Developmental Psychology
★ Examines our physical, cognitive, and social development across the lifespan with their
corresponding challenges
a. Nature vs Nurture
★ Debate about their relative contributions/influences to human behaviour
Nature Nurture
★ Inherited characteristics ★ acquired/learned characteristics
(genetics & biological) ★ External factors
★ Internal factors ○ experience, exposure, and learning
★ e.g hair color ★ e.g personality, behaviour
★ Interaction between nature and nurture factors → Epigenetics
○ Shows how environmental factors affect the expression of a gene
○ Epigenome: DNA of our genes collects chemical marks that determine the level
of expression, which are rearranged based on their experiences
○ Explains why twins with the same genetic makeup can have different
personalities, skills, health, and achievements
b. Continuity and Stages (Beliefs)
★ Biological maturation: Preprogrammed to develop
in a set order (stages)
★ Gradual & continuous process as a result of
learning and experience
c. Stability and Change
Brain
★ Becomes more mature with more complicated neural networks as we age
★ Neuronal Growth Spurt at birth → Rapid frontal lobe growth (executive functions)
starting at 3-6 months → Early childhood develops skills like language & vision
○ Brain Plasticity throughout life due to learning
★ Neural Pruning to improve efficiency of transmissions
Motor Development
★ Orderly pattern that is not affected much by experience
Maturation
★ Biological growth processes that enable orderly changes in behaviour
★ Same set of stages in the same order for everyone that’s not influenced by
external factors but timing of these stages will differ/ is influenced!!!
★ Infantile amnesia
○ Conscious memory at 3.5 years earliest
○ Decreases by age 7 → more capable of remembering experiences
○ Brain areas involved with memory (e.g hippocampus & frontal lobe)
matures into adolescence
★ Examines our physical, cognitive, and social development across the lifespan with their
corresponding challenges
a. Nature vs Nurture
★ Debate about their relative contributions/influences to human behaviour
Nature Nurture
★ Inherited characteristics ★ acquired/learned characteristics
(genetics & biological) ★ External factors
★ Internal factors ○ experience, exposure, and learning
★ e.g hair color ★ e.g personality, behaviour
★ Interaction between nature and nurture factors → Epigenetics
○ Shows how environmental factors affect the expression of a gene
○ Epigenome: DNA of our genes collects chemical marks that determine the level
of expression, which are rearranged based on their experiences
○ Explains why twins with the same genetic makeup can have different
personalities, skills, health, and achievements
b. Continuity and Stages (Beliefs)
★ Biological maturation: Preprogrammed to develop
in a set order (stages)
★ Gradual & continuous process as a result of
learning and experience
c. Stability and Change
Brain
★ Becomes more mature with more complicated neural networks as we age
★ Neuronal Growth Spurt at birth → Rapid frontal lobe growth (executive functions)
starting at 3-6 months → Early childhood develops skills like language & vision
○ Brain Plasticity throughout life due to learning
★ Neural Pruning to improve efficiency of transmissions
Motor Development
★ Orderly pattern that is not affected much by experience
Maturation
★ Biological growth processes that enable orderly changes in behaviour
★ Same set of stages in the same order for everyone that’s not influenced by
external factors but timing of these stages will differ/ is influenced!!!
★ Infantile amnesia
○ Conscious memory at 3.5 years earliest
○ Decreases by age 7 → more capable of remembering experiences
○ Brain areas involved with memory (e.g hippocampus & frontal lobe)
matures into adolescence
