Developmental Psychology Lectures
Lecture 1
Annemie Ploeger’s question: How do processes of development and evolution interact?
1. Introduction to this course
Social behavior must develop?
What can you do with it?
Practice: healthcare, school, research: applied (interventions), theoretical (such as Piaget: development
gradual or stage like?), business: oefenweb (programs for children with problems with math, language
etc.).
- Internal (e.g. genetic predispositions, personality) and external factors (e.g. smoking, going to
school, having parents, peers) influence development.
- Clinicial: what is normal / abnormal development (continuum)?
- Cognition: information processing
- Emotions: are you born with them or developed?
- Social: interacting with others.
All interact, not separate things.
4 digital weekly assignments:
1. Developmental theories
2. Cognition over the whole life span
3. Language & school psychology
4. Trial exam
2. Theories in developmental psychology (S&B Ch2)
Everything is related to development, about understanding in a systematic way.
1
,2.1 What is a theory?
A theory is a coherent set of ideas, hypotheses and explanations:
Descriptive, explanatory, predictive, makes assumptions, is a reduction of reality, is generalizable, is
testable.
Scientists gather data – and create order in data
Famous examples: relativity, big bang, evolution by natural selection (still discrepancies in physics)
A theory will be replaced when: it is falsified on the basis of observations, a new theory explains the
observations better.
How do we test: empirical cycle
A theory is a coherent set of ideas, hypotheses and explanations
- Minor theories: about single phenomenon (e.g. seeing depth)
- Major theories: broad theory (e.g. development of cognition), difficult to prove.
- You have to find a balance.
A good deveopmental theory: relates to ontogeny (development), focuses on change over time,
explains the emergence of new properties, is preferably pedagogically useful.
2.2 Dimensions in theories about development
2
,2.3 Motor development: Maturation versus Dynamic systems theory.
Milestones motor development: sequence is the same for everybody; differences in timing.
Maturation theory of Gesell (1924): biologically directed maturation; the same developmental
patterns independent of environmental input (baby 8 weeks fist, 24 weeks open hand, grasping only
attention for one cube).
- Maturation of central nervous system determines development of the child, behavioral
development follows
- Cephalocaudal trend = from head to foot
- Proximodistal trend = from center of the body to periphery
- Differences in child’s temperament play important role in pace of development
- Role of parents is to provide the right environment (when the child is ready; no pushing).
Criticisms:
- Not all children follow the dame patterns (e.g. backward crawling and butt sliding)
- Does not necessarily generalize to all cultures
- Environment can play guiding role (research McGraw)
McGraw (1945): environment can shape motor development
Twin study with Jimmy and Johnny Woods: Johnny received extra training in swimming, skating and
climbing; his development was accelerated.
3
, Dynamic Systems Theory (DST): Development is a complex interaction between properties of the
system and environment.
- A system is a collection of components that are interrelated (e.g. a body, a family, a flock of
birds)
- A dynamic system is a collection of changing components that influence each other.
Describes how a state changes into another state over time
- An important property is self-organization (e.g. flock of birds, no guiding factor, self-
organizing)
- The effects are non-lineair: small changes in one variable may bring qualitative changes I the
whole pattern (small change can have greater change).
Esther Thelen (1941-2004): DST of motor development
Extension of Piaget, very active role child.
Motor development is shaped by:
- Development central nervous system (nature)
- Development motor skills (nature)
- Environment (context and tasks)
By acting it also changes environment.
Video: how to reach / walk not simply programmed in our genes. Stepping build in, using treadmill,
balance for walking they have to learn. You have physical properties but you have to practice to get
the right coordination.
3. Introduction to psychological assessment (Gregory, 2012)
3.1 Why Psychological assessment?
4
Lecture 1
Annemie Ploeger’s question: How do processes of development and evolution interact?
1. Introduction to this course
Social behavior must develop?
What can you do with it?
Practice: healthcare, school, research: applied (interventions), theoretical (such as Piaget: development
gradual or stage like?), business: oefenweb (programs for children with problems with math, language
etc.).
- Internal (e.g. genetic predispositions, personality) and external factors (e.g. smoking, going to
school, having parents, peers) influence development.
- Clinicial: what is normal / abnormal development (continuum)?
- Cognition: information processing
- Emotions: are you born with them or developed?
- Social: interacting with others.
All interact, not separate things.
4 digital weekly assignments:
1. Developmental theories
2. Cognition over the whole life span
3. Language & school psychology
4. Trial exam
2. Theories in developmental psychology (S&B Ch2)
Everything is related to development, about understanding in a systematic way.
1
,2.1 What is a theory?
A theory is a coherent set of ideas, hypotheses and explanations:
Descriptive, explanatory, predictive, makes assumptions, is a reduction of reality, is generalizable, is
testable.
Scientists gather data – and create order in data
Famous examples: relativity, big bang, evolution by natural selection (still discrepancies in physics)
A theory will be replaced when: it is falsified on the basis of observations, a new theory explains the
observations better.
How do we test: empirical cycle
A theory is a coherent set of ideas, hypotheses and explanations
- Minor theories: about single phenomenon (e.g. seeing depth)
- Major theories: broad theory (e.g. development of cognition), difficult to prove.
- You have to find a balance.
A good deveopmental theory: relates to ontogeny (development), focuses on change over time,
explains the emergence of new properties, is preferably pedagogically useful.
2.2 Dimensions in theories about development
2
,2.3 Motor development: Maturation versus Dynamic systems theory.
Milestones motor development: sequence is the same for everybody; differences in timing.
Maturation theory of Gesell (1924): biologically directed maturation; the same developmental
patterns independent of environmental input (baby 8 weeks fist, 24 weeks open hand, grasping only
attention for one cube).
- Maturation of central nervous system determines development of the child, behavioral
development follows
- Cephalocaudal trend = from head to foot
- Proximodistal trend = from center of the body to periphery
- Differences in child’s temperament play important role in pace of development
- Role of parents is to provide the right environment (when the child is ready; no pushing).
Criticisms:
- Not all children follow the dame patterns (e.g. backward crawling and butt sliding)
- Does not necessarily generalize to all cultures
- Environment can play guiding role (research McGraw)
McGraw (1945): environment can shape motor development
Twin study with Jimmy and Johnny Woods: Johnny received extra training in swimming, skating and
climbing; his development was accelerated.
3
, Dynamic Systems Theory (DST): Development is a complex interaction between properties of the
system and environment.
- A system is a collection of components that are interrelated (e.g. a body, a family, a flock of
birds)
- A dynamic system is a collection of changing components that influence each other.
Describes how a state changes into another state over time
- An important property is self-organization (e.g. flock of birds, no guiding factor, self-
organizing)
- The effects are non-lineair: small changes in one variable may bring qualitative changes I the
whole pattern (small change can have greater change).
Esther Thelen (1941-2004): DST of motor development
Extension of Piaget, very active role child.
Motor development is shaped by:
- Development central nervous system (nature)
- Development motor skills (nature)
- Environment (context and tasks)
By acting it also changes environment.
Video: how to reach / walk not simply programmed in our genes. Stepping build in, using treadmill,
balance for walking they have to learn. You have physical properties but you have to practice to get
the right coordination.
3. Introduction to psychological assessment (Gregory, 2012)
3.1 Why Psychological assessment?
4
