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Life is a series of changes. Beginning as tiny, two-celled organisms, people eventually become babies, children, teenagers, and adults. Countless new skills, both simple and complicated, accompany each new stage. Babies learn how to smile and laugh, children learn how to count and spell, and college students learn how to set their own schedules and wash their own clothes.
All the changes that mark our lives make up a process called development, which is the series of age-related changes, both physical and psychological, that happen over the course of a life span. Many factors influence development, including genes, parental upbringing, parents’ educational and economic backgrounds, and life experiences. Even historical events over which we have no control can influence our development.
Approaches to Developmental Psychology
As a discipline, developmental psychology has two approaches. The first is chronological. This approach studies development in a sequence. Development begins in the womb and continues through childhood and adulthood into old age. This approach focuses on the “when” of development, such as looking at the timing of milestones. The second approach is thematic. This approach focuses on exploring recurring questions or themes in human development that often present themselves as binary oppositions. For example, to what extent is personality stable over time, and to what extent is it subject to change? How much of one’s psychological development is due to nature and how much to nurture? Should development be thought of as a continuous process, or as a succession of discrete stages? These questions address several critical overarching themes of developmental psychology:
Stability versus Change: This theme looks at whether certain traits, such as personality, remain consistent throughout life or are open to change. Researchers often ask to what extent characteristics are stable from childhood through adulthood and whether life events can significantly impact them.
Nature versus Nurture: Developmental psychologists are interested in the influence of genetics (nature) and the environment (nurture) on development. This debate centers on how much of a person’s abilities, personality, behaviors, etc. are shaped by their biology versus their circumstances and life experiences.
Continuous versus Discontinuous: Various models of developmental psychology differ in whether they see development as a gradual, cumulative process (continuous) or if it occurs through distinct stages (discontinuous). Continuous models, such as Lev Vygotsky’s theory of cognitive development, suggest growth is a steady progression. Stage theories, such as the stages of cognitive development proposed by Jean Piaget, view development as a series of steps, with each stage introducing new capabilities.
Research Designs
Whether the focus is on behavior or on mental processes (perception, emotion, cognition), research in developmental psychology usually involves empirical study. Cross-sectional and longitudinal research designs are the two primary methods of research used in developmental psychology.
Cross-sectional studies look at a sample group of individuals of different ages at a single point in time. For example, a cross-sectional study on language skills might compare vocabulary size among preschool, elementary, and high school students to better understand changes in language development over time. While this method is efficient and cost-effective, it has its limitations. One limitation of cross-sectional studies is the cohort effect, which refers to the possibility that observed differences are due to generational factors rather than true developmental changes.
Longitudinal studies follow the same sample group over an extended period of time. For example, a cohort of students might be followed from the time they enter middle school to the time they graduate from high school in order to learn if certain personality traits like extroversion or conscientiousness remain stable over time. This allows researchers to track how behaviors and mental processes change within the same individuals as they age, providing insights into stability and changes over time. Longitudinal studies are less cost-effective and more likely to be impacted by issues such as participant dropout.
Cross-sectional research is particularly useful for identifying age-related patterns quickly, while longitudinal studies offer a deeper look into individual development over time, revealing whether changes are due to age or personal experiences.
