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Developmental Psychology

Definition

Developmental psychology is the scientific study of progressive psychological changes that occur in human beings as they age. Originally concerned with infants and children, and later other periods of great change such as adolescence and aging, it now encompasses the entire life span. This field examines change across a broad range of topics including motor skills and other psycho-physiological processes, problem solving abilities, conceptual understanding, acquisition of language, moral understanding, and identity formation. (Wiki, 2006)

Developmental psychologists investigate key questions, such as whether children are qualitatively different from adults or simply lack the experience that adults draw upon. Other issues that they deal with is the question of whether development occurs through the gradual accumulation of knowledge or through shifts from one stage of thinking to another; or if children are born with innate knowledge or figure things out through experience; and whether development driven by the social context or by something inside each child. (Wiki, 2006)

Developmental psychology informs several applied fields, including: educational psychology, child psychopathology and developmental forensics. Developmental psychology complements several other basic research fields in psychology including social psychology, cognitive psychology, and comparative psychology. (Wiki, 2006)

Notable Theorists & Theories in Developmental Psychology

• Jean Piaget, Theory of cognitive development
• Erik Erikson, Erikson's stages of psychosocial development
• Lawrence Kohlberg, Kohlberg's stages of moral development
• James W. Fowler, Stages of faith development

• Annotated Bibliography: a list of prominent works in developmental psychology
• Developmental stage
• Evolutionary developmental psychology

Developmental Psychology Societies & Networks

Social Psychology Network (Links by Sub-topic)

European Society for Developmental Psychology

Psychological Science & Education

Online Journals, Think-tanks & Societies

Journal of Developmental Psychology

European Journal of Developmental Psychology

Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology

Australian Journal of Developmental Psychology

Jean Piaget Society

University of Chicago Library Resources for Psychology

See Also:

• Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development
• Encyclopedia of Psychology
• Electronic Journals & Periodicals in Psychology
• SOSIG - Developmental Psychology Gateway
• Developmental Psychology Graduate Schools Listing
• Developmental Psychology: lessons for teaching and learning developmental psychology
• GMU’s On-Line Resources for Developmental Psychology: a web directory of Developmental Psychology organizations
• Psychology Resources
• Evolutionary Developmental Psychology (in the journal Child Development)
• Child Development and Evolutionary Psychology (in the journal Child Development)
• Gerhard Medicus. The Inapplicability of the Biogenetic Rule to Child Development. (pdf)

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