Childhood Development
Childhood development refers to the physical, cognitive, emotional, and social changes that occur in children from birth through adolescence. It encompasses the study of how children grow, learn, and develop unique personalities and behaviors. Understanding childhood development is crucial for identifying and addressing potential challenges and promoting healthy development in children.
7 Key excerpts on "Childhood Development"
eBook - ePub- Thomas Keenan, Subhadra Evans, Kevin Crowley(Authors)
- 2016(Publication Date)
- SAGE Publications Ltd(Publisher)
...This area of study is known as the study of child development. Understanding children is important in its own right and also has the potential to significantly inform us about the nature of human development. By studying the earlier forms of behaviour and the changes which behaviour undergoes, we can gain a better understanding of the ‘end product’, that is, adult behaviour. While this text focuses specifically on children’s development, the wider principles of life-span developmental psychology (which we discuss shortly) apply as equally to this area as they do to the study of development across the life span. What is ‘Development’? When we speak of development, what in fact are we referring to? One frequently used definition refers to this as patterns of change over time which begin at conception and continue throughout the life span. Development occurs in different domains, such as the biological (changes in our physical being), social (changes in our social relationships), emotional (changes in our emotional understanding and experiences), and cognitive (changes in our thought processes). Some developmental psychologists prefer to restrict the notion of development only to changes which lead to qualitative reorganizations in the structure of a behaviour, skill or ability (Crain, 2000). For example, Heinz Werner (1957) argued that development refers only to changes which increase the organization of functioning within a domain. Werner believed that development consisted of two processes: integration and differentiation. Integration refers to the idea that development consists of the integration of more basic, previously acquired behaviours into new, higher-level structures...
eBook - ePubChildhood, Culture and Society
In a Global Context
- Michael Wyness(Author)
- 2018(Publication Date)
- SAGE Publications Ltd(Publisher)
...5 Developmentalism Social Scientific Concepts Aims To outline the key features of a developmental approach to children and childhood. To critically discuss the developmental approach. To explore the implications that a developmental frame has on professional and common understandings of children’s lives. Introduction Developmental child psychology is probably still the dominant framework within which academics, professionals and policy makers understand, assess and relate to children, at least within the affluent world. Developmental psychology within the latter half of the 20th century provided the language and conceptual tools for working with children. Child development is a dominant theory within an approach we term developmentalism, the study and practice of children and childhood that draws on the work of child development and psychiatry and stresses the biological and psychological features of childhood. It is these features that form the basis of modern childhood. In the first part of the chapter we outline Piaget’s theory of child development as the centrifugal body of knowledge within developmentalism. We go on to discuss some of the criticisms and revisions of Piaget’s work. In the final section we explore the breadth of influence of developmentalism, as well as highlight some of the important applications of this approach. Piaget’s theory Piaget’s initial focus was on the origins of knowledge, a genetic epistemology, with a key emphasis on cognitive structures. Children’s acquisition of this knowledge is organised and distributed through these cognitive structures. This acquisition of knowledge is understood as the ordered development of children’s cognitive capacities (Piaget 1932). Children’s biological growth becomes the basis for children moving through various stages of cognitive development. As children grow up they are ‘naturally’ expected to develop their understandings of the world as the cognitive tools that they are born with develop...
eBook - ePubChild Development
A Practical Introduction
- Kevin Crowley(Author)
- 2017(Publication Date)
- SAGE Publications Ltd(Publisher)
...This book presents an overview of research and theory in various aspects of child development, but before we look at these, this chapter and Chapters 2 and 3 will aim to provide some basic context for the study of development as a whole. In this chapter we will look at some basic issues in child development and some of the broad theoretical approaches to understanding development. The nature of development Development can be seen as the way in which individuals grow and change over the course of their lifespan and this can take place in different domains: biological, which includes features such as physical growth and developments in motor skills; cognitive, which refers to changes in thought processes such as memory, reasoning and problem solving, imagination, and creativity and language; emotional, where the focus is on changes in emotional experience and understanding; and social, which refers to changes in our understanding of ourselves and other people and how we relate to others. While the division of development into different domains may be useful from the point of organising our own thinking about the nature of development, it is important also to recognise that development itself is a holistic process and each domain influences and is influenced by the others. For example, development in a child’s motor skills, such as crawling and reaching and grasping (physical development), will allow them to explore both their environment and the objects in that environment, leading to a greater understanding of their surroundings (cognitive development). A central issue in development is the nature versus nurture debate, in other words, the relative roles played by biological and genetic factors as opposed to environmental factors in shaping development. Nature refers to the role of biology and genetics and nurture to the role of experience and other environmental factors...
- Daniel Thomas Cook(Author)
- 2020(Publication Date)
- SAGE Publications Ltd(Publisher)
...Developmental psychologists are interested in observing how behaviour and cognitive processes change throughout an individual’s life span. As such, developmental psychologists primarily focus on biological, social, emotional, and cognitive processes and largely seek to discover children’s sense of self and theory of mind. The objective of developmental psychology is both descriptive and prescriptive; meaning it seeks to describe and explain human development, while also developing theories and suggested practices for parents, caregivers, and educators when interacting with children. Developmental psychology has historically been known for its divisiveness amongst researchers; however, this is now much less prevalent, as scholars tend to take a more nuanced approach in their research. Key Themes and Debates There are four key themes and debates that have long dominated developmental psychology discourses. Normative Development Versus Individual Differences Developmental psychology focuses on both normative development and individual differences. Normative development refers to age-related stages that all, or most, children are expected to progress through, in order to achieve optimal development...
eBook - ePub- (Author)
- 2012(Publication Date)
- Wiley(Publisher)
...Together, all these methodological and statistical advances have helped close the gap between theoretical models and empirical evaluations. A Final Word In conclusion, developmental psychologists have a rich past of theory and empirical investigation. With further advances in theoretical conceptualizations, state-of-the-art methods, and complex analytic tools, they are likely to unearth even more secrets about children's development and to discover important facts about adults' development as well. The future of the field of developmental psychology is bright—and pregnant with promise. References Adolph, K. E., & Berger, S. E. (2011). Physical and motor development. In M. H. Bornstein & M. E. Lamb (Eds.), Developmental science (pp. 241–302). New York, NY: Psychology Press. Ainsworth, M., Blehar, M., Waters, E., & Wall, S. (1978). Patterns of attachment. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum. Anderson, H. H. (1937). Domination and integration in the social behavior of young children in an experimental play situation. Genetic Psychology Monographs, 19, 343–408. Arnett, J. (2007). Socialization in emerging adulthood: From the family to the wider world, from socialization to self-socialization. In J. E. Grusec & P. Hastings (Eds.), Handbook of socialization (pp. 208–230). New York, NY: Guilford. Asher, S. R., & Gottman, J. M. (Eds.). (1981). The development of children's friendships. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press. Aslin, R. N. (1998). The developing brain comes of age. Early Development and Parenting, 7, 125–128. Bakeman, R., & Brown, J. V. (1980). Early interaction: Consequences for social and mental development at three years. Child Development, 51, 437–447. Baldwin, B. (1925). Conference proceedings of the Committee on Child Development. Washington, DC: National Academy of Sciences Archives. Baldwin, J. M. (1894). Mental development in the child and the race. London, England: Routledge/Thoemmes Press. Baldwin, J. M. (1895)...
eBook - ePubThe Psychological Development of Girls and Women
Rethinking change in time
- Sheila Greene(Author)
- 2014(Publication Date)
- Routledge(Publisher)
...In the latest Handbook of Child Psychology, the Editor in Chief, William Damon (2006), makes reference to recent perturbations in child psychology's relationship to the concept of development. He says, The other concept that has met some resistance in recent years is the notion of development itself. For some social critics the idea of progress, implicit in the notion of development has seemed out of step with principles such as equality and cultural diversity. (2006: xv) This 'crisis of faith' as Damon called it in the previous, 1998, edition — an interesting term for a devotee of the scientific method to use — has supposedly passed. Damon continues, No doubt it was inevitable that the field's center ot gravity would return to broad concerns of development. The story of growth during infancy, childhood and adolescence is a developmental story of multi-faceted learning, acquisitions of skills and knowledge, waxing powers of attention and memory, growing neuronal and other biological capacities, formations and transformations of character and personality, increases and reorganisations in the understanding of self and others, advances in emotional and behavioral regulation, progress in communicating and collaborating with others and a host of other achievements documented in this edition. (2006: xv) Damon shows at least an awareness of the kind of questions that haw been raised about development as the foundational metaphor of his discipline, but many other developmental psychologists, perhaps the majority, seem to be caught in an epistemological time-warp, never questioning for a moment the particular kind of developmentalist assumptions that direct their thinking. It is difficult to share the totally sanguine view represented by Damon. He is at heart a cheerleader for the view of development as progress...
eBook - ePubHandbook of Applied Developmental Science
Promoting Positive Child, Adolescent, and Family Development Through Research, Policies, and Programs
- Richard M. Lerner, Francine Jacobs, Donald Wertlieb(Authors)
- 2002(Publication Date)
- SAGE Publications, Inc(Publisher)
...Indeed, we draw on this convergence, as well as the complementary foci of the three subfields, to document how integrated perspectives in the study of parenting ethnotheories hold rich promise for developing culturally inclusive and comprehensive knowledge about parenting belief systems. Finally, we discuss research, program, and policy implications of research on parental ethnotheories. MAJOR APPROACHES TO THE STUDY OF CULTURE AND DEVELOPMENT 1 Although culture has been the focus of inquiry in several social science disciplines, in psychology, three subfields have made significant contributions to our current knowledge base on the cultural context of child development. In this section, we highlight major approaches to the study of culture and development from each subfield, focusing on the core assumptions or defining elements of each stream of knowledge. We do not intend to give an overview of each subfield; there are full-length books devoted to that task in each field (Berry et al., 1997; Damon, 1998; Miller, 1997; Shweder et al., 1998; Stigler, Shweder, & Herdt, 1990; Triandis, 1980). Developmental Psychology: The Study of Culture as Context The primary focus in the field of developmental psychology has been to describe and explain development and developmental processes in all domains of human physical and psychological functioning. Human development has been defined as “changes in physical, psychological, and social behavior as experienced by individuals across the lifespan from conception to death” (Gardiner, Mutter, & Kosmitzki, 1998, p. 3). As a consequence, developmental change naturally is the focus of inquiry. During the 20th century, much of the theoretical and empirical focus on the bases of developmental change centered on establishing the significance of nature versus nurture...
