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1. Developmental
Psychology
General overview of Theories of
Developmental Psychology

2. Domains of Development
 1. Physical development -changes in body size,
proportions, appearance, brain development,
perceptual and motor capacities, & physical
health.
 2. Cognitive development –thought processes,
intellectual abilities (attention, memory, problem
solving, imagination, creativity), & capacity to
represent the world through language.
 3. Emotional and Social development –
emotional expression, feelings, interpersonal
skills, self-understanding, & emotional regulation.

3. Periods of Development
 1. The Prenatal Period (conception-to-birth) Rapid
change occurs during which a one-celled organism is
transformed into a human baby.
 2. Infancy and toddler hood (birth to 2 years) Rapid
changes in physiology, perceptual & motor capacities,
language acquisition, and emotional development.
 3. Early childhood (2 to 6 yrs). Child’s body grows,
motor skills become more complex and refined,
behavior is more self-controlled and sufficient. Child
engages in imaginative play, obtains greater autonomy,
develops fluent language and learns morals.

4. Periods of Development contd.
 1. Middle childhood (6 to 11 yrs). Children master
reading, grammar, mathematics,and other academics.
They become more independent, responsible, their
thought processes become more logical, athletic
ability improves, and sense of self becomes more
advanced.
 2. Adolescence (11 to 20 yrs). Thought processes
becomes more abstract, sexual maturity is reached,
interest in preparation for college or work becomes
salient. Emotion regulation changing.

5. Theories of Development
 ThePsychodynamic View (Freud – 1856-
1939)
 Popular- 1930s & 1940s.
 Childrenmove through a series of stages in
which they must resolve unconscious conflicts
between biological drives and societal
expectations.
 Theunsuccessful completion of one of these
stages led to development of dysfunctional or
abnormal behavior.

6. Structures of Mind
1. Id- present from birth this structure is unconscious and
seeks to gratify our most basic urges: hunger, thirst,
elimination of waste, and sex.
(“I want” of our personality).
2. Ego- is primarily conscious, and tries to satisfy the
demands of the id, without compromising the norms of
society. The ego works according to the reality
principle.
3. Super-ego: the last structure to develop, it is our
moral center, it tells us what is right and wrong.

7. Psychosexual Stages of Development
 1. Oral (0-1 year) –infants gains satisfaction from oral
stimulation (sucking, licking).
 2. Anal (second year of life)- Child’s main source of
libidinous pleasure comes from passing and retaining
feces.
 3. Phallic (3 to 5)- child’s main source of gratification
results from stimulation of the genitals.

 4. Latency (6-12) - during this stage sexual impulses are
dormant.
 5. Genital (young adulthood)- During this stage the child
develops heterosexual interests.

8. Learning Theory/Behaviorism
 Learning is a relatively permanent change
brought about by knowledge and/or
experience.
Popular- 1940s-1960
Human development is influenced by
environmental factors.
Behaviorism - focuses on observable
behaviors, rather than on consciousness.

9. Types of Learning
 Classical condition: reflexive learning by association
 Pavlov’s study:
 Step 1: Meat Powder (UCS)---------Salivation (UCR)
 Step 2: Bell (CS) --------
 ---Meat Powder (UCS)--Salivation (UCR)
(pair bell with meat)
 Step 3: Bell (CS)--------------------Salivation (CR)

10. Operant conditioning (B.F.
Skinner)
 Operant conditioning – behavior may be learned
or extinguished through use of reinforcers
(rewards) or punishments.
Positive Reinforcement
 E.g., a good grade received after studying for an
exam
Negative Reinforcement
 E.g., smoking behavior increases to reduce the
aversive sensations associated with a nicotine fit.

11. Social Learning Theory
Modeling (Albert Bandura)
We learn the consequences of given actions by
observing what happens to others.
Observing whether others are reinforced or
punished for given behaviors may influence the
probability that we will produce such behaviors.
 Added benefit: We don’t have to be punished to
learn “what-not-to-do.”

12. Cognitive Developmental Theory
 Piaget’s theory (1960s)
 Children actively construct knowledge as they
manipulate and explore their world, & their
cognitive development takes place in stages.
 Argued that children adapt to their surroundings.
 Children don’t come out with blank slate, but with
methods for acquiring knowledge.

13. Processes of Change
 According to Piaget 2 complementary cognitive
processes play a major role in promoting change
and increase children’s cognitive understanding
of their world.
 Assimilation is the process by which children
absorb new information in with their current
framework (schema).
 Accommodation is the process by which
children modify existing knowledge structures
based on incorporating new information.

14. Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development
 Sensorimotor (birth to 2 yrs)- infants acquire
knowledge by “acting” on their environment, using their
senses and movements to explore the world.
 Preoperational (2-7 yrs)- preschool-age children
acquire advanced language skills and start to think
using symbols.
 Concrete operational (7-11 yrs)- Children’s reasoning
becomes logical. They learn to logically organize
concepts. They learn conservation of liquids and
solids.
 Formal operational (11+ yrs)-Abstract thinking comes
on-line, problem solving ability improves. ss