Sept 04.ppt - Developmental Psychology The Science of Child Development The Field of Child Development \u2022 Why have children \u2022 Almost half of the

Developmental Psychology The Science of Child Development

The Field of Child Development • Why have children? • Almost half of the world faces the same demographic problem: not enough babies are being born to keep up with an aging population • -desperately-want-people-to-have-more-sex-a7612246.html

Do It For Denmark! •

The Field of Child Development • Why study children? – To inform parenting – implicit, lay or ‘folk’ theories of development often reflect the issues that psychologists investigate, with the aim of putting our understanding on a firmer, more scientific footing. – For example, one problem that confronts almost all parents is how to help their children control their anger and other negative emotion

The Field of Child Development • Why study children? – Period of rapid development • Changes greatest during childhood – Long-term influences • “the Child is the father of the Man” • early traits, behaviors, and experiences are related to many adult outcomes

Terman’s Termites • Lewis Terman in 1921 (Friedman & Martin, 2011 • children who were rated high in the quality Terman called conscientiousness or social dependability had many positive outcomes in adulthood

The Field of Child Development • Why study children? – Insight into complex adult processes • Eg. Language – Real-world applications • Effects of poverty, illiteracy, daycare, etc. • Does playing violent video games increase aggressive behavior in children and adolescents? • How much trust should judges and juries place in preschoolers’ testimony in child-abuse cases? • Should children who do poorly in school be held back, or should they be promoted to the next grade so that they can be with children of the same age?

The Field of Child Development • Why study children? – Interesting subject matter – to better understand human nature

• English and Romanian Adoptees Studies • how children’s ability to overcome the effects of early maltreatment is affected by its timing

The Field of Child Development • Developmental Psychology: scientific study of age-related changes in behaviour, thinking, emotion, and personality • Development: – Change in the child that occurs over time. – Changes follow an orderly pattern that moves toward greater complexity and enhances survival.

Traditional Approach vs. Life-Span Approach. Sept. 06, 2019 • The traditional approach emphasizes extensive change from birth to adolescence, little or no change in adulthood, and decline in late old age. • The life-span approach emphasizes developmental change during adulthood as well as childhood. • Developmentalist:

The Field of Child Development • Periods of development: – Prenatal period: from conception to birth (~9 months) – Infancy and toddlerhood: birth to 2 years – Early childhood: 2-6 years old – Middle childhood: 6-12 years old – Adolescence: 12-19 years old