Chapter review

On

The History of Research in Developmental Psychology

Authors : W. Andrew Collins & Willard W.Hartup,

publication date: 2013

By

Asfaw Tsega
 Presentation outline

 Historical overviews

 Major historical trends

• Major issues

• Critical reviews

• Implications
 Historical overviews

 The Psychology dated in 1879 by Wilhelm Wundt and His

contribution was pioneering for psychological development

 psychological research's are studied laboratories

 recognized the field as experimental psychology

 psychological development considered as the stream of activity

 beginning when the egg is fertilized and become more complex

as age increases
 Roots of the field (Bio vs. Ex.psy)

 The issues of nature and content of successive states in development

gives the raise of ;

 Schools of thought for specifying the process of ontogenesis includes

 Preformist. states of development is predetermined in advance

 epigenesist. progressive transformations since beginning of life.

 developmental psychologists were heavily reliance on observational

and correlational research methods

 Historical trends

The emergence period (1890-1919) three forces

 The empirical framework of developmental psychology laid

 Prayer’s achievements are admired the rigor of his methods

 Alfred Binet studies to dissect behavioural phenomena using

varieties of method

 the intellectual leadership of James Mark Baldwin

 The Middle Period (1920-1959)

• Major political and economic challenges were evident and affected

both positively and negatively

 direction of research and the accumulation of knowledge

 the same time, significant contributions from diverse scientists

 devising, testing new techniques and refining methods intensified

 developed instruments were beyond the early tool of observation and

survey questionnaire
 The modern Era (1960 – present)

• The 1960s and 1970s were the period of theoretical

revolution

• fundamental questions raised and new theories formulated

• Theories such as reinforcement theory (B.F.Skinner, 1957),

• language development theory (Noam Chomsky, 1959),

• social learning theory (Bandura, 1963), and attachment theory

(Ainswoth, 1967) were developed

 summary of Central themes

 Questions regarding the nature of development were

 The issues of continuity vs. developmental change

 Developmental stages vs. sequences

 Child development vs. life span development

 Nativism vs. empiricism

 Critical evaluation

Strength

•The organization of the chapter also appreciated in terms of its content

wise measurement

•organized through integrating research’s of scientists of the field

Limitation

Some of the issues mentioned are not clearly stated

•They need further illustration and details to understand issues specially

the chapter on modern era, latest theories and

 Implication
• Research in psychology progressed though three historical
periods
• The emphasis developmental psychology as a science is to
explain developmental changes
• The major research methods are observation and correlational
 References
Ainsworth, Mary D. Salter. "Infancy in Uganda:

Infant care and the growth of love." (1967).

Bandura, A., & Walters, R. H. (1963). Social

learning and personality development

Chomsky, N. (1959). On certain formal

properties of grammars. Information and

control, 2(2), 137-167

Skinner, B. F. (1957). The experimental analysis

of behavior. American scientist, 45(4), 343-371.

.
 The end

Thank you so much!!