Developmental psychology and child psychology

 

Checklists, Organizations, Projects & Vacancies

Skills, Study Assistance, Summaries & Tips

Image

Image

Developmental psychology and child psychology

Intro

Developmental psychology is the study field that explores the lifespan changes in human beings. It delves into the physical, cognitive, social, emotional, and moral development that individuals experience from conception to death. Child psychology is a specialized field within developmental psychology that focuses specifically on the mental, emotional, social, and cognitive development of children from prenatal development through adolescence.

   

More supporting content:
What is developmental psychology?

What is developmental psychology?

Developmental psychology is a fascinating field that explores the lifespan changes in human beings. It delves into the physical, cognitive, social, emotional, and moral development that individuals experience from conception to death.

What are the main features of developmental psychology?

  • Lifespan Approach: It examines development across all stages of life, from prenatal development to old age.
  • Multidimensional Focus: Developmental psychology recognizes that growth occurs in various domains – physical, cognitive, social, emotional, and moral.
  • Nature vs. Nurture: This field explores the complex interplay between biological (genetic) predispositions and environmental influences on development.
  • Continuity vs. Discontinuity: Developmental psychologists debate whether development is a gradual, continuous process or punctuated by distinct stages.

What are important sub-areas in developmental psychology?

  • Prenatal Development: Examines the growth and development of the fetus from conception to birth.
  • Infancy and Childhood: Focuses on rapid physical, cognitive, social, and emotional development during the early years.
  • Adolescence: Studies the physical, cognitive, and social changes experienced during puberty and teenage years.
  • Emerging Adulthood: Explores the development of identity, relationships, and career paths in young adulthood.
  • Middle Adulthood: Examines changes in physical health, cognitive abilities, and family dynamics during middle age.
  • Late Adulthood: Studies the physical, cognitive, and social changes associated with aging.

What are key concepts in developmental psychology?

  • Critical Period: A specific time window when an organism is highly susceptible to environmental influences impacting development.
  • Maturation: The biological unfolding of genetic potential, leading to physical growth and development.
  • Attachment Theory: Explores the importance of early emotional bonds with caregivers for healthy emotional and social development.
  • Cognitive Development: The process of acquiring knowledge, skills, and thinking abilities throughout life.
  • Social Development: The process by which individuals learn to interact with others and form relationships.
  • Moral Development: The development of an understanding of right and wrong, and a sense of ethical principles.

Who are influential figures in developmental psychology?

  • Jean Piaget (Psychologist): Pioneered the theory of cognitive development, proposing stages of cognitive growth in children.
  • Lev Vygotsky (Psychologist): Emphasized the role of social interaction and culture in cognitive development, introducing the concept of the Zone of Proximal Development.
  • Erik Erikson (Psychologist): Developed the theory of psychosocial development, proposing eight stages of psychosocial challenges individuals face throughout life.
  • John Bowlby (Psychoanalyst): Pioneered attachment theory, highlighting the significance of early emotional bonds with caregivers for healthy development.
  • Mary Ainsworth (Psychologist): Expanded upon attachment theory, identifying different attachment styles (secure, anxious, avoidant) formed in early childhood.

Why is developmental psychology important?

  • Understanding Human Development: Provides a deeper understanding of how humans grow and change throughout life.
  • Early Childhood Intervention: Helps design programs and interventions to support healthy development in children, especially those facing challenges.
  • Education: Developmental psychology informs educational practices by tailoring teaching methods to different age groups and developmental stages.
  • Parenting and Family Support: Offers insights into child development stages, fostering positive and supportive parenting practices.
  • Aging Well: Helps us understand the aging process and develop strategies to promote healthy aging physically, cognitively, and socially.

How

.......read more
Access: 
Public
What is child psychology?

What is child psychology?

Child psychology is a specialized field within developmental psychology that focuses specifically on the mental, emotional, social, and cognitive development of children from prenatal development through adolescence.

What are the main features of child psychology?

  • Focus on Childhood: It delves into the unique aspects of development during the early years of life.
  • Multifaceted Approach: Examines a variety of domains, including emotional well-being, cognitive abilities, social skills, and moral development.
  • Developmental Stages: Child psychology acknowledges that children progress through distinct stages with specific challenges and milestones.
  • Play and Exploration: Recognizes the importance of play and exploration in learning and development.

What are important sub-areas in child psychology?

  • Prenatal Development: Examines how experiences in the womb can impact a child's physical and mental development.
  • Infant Development: Focuses on rapid physical, cognitive, and social-emotional development during the first year of life.
  • Early Childhood Development: Studies the cognitive, social, and emotional growth that occurs between the ages of 2 and 6.
  • Middle Childhood Development: Examines the physical, cognitive, and social changes experienced during the school years (ages 6-12).
  • Adolescence: Studies the physical, cognitive, and social changes experienced during puberty and the teenage years.

What are key concepts in child psychology?

  • Attachment Theory: The importance of early emotional bonds with caregivers for healthy emotional and social development.
  • Developmental Milestones: The expected skills and abilities children acquire at different ages.
  • Cognitive Development: The process of acquiring knowledge, skills, and thinking abilities throughout childhood.
  • Social Development: The process by which children learn to interact with others and form relationships.
  • Play Therapy: A therapeutic approach using play to help children express themselves, process emotions, and develop coping mechanisms.
  • Temperament: Inborn behavioral styles and characteristics influencing children's responses to their environment.

Who are influential figures in child psychology?

  • Jean Piaget (Psychologist): Pioneered the theory of cognitive development, proposing stages of cognitive growth in children.
  • Lev Vygotsky (Psychologist): Emphasized the role of social interaction and culture in cognitive development, introducing the Zone of Proximal Development.
  • Erik Erikson (Psychologist): Developed the theory of psychosocial development, proposing eight stages of psychosocial challenges individuals face throughout life, including challenges specific to childhood.
  • John Bowlby (Psychoanalyst): Pioneered attachment theory, highlighting the significance of early emotional bonds with caregivers for healthy development.
  • Mary Ainsworth (Psychologist): Expanded upon attachment theory, identifying different attachment styles (secure, anxious, avoidant) formed in early childhood.

Why is child psychology important?

  • Promoting Healthy Development: Provides insights for optimizing a child's physical, cognitive, social, and emotional well-being.
  • Early Intervention: Helps identify developmental delays or challenges early on, allowing for timely intervention and support.
  • Understanding Behavior: Provides a framework for understanding children's behavior and responding appropriately.
  • Positive Parenting: Offers guidance on effective parenting practices that foster healthy development and nurturing relationships.
  • Educational Practices: Informs the development of age-appropriate curriculum and teaching methods in schools.

How is child psychology applied in practice?

  • Early Childhood Education: Provides the foundation for designing effective preschool and kindergarten programs.
  • Parenting Education and Support: Offers guidance on child development stages and
.......read more
Access: 
Public
Developmental psychology and child psychology: The best textbooks summarized

Developmental psychology and child psychology: The best textbooks summarized

Summaries and Study Assistance with Developmental psychology and child psychology

Table of content

  • Summary with the book: A Critical Introduction to Sport Psychology by Moran and Toner - 3rd edition
  • Summary with the book: Abnormal Child and Adolescent Psychology by Wicks-Nelson and Israel - 8th edition
  • Summary with the book: Adolescence by Steinberg - 12th edition
  • Summary with the book: An Introduction to Developmental Psychology by Slater and Bremner - 3rd edition
  • Summary with the book: Child and Adolescent Therapy: Cognitive-Behavioral Procedures by Kendall - 4th edition
  • Summary with the book: Cognitive Behaviour Therapy for Children and Families by Graham and Reynolds - 3rd edition
  • Summary with the book: How Children Develop by Siegler a.o. - 6th edition
  • Summary with the book: Life-Span Human Development by Sigelman and Rider - 9th edition
  • Summary with the book: The boy who was raised as a dog by Perry

About developmental psychology and child psychology

  • Developmental psychology is the scientific study of how people change and grow throughout their lifespan. Child psychology is a subfield of developmental psychology that focuses specifically on the cognitive, social, and emotional development of children.
Access: 
Public
Developmental psychology: the best scientific articles summarized

Developmental psychology: the best scientific articles summarized

Study guide with articles for Developmental psychology

Summaries and study assistance with articles for Developmental psychology

  • for 60+ summaries with articles for Developmental psychology, see the supporting content of this study guide

Related summaries and study assistance

Summaries and supporting content: 
Access: 
Public
Developmental psychology: The best concepts summarized

Latest

Latest blogs, jobs, projects, organizations, and tips tagged with: Developmental psychology and child psychology

Childhood: Developmental Psychology – Lecture 5 (UNIVERSITY OF AMSTERDAM)

The interaction between nature and nurture produces intelligent behaviour. The transactions are essential (i.e. parents change behaviour children and vice versa). The development of intelligence is continuous and there is a reciprocal interaction between the child with a biological disposition and the changing environment. This means that genes drive experience (i.e. genotype -> environment theory).

The individual multiplier effect states that there may be a small difference in nature (e.g. height) and the effect of this initial difference becomes bigger and bigger because it is multiplied by nurture (e.g. basketball analogy). This multiplier effect due to nurture can occur because of selecting environments that encourage innate differences and through additional practice.

The social multiplier effect states that a small difference between groups in nature can become greater due to the interaction between the initial difference and the environment of the group (e.g. people at a

.........Read more
Access: 
Public

Childhood: Developmental Psychology – Lecture 4 (UNIVERSITY OF AMSTERDAM)

Socialization refers to the process of developing social and emotional skills across the lifespan and is a process through generations. In this process, people develop beliefs (1) behaviours (2), values (3) and norms (4) that are appropriate in society. It is essential for healthy social development (e.g. forming positive relationships).

Socialization has three functions:

  • It regulates behaviour (e.g. morality).
  • It promotes personal growth (e.g. motivation to work hard)
  • It promotes social order (e.g. socialized adults communicate what they have learned to their own children).

Vygotsky states that the sociocultural context influences development. He emphasizes the importance of social interaction (i.e. all development goes through social interaction) and he states that the elementary mental functions (e.g. memory; sensation) become higher mental functions as a result of social interaction. This would mean that all cognitive skills have social origin.

.........Read more
Access: 
Public

Childhood: Developmental Psychology – Lecture 2 (UNIVERSITY OF AMSTERDAM)

There are three definitions of emotion:

  • Emotion refers to a motivational construct characterized by changes in feelings, physiology, cognition and behaviour.
  • Emotion refers to an intense mental state, positive or negative, internally or externally induced, expressed in physiological responses, behaviour, and/or conscious experience.
  • Emotion refers to a psychological state characterized by physiological responses, subjective feelings and cognitions related to these feelings.

Cognition and motivation are two central components of emotions. Emotions can change the environment which alters the probability of experiencing a certain emotion. Emotions consist of three key features:

  1. Emotions arise when an individual attends to a situation and understands it as being relevant to one’s current goals.
  2. Emotions are multifaceted and involve changes in subjective experience (1), behaviour (2) and peripheral physiology (3) (e.g. it gives rise to subjective experience).
  3. Emotions are malleable (i.e. it gives
.........Read more
Access: 
Public

Childhood: Developmental Psychology – Lecture 3 (UNIVERSITY OF AMSTERDAM)

Executive functioning has several definitions:

  • It refers to mental processes that support the regulation of goal-directed behaviour.
  • It refers to psychological processes involved in the conscious control of thought and action.
  • It refers to top-down mental processes needed when you have to concentrate and have to pay attention.

It typically involves working memory (1), inhibitory control (2) and mental flexibility (3). Planning (1), decision making (2), judgement (3) and self-perception (4) are results of executive functioning.

The prefrontal cortex is imperative for executive functioning. However, it is likely that mainly the interactions with the prefrontal cortex are essential for executive functioning. According to Luria, the prefrontal cortex consists of interactive functional systems and this involves the integration of subsystems. The subsystems have specific roles but cannot be considered outside of the larger systems. This means

.........Read more
Access: 
Public

Childhood: Developmental Psychology – Lecture 1 (UNIVERSITY OF AMSTERDAM)

It is possible that domain-specific mechanisms designed by natural selection to deal with specific aspects of the physical or social environment (e.g. face recognition) evolved, though domain-general mechanisms are also likely to exist as a result of evolution (e.g. executive function). Constraints limit the type of information that can be processed and the way this can be processed. There are three types of constraints on learning:

  1. Architectural constraints (i.e. biology of the brain)
    This refers to the way the brain is organized at birth (e.g. neuronal make-up).
  2. Chronotopic constraints (i.e. maturational constraints)
    This refers to the developmental stage a person is in (e.g. puberty). Brain areas may be sensitive to certain types of learning during a particular timeframe.
  3. Representational constraints
    This refers to hardwired representations in the brain (i.e. innate knowledge) which guides and constraints learning (e.g. basic knowledge of
.........Read more
Access: 
Public

Norton & Wolf (2012). Rapid automized naming (RAN) and reading fluency: Implications for understanding and treatment of reading disabilities.” – Article summary

There is a dedicated brain area for acquiring oral language but not for written language (i.e. reading). The reading circuit consists of neural systems that support every level of language and includes visual and orthographic processes, working memory, attention, motor movements and higher-level comprehension and cognition. Each component works smoothly with accuracy and speed as reading develops automaticity (i.e. making reading more automatic).

Fluency (i.e. fluent comprehension) refers to a manner of reading in which all sublexical units, words and connected text and all the perceptual, linguistic and cognitive processes involved in each level are processed accurately and automatically so that sufficient time and resources can be allocated to comprehension and deeper thought. This means that reading needs to be both accurate and automatic.

Rapid automatized naming (RAN) refers to a mini-circuit of the later-developing reading circuitry. RAN tasks include naming a series of

.........Read more
Access: 
Public

Landerl, Fussenegger, Moll, & Willburger (2009). Dyslexia and dyscalculia: Two learning disorders with different cognitive profiles.” – Article summary

Dyslexia refers to a specific deficit in the acquisition of reading. Dyscalculia refers to a specific deficit in the acquisition of arithmetic skills. The prevalence rates for these disorders are four to seven percent and are often comorbid.

The common deficit account states that in the case of comorbid dyscalculia and dyslexia, it may be caused by phonological-verbal deficits. Dyscalculia without reading difficulties may be related to a different cognitive profile. Reading difficulties seem to aggravate rather than cause math difficulties.

The domain-specific cognitive deficit account states that dyscalculia and dyslexia have two separable cognitive profiles. This means that a phonological deficit would underlie dyslexia whereas a deficit in the cognitive representation of numerosity underlies dyscalculia.

There are three subcomponents of phonological processing that are typically deficient in people with dyslexia:

  • Phonological awareness
    This refers to the ability to
.........Read more
Access: 
Public

De Smetd & Gilmore (2011). Defective number module or impaired access. Numerical magnitude processing in first graders with mathematical difficulties.” – Article summary

Children with mathematical difficulties have particular impairments in understanding and processing numerical magnitudes. The defective number module hypothesis states that a highly specific deficit of an innate capacity to understand and represent quantities leads to difficulties in learning number and arithmetic. The access deficit hypothesis states that mathematical difficulties originate from impairments in accessing numerical meaning (i.e. their quantity) from symbols rather than from difficulties in processing numerosity.

Infants and young children are able to understand and manipulate numerical magnitude information by means of non-symbolic representations (e.g. discriminate between large sets of dots). Non-symbolic representations are characterized by a distance effect. This holds that the numerical difference (i.e. distance) between two sets that need to be compared is small, performance is slower and less accurate than when the distance is large (e.g. comparing 7 to 442 is easier than comparing 23 to 22). This effect may occur due to

.........Read more
Access: 
Public

Van de Vijver & Phalet (2004). Assessment in multicultural groups: The role of acculturation.” – Article summary

Acculturation refers to phenomena which result when groups of individuals having different cultures come into continuous first-hand contact with subsequent changes in the original cultural patterns of either or both groups.

Gordon’s unidimensional acculturation model states that acculturation is a process of change in the direction of the mainstream culture. The outcome is adaptation to the mainstream culture. Unidimensional models are controversial as migrants more often desire to have a bicultural identity due to the increasing magnitude of migration and a change in the view of migrants (i.e. more accepting climate).

Berry’s bidimensional acculturation model states that the degree of acculturation depends on the degree of adaptation and the degree of cultural maintenance. This leads to several strategies:

  1. Integration (i.e. biculturalism)
    This refers to the combination of both cultures and has the preference of migrants.
  2. Separation
    This refers to
.........Read more
Access: 
Public

Van Gelderen et al. (2004). Linguistic knowledge, processing speed, and metacognitive knowledge in first- and second-language reading comprehension: A componential analysis.” – Article summary

Lower order processes refer to the level of letter and word recognition. Higher order processes refer to the comprehension of the content of text. Efficient word recognition processes are necessary but not sufficient for the successful execution of reading tasks. It allows the reader to allocate optimal attention to the interpretation of meanings communicated in the text but are not sufficient because text comprehension comprises other components as well (e.g. general knowledge).

It is possible that reading comprehension in the second language (i.e. L2) is the application of higher order reading strategies of the first language on the second language. It is also possible that linguistic knowledge of the second language is important for a satisfactory level of text comprehension. Next, it is also possible that the efficient or automized processing of linguistic information is important for successful reading comprehension in the second language. This would

.........Read more
Access: 
Public

Search

Image

Check or search summaries, tests and tips within topic: Developmental psychology and child psychology
Displaying 129 - 132 of 451
Image

People do not have innate mechanisms for complex calculations (e.g. math). However, children typically do spontaneously come up with some form of counting without being explicitly taught. It may be that counting knowledge is innate but it is also possible that this develops through imitation and tha...

Image

Contrary to most animals, humans communicate cooperatively. Infants (i.e. 10 to 12 months) begin in cooperative communication through the pointing gesture. This form of communication relies on their social-cognitive ability to direct the attention of others and to understand the attention-directing ...

Image

Contrary to most animals, humans communicate cooperatively. Infants (i.e. 10 to 12 months) begin in cooperative communication through the pointing gesture. This form of communication relies on their social-cognitive ability to direct the attention of others and to understand the attention-directing ...

Pages

Check or search within topic: Developmental psychology and child psychology
Displaying 129 - 132 of 451
Image

People do not have innate mechanisms for complex calculations (e.g. math). However, children typically do spontaneously come up with some form of counting without being explicitly taught. It may be that counting knowledge is innate but it is also possible that this develops through imitation and tha...

Image

Contrary to most animals, humans communicate cooperatively. Infants (i.e. 10 to 12 months) begin in cooperative communication through the pointing gesture. This form of communication relies on their social-cognitive ability to direct the attention of others and to understand the attention-directing ...

Image

Contrary to most animals, humans communicate cooperatively. Infants (i.e. 10 to 12 months) begin in cooperative communication through the pointing gesture. This form of communication relies on their social-cognitive ability to direct the attention of others and to understand the attention-directing ...

Pages

Check or search within: all content
Check or search within: topics, countries and studies only

Search only via club, country, goal, study, topic or sector

Spotlight: selection

Image

Selected spotlight content related to Developmental psychology and child psychology
Developmental psychology: the best scientific articles summarized

Study guide with articles for Developmental psychology Summaries and study assistance with articles for Developmental psychology

  • for 60+ summaries with articles for Developmental psychology, see the supporting content of this study guide

Related summaries and study assistance

Spotlight: favorites

Spotlight stories and suggestions related to Developmental psychology and child psychology
Spotlight summaries related to Developmental psychology and child psychology
Image

What can I find on this page? On this page, you can find a summary for all the study materials you need for the developmental specialization of the Psychology bachelor's programme at the University of Amsterdam. There is a link for all the separate courses. The courses have been organized into ...

Image

What?

  • On this page we discuss questions students have with the 2022/2023 course "Developmental Psychology" at the University of Amsterdam
  • You have the opportunity to ask any questions you might have and I will try and answer them
  • On 30/1/2023 you can ask questions!

Selected Worldsupporter pages in relation with the topic