture/Experience/Environment
Development is simply
maturation
Environmental events shape the
course of a child’s development
A genetically determined
process of growth that unfolds
naturally over a period of time
Genetics/biology place no
restrictions on how a child
develops
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Document Summary
In humans, what develops? (i. e. domains of development) Cumulative (building on fundamental, rudimentary skills, which become more complex and sophisticated with age) From a basic science perspective, the social interactions of adults and how relationships work are very complex and difficult for scientists to study- however, all of this started out in a simpler form during development. By studying children, we may be able to gain an understanding of how these complexities in adulthood work, through determining their origin (i. e. where these things began) in childhood. From an applied science perspective, psychologists are interested in understanding how development works, so we can apply our knowledge into different fields. For example, understanding how clinical disorders first manifest themselves in adolescence can help inform methods of treatment for both adolescents and adults. Most often, even basic science questions are asked because we are interested in applying our knowledge to ensure that the developmental outcomes of children are maximised.
