Developmental Psychology 1: Introduction

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Developmental Psychology1 Introduction
Steve Croker Room C009 / Ext.
2081 s.croker_at_derby.ac.uk

• OUTLINE
• Assign seminar groups
• Assessment - coursework essays and exams
• Reading Lists
• Summary of learning outcomes
• Key issues in Developmental Psychology
• Key theories in Developmental Psychology

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Assessment

• 1 coursework essay (40) - 2000 words
• 1 4 minute oral presentation (10)
• 1 essay based exam (50)
• Titles for the coursework essay are on the web
• Deadline for coursework essays Friday 21st
  November, 12 noon
• Oral presentations take place on 17th November,
  24th November, 1st December

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Reading Lists

• Core Text
• Dworetzky, J. P. (1996). Introduction to child
  development (6th ed.). St. Paul West.
• Or
• Bukatko, D. Daehler, M. W. (2001/2003). Child
  Development A thematic approach (4th Ed./5th
  Ed.). Boston Houghton Mifflin.
• Recommended reading and journals - on 'reading
  resources' webpage
• Additional reading - given in relevant lectures

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Learning Outcomes

• assess critically the main theories, models and
  research in developmental psychology and of
  specific phenomena relating to child development.
  
• engage in independent enquiry of a specific
  aspect of developmental psychology and evaluate
  this in relation to theories, models and research
  in development.

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2 basic themes

• There are two basic themes to bear in mind
  throughout the course
• Key issues in developmental psychology
• Key theories in developmental psychology

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Key Issues

• Key Issues 1 Domains of Development
• There are three domains of development
• physical development
• cognitive development
• psychosocial development
• Key Issues 2 Change vs Continuity
• Developmental psychology assesses development by
  looking at
• change
• continuity

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Key Issues

• Key Issues 3 Nature vs Nurture
• Developmental psychology assesses the
  contribution to development of
• Nature
• Nurture
• Key Issues 4 Continuous and Stage-like changes
• How much does development simply continue earlier
  acquisition - gradual or CONTINUOUS development?
• How much does development lead to qualitatively
  new behaviours and skills - STAGES of
  development?

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Key Issues

• Key Issues 5 Universal vs Context-specific
  development
• How much can we identify changes that happen to
  everyone?
• How much should we take into account specific
  human and cultural contexts and experiences?

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Key Theories in Developmental Psychology

• Cognitive-Developmental Theories
• Psychodynamic Theories
• Behavioural Learning and Social Cognitive
  Learning Theories
• Contextual Developmental Theories
• Nativist Theories

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Cognitive Developmental Theories

• Focus on cognitive development
• how thinking and problem solving develop
• how cognitive activities contribute to
  development in general
• Piagets Age-Stage Theory
• children show qualitatively different levels of
  comprehension and reasoning at different ages
• role of environment merely to provide information
  
• everyone passes through the same 4 stages of
  development

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Cognitive Developmental Theories

• Neo-Piagetian Theories
• variations on Piagets theory (e.g. Case 1991,
  Fischer, 1980)
• Information Processing Theories
• concerned with how information is stored,
  retrieved, organised and manipulated
• development -gt information processed more
  efficiently
• developmental changes occur in
• cognitive control proceeses
• metacognitive ability
• amount of knowledge
• changes occur continuously in specialised areas
  as a result of experience

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Psychodynamic Theories

• Development is an active process influenced by
• inborn, biological drives
• social/emotional experiences (conscious and
  unconscious)
• People pass through stages of development
• Freuds Psychoanalytic Theory
• born with basic animal unconscious instincts
• development depends on transforming these into
  socially acceptable, rational behaviour

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Psychodynamic Theories

• Eriksons Psychosocial Theory
• role of
• internal psychological factors
• Life circumstances and developmental history
• social cultural and historical context
• 8 psychosocial stages of development based on a
  sequence of crises.
• Resolution of crisis important for healthy social
  development

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Behavioural Learning and Social Cognitive
Learning Theories

• Learning and experience are source of
  developmental change
• development gradually occurs as we learn new
  responses as a result of experience
• individual life experiences differ, therefore
  learning differs
• Behaviourist Theories (e.g. Pavlov Skinner)
• conditioning
• learn by responding to stimuli
• Social Cognitive Learning Theory (e.g. Bandura)
• observational learning
• imitation
• modelling

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Contextual Developmental Theories

• Development viewed as process of reciprocal
  interactions between
• child
• physical and social environment
• development continuous
• role of environment emphasised

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Contextual Developmental Theories

• Vygotskys theory
• development occurs gradually as child interacts
  with environment
• through interactions children internalise new
  ways of behaving and thinking
• Ethological theory
• emphasises the role of evolution in development
• inborn tendences predispose children to act in
  certain ways
• but interaction with environment moulds behaviour

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Nativist Theories

• Development is product of interaction between
  environment and innate, domain-specific modules
• Role of the environment is minimal
• Fodor
• Spelke
• Chomsky

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Learning outcomes for lecture 1

• Know and be able to evaluate the main theories of
  development
• Know and be able to discuss the key issues in
  developmental psychology
• Know and be able to discuss what each theory
  states about the key issues