Objective 1 | State the three areas of change that developmental psychologists study, and identify the three major issues in developmental psychology. Developmental psychologists study physical, mental, and social changes throughout the life span. The three major issues are the relative influence of nature (heredity) and nurture (experience); whether development is a continuous processor a series of discrete stages; and whether personality is stable or changes as we age.
Objective 33| Summarize current views on continuity versus stages and stability versus change in lifelong development. Researchers viewing development as a slow continuous process are generally those who emphasize experience and learning. Researchers who emphasize biological maturation see development as a series of genetically predisposed steps. Later research has modified the stage theories of Piaget (cognitive development), Kohlberg (moral development), and Erikson (psychosocial development), but these theories have enriched psychology by alerting us to ways people differ at various points in the lifespan. Research also shows that lifelong development features both stability and change. Personality gradually stabilizes as people age, but a toddler’s traits do not necessarily predict the adult’s, and older children and adolescents also change. Some traits, such as temperament, are more stable than others. As we age, we may change relative to our earlier selves while sustaining our characteristic traits in comparison to our age mates.
The Visible Embryo - Traces human development from conception to adulthood.