OP J1 B3
Inhoud
Chapter 1 developmental psychology: themes and contexts.................................................................4
Themes of development.....................................................................................................................4
Perspectives on development............................................................................................................6
Chapter 2 theories in developmental psychology..................................................................................7
The role of theories on developmental psychology............................................................................7
Origins of thought about human development..................................................................................8
Behaviourism and maturationism in the early twentieth century......................................................9
Psychodynamics and ethology..........................................................................................................10
Grand theories of cognitive development........................................................................................12
Information processing and computational accounts of cognitive development.............................14
Neuroscience and development theories.........................................................................................16
Chapter 3 research methods in developmental psychology.................................................................17
Methodological approaches to studying human development........................................................17
Methods for data collection.............................................................................................................18
Qualitative research methods..........................................................................................................20
Selecting a sample............................................................................................................................21
Research design in developmental psychology................................................................................22
Studying change over time...............................................................................................................24
The ethics of research with children.................................................................................................25
Chapter 7 emotional development and attachment............................................................................26
Early emotional development..........................................................................................................26
Primary and secondary emotions.....................................................................................................29
Children’s understanding of their own and other’s emotions..........................................................31
Attachment.......................................................................................................................................33
Chapter 4 physical development: growing a body................................................................................36
Prenatal development......................................................................................................................36
Risks in the prenatal environment....................................................................................................38
Childbirth..........................................................................................................................................40
Physical growth................................................................................................................................42
Sexual maturation............................................................................................................................44
Chapter 5 the biology of development: genes, nervous system, brain and environment....................45
The process of genetic transmission.................................................................................................45
Inheritance and gene expression......................................................................................................46
Genetic disorders..............................................................................................................................47
1
, OP J1 B3
Behavioural genetics........................................................................................................................48
Development of the brain and nervous system................................................................................50
Developmental cognitive neuroscience............................................................................................51
Chapter 6 perceptual and sensory development..................................................................................52
Learning to perceive.........................................................................................................................52
The development of the sensory system..........................................................................................53
Multisensory development...............................................................................................................55
Infant’s and children’s perception of themselves and the world around them................................56
Sensorimotor development..............................................................................................................58
State change and sleep in infancy....................................................................................................60
Chapter 9 cognitive development: origins of knowledge.....................................................................61
Piaget’s theory of cognitive development........................................................................................61
Piaget’s constructivism.....................................................................................................................62
A stage theory of cognitive development.........................................................................................63
Chapter 12 parents, peers and social relationships..............................................................................66
The family.........................................................................................................................................66
The social context of family life........................................................................................................71
Peers.................................................................................................................................................74
The development of friendship........................................................................................................78
Chapter 14 morality, altruism and aggression......................................................................................80
Moral development..........................................................................................................................80
Behaviour and moral development..................................................................................................83
Prosocial behaviour and altruism.....................................................................................................85
The development of aggression.......................................................................................................88
Chapter 8 language and communication..............................................................................................92
The antecedents of language development.....................................................................................92
Theories of language development..................................................................................................95
Semantic development.....................................................................................................................97
The acquisition of grammar..............................................................................................................98
Knowing about language................................................................................................................101
Facilitation children’s language development................................................................................102
Chapter 11 intelligence, achievement and learning...........................................................................103
Theories of intelligence..................................................................................................................103
Testing intelligence.........................................................................................................................105
Individual differences in intelligence..............................................................................................109
Processes of learning......................................................................................................................111
2
, OP J1 B3
Learning from teachers and learning from peers...........................................................................112
Beyond the norms: giftedness and intellectual deficits..................................................................113
Creativity........................................................................................................................................114
Chapter 15 atypical development......................................................................................................115
3
, OP J1 B3
Chapter 1 developmental psychology: themes
and contexts
Developmental psychology seeks to identify and describe changes in the way we think and behave,
and to uncover the developmental processes that drive these changes. (what and how things change)
Developmental psychology: a field of study that seeks to understand and explain changes in
individuals’ cognitive, social and other capacities, first by describing changes in the child’s observed
behaviours and second by uncovering the processes that underlie these changes.
Themes of development
The most important themes in developmental psychology:
The origins of human behaviour
The specificity or generality of change
The individual and contextual forces that define and drive development
Origins of behaviour: inherence and environment
Inherence vs. environment = nature vs. nurture = nativism vs. empiricism
Nativism: the idea that development is primarily determined by inherited factors (i.e. genes).
Empiricism: the idea that development is primarily determined by environmental influences.
Modern developmental psychologists explore how hereditary and environment interact or work
together to produce developmental change.
Research on child maltreatment finds that children with certain genetic characteristics are more
likely to exhibit behaviour problems than children who do not have these characteristics.
These children with the certain genes are also more likely to be maltreated.
The interaction between inherence and environment is an active, dynamic process to which the
developing children themselves make an active and vital contribution.
Describing developmental change: continuity versus discontinuity
Continuous development: a pattern of development in which abilities change in a gradual and
smooth way. Whereby each new event builds on earlier experiences.
Discontinuous development: a pattern of development in which changes occur suddenly, resulting in
qualitatively different stages (periods) of development.
Critical and sensitive periods
Critical period: a period of development (age range) at which specific experiences are vital for
development to occur in a typical way.
Sensitive period: a period of development (age range) at which particular experiences are important
for typical development. If those experiences do not occur during that period, typical development
may still occur. It is the optimal period for certain experiences.
Domain general-specific development
Many developmental psychologists have concerns about the extent to which the development of a
new ability or skill has impacts in other domains.
Domain-general development: the idea that development can have an impact on a wide range of
abilities.
Domain-specific development: the idea that the development of various abilities occurs
independently (separately) and has little impact on skills in other domains.
4
Inhoud
Chapter 1 developmental psychology: themes and contexts.................................................................4
Themes of development.....................................................................................................................4
Perspectives on development............................................................................................................6
Chapter 2 theories in developmental psychology..................................................................................7
The role of theories on developmental psychology............................................................................7
Origins of thought about human development..................................................................................8
Behaviourism and maturationism in the early twentieth century......................................................9
Psychodynamics and ethology..........................................................................................................10
Grand theories of cognitive development........................................................................................12
Information processing and computational accounts of cognitive development.............................14
Neuroscience and development theories.........................................................................................16
Chapter 3 research methods in developmental psychology.................................................................17
Methodological approaches to studying human development........................................................17
Methods for data collection.............................................................................................................18
Qualitative research methods..........................................................................................................20
Selecting a sample............................................................................................................................21
Research design in developmental psychology................................................................................22
Studying change over time...............................................................................................................24
The ethics of research with children.................................................................................................25
Chapter 7 emotional development and attachment............................................................................26
Early emotional development..........................................................................................................26
Primary and secondary emotions.....................................................................................................29
Children’s understanding of their own and other’s emotions..........................................................31
Attachment.......................................................................................................................................33
Chapter 4 physical development: growing a body................................................................................36
Prenatal development......................................................................................................................36
Risks in the prenatal environment....................................................................................................38
Childbirth..........................................................................................................................................40
Physical growth................................................................................................................................42
Sexual maturation............................................................................................................................44
Chapter 5 the biology of development: genes, nervous system, brain and environment....................45
The process of genetic transmission.................................................................................................45
Inheritance and gene expression......................................................................................................46
Genetic disorders..............................................................................................................................47
1
, OP J1 B3
Behavioural genetics........................................................................................................................48
Development of the brain and nervous system................................................................................50
Developmental cognitive neuroscience............................................................................................51
Chapter 6 perceptual and sensory development..................................................................................52
Learning to perceive.........................................................................................................................52
The development of the sensory system..........................................................................................53
Multisensory development...............................................................................................................55
Infant’s and children’s perception of themselves and the world around them................................56
Sensorimotor development..............................................................................................................58
State change and sleep in infancy....................................................................................................60
Chapter 9 cognitive development: origins of knowledge.....................................................................61
Piaget’s theory of cognitive development........................................................................................61
Piaget’s constructivism.....................................................................................................................62
A stage theory of cognitive development.........................................................................................63
Chapter 12 parents, peers and social relationships..............................................................................66
The family.........................................................................................................................................66
The social context of family life........................................................................................................71
Peers.................................................................................................................................................74
The development of friendship........................................................................................................78
Chapter 14 morality, altruism and aggression......................................................................................80
Moral development..........................................................................................................................80
Behaviour and moral development..................................................................................................83
Prosocial behaviour and altruism.....................................................................................................85
The development of aggression.......................................................................................................88
Chapter 8 language and communication..............................................................................................92
The antecedents of language development.....................................................................................92
Theories of language development..................................................................................................95
Semantic development.....................................................................................................................97
The acquisition of grammar..............................................................................................................98
Knowing about language................................................................................................................101
Facilitation children’s language development................................................................................102
Chapter 11 intelligence, achievement and learning...........................................................................103
Theories of intelligence..................................................................................................................103
Testing intelligence.........................................................................................................................105
Individual differences in intelligence..............................................................................................109
Processes of learning......................................................................................................................111
2
, OP J1 B3
Learning from teachers and learning from peers...........................................................................112
Beyond the norms: giftedness and intellectual deficits..................................................................113
Creativity........................................................................................................................................114
Chapter 15 atypical development......................................................................................................115
3
, OP J1 B3
Chapter 1 developmental psychology: themes
and contexts
Developmental psychology seeks to identify and describe changes in the way we think and behave,
and to uncover the developmental processes that drive these changes. (what and how things change)
Developmental psychology: a field of study that seeks to understand and explain changes in
individuals’ cognitive, social and other capacities, first by describing changes in the child’s observed
behaviours and second by uncovering the processes that underlie these changes.
Themes of development
The most important themes in developmental psychology:
The origins of human behaviour
The specificity or generality of change
The individual and contextual forces that define and drive development
Origins of behaviour: inherence and environment
Inherence vs. environment = nature vs. nurture = nativism vs. empiricism
Nativism: the idea that development is primarily determined by inherited factors (i.e. genes).
Empiricism: the idea that development is primarily determined by environmental influences.
Modern developmental psychologists explore how hereditary and environment interact or work
together to produce developmental change.
Research on child maltreatment finds that children with certain genetic characteristics are more
likely to exhibit behaviour problems than children who do not have these characteristics.
These children with the certain genes are also more likely to be maltreated.
The interaction between inherence and environment is an active, dynamic process to which the
developing children themselves make an active and vital contribution.
Describing developmental change: continuity versus discontinuity
Continuous development: a pattern of development in which abilities change in a gradual and
smooth way. Whereby each new event builds on earlier experiences.
Discontinuous development: a pattern of development in which changes occur suddenly, resulting in
qualitatively different stages (periods) of development.
Critical and sensitive periods
Critical period: a period of development (age range) at which specific experiences are vital for
development to occur in a typical way.
Sensitive period: a period of development (age range) at which particular experiences are important
for typical development. If those experiences do not occur during that period, typical development
may still occur. It is the optimal period for certain experiences.
Domain general-specific development
Many developmental psychologists have concerns about the extent to which the development of a
new ability or skill has impacts in other domains.
Domain-general development: the idea that development can have an impact on a wide range of
abilities.
Domain-specific development: the idea that the development of various abilities occurs
independently (separately) and has little impact on skills in other domains.
4
