Developmental Psychology

determinant of health 11/21/22

Brainstorming Questions

What is Human Development?

What is Developmental Psychology?

determinant of health 11/21/22 2

To Understand Human Development, You Need to Know…

 Development is the changes over the lifespan (from womb to tomb) in

physical structure, thought, and behavior due to biology and experience.

determinant of health 11/21/22 3

Con`t
Human development is the study of how children, youth, adults, and families

develop, change, and face challenges throughout the life span.

 This includes not only physical development but also cognitive, social,

intellectual, perceptual, personality, and emotional growth.

determinant of health 11/21/22 4

Definition……
 Developmental psychology also called Life-span Psychology, is a branch of

modern psychology that studies the ontogenetic development of individual

human beings, which includes all stages of development from the prenatal until
old age and death.

 Developmental psychologists are interested in how people change, physically

and psychologically as they age.

determinant of health 11/21/22 5

Basic Terms of Human Development

Growth

Maturation

 Learning

 Development

determinant of health 11/21/22 6

Con`t
Growth is referring to internal, structural, physiological, and physical changes.

Maturation is the concept used to explain changes in body or behavior due to

aging process.
These changes in maturation are primarily under the control of heredity or

genetic programming.

determinant of health 11/21/22 7

Con`t
Learning: refers to a relatively permanent change in behavior as a result of

experience or practice.

Development is the overall changes in human body or behavior as a result of

maturation( heredity) and learning.

determinant of health 11/21/22 8

Forms of Change
 Quantitative: how we change as explained through numerical quantities.

 Qualitative: change in kind, structure or organization.

determinant of health 11/21/22 9

The Domains of Human Development

Physical : Changes in physical shape, size, sensory capabilities, motor skills.

Cognitive: Acquisition of skills in perceiving, thinking, reasoning, problem

solving, language.

Personality and emotional: Acquiring stable and enduring personality traits,

self concept, self perception, gender identity, emotion, feeling and self esteem.

Social: Interaction and relationship with other.

determinant of health 11/21/22 10

Controversial Issues in Human Development
 There are debates and controversies among psychologists about the nature of

human development.

 Nature vs. nurture

 Active vs. passive

 Continuity vs. Discontinuity

determinant of health 11/21/22 11

Nature Vs. Nurture
Human development is the result of heredity(nature) and environment

or nurture

Nature refers to a person's biological inheritance (Genes).

Nature: all physical and psychological traits directly proceed from

generation to generation through genes.

determinant of health 11/21/22 12

Con`t
Nurture refers to the individual's environmental and social experiences.

Nurture stress the importance of environment over heredity in determining

development.

determinant of health 11/21/22 13

Active Vs. Passive
 Are changes an active or passive process?

 Active conceive that human beings as active growing organisms that determine

their own development.

 Passive position say that humans are like machines that react to environmental

inputs/ demands.

 For this group of psychologists, humans cannot initiate or direct their own

development.

determinant of health 11/21/22 14

Continuity Vs. Discontinuity

 Is the change smooth or uneven?

 Continuity believe there is a continual progression from the beginning of

life to the end.

 Discontinuity position believe that development involves sudden

changes.

determinant of health 11/21/22 15

determinant of health 11/21/22 16
determinant of health 11/21/22 17
determinant of health 11/21/22 18