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Developmental Psychology 101: Theories, Stages, & Research

You can imagine how vast this field of psychology is if it has to cover the whole of life, from birth through death.

Just like any other area of psychology, it has created exciting debates and given rise to fascinating case studies.

In recent years, developmental psychology has shifted to incorporate positive psychology paradigms to create a holistic lifespan approach. As an example, the knowledge gained from positive psychology can enhance the development of children in education.

In this article, you will learn a lot about different aspects of developmental psychology, including how it first emerged in history and famous theories and models.

Before you continue, we thought you might like to download our three Positive Psychology Exercises for free . These science-based exercises explore fundamental aspects of positive psychology, including strengths, values, and self-compassion, and will give you the tools to enhance the wellbeing of your clients, students, or employees.

This Article Contains:

What is developmental psychology, 4 popular theories, stages, & models, 2 questions and research topics, fascinating case studies & research findings, a look at positive developmental psychology, applying developmental psychology in education, resources from positivepsychology.com, a take-home message.

Human beings change drastically over our lifetime.

The American Psychological Association (2020) defines developmental psychology as the study of physical, mental, and behavioral changes, from conception through old age.

Developmental psychology investigates biological, genetic, neurological, psychosocial, cultural, and environmental factors of human growth (Burman, 2017).

Over the years, developmental psychology has been influenced by numerous theories and models in varied branches of psychology (Burman, 2017).

History of developmental psychology

Developmental psychology first appeared as an area of study in the late 19th century (Baltes, Lindenberger, & Staudinger, 2007). Developmental psychology focused initially on child and adolescent development, and was concerned about children’s minds and learning (Hall, 1883).

There are several key figures in developmental psychology. In 1877, the famous evolutionary biologist Charles Darwin undertook the first study of developmental psychology on innate communication forms. Not long after, physiologist William Preyer (1888) published a book on the abilities of an infant.

The 1900s saw many significant people dominating the developmental psychology field with their detailed theories of development: Sigmund Freud (1923, 1961), Jean Piaget (1928), Erik Erikson (1959), Lev Vygotsky (1978), John Bowlby (1958), and Albert Bandura (1977).

By the 1920s, the scope of developmental psychology had begun to include adult development and the aging process (Thompson, 2016).

In more recent years, it has broadened further to include prenatal development (Brandon et al., 2009). Developmental psychology is now understood to encompass the complete lifespan (Baltes et al., 2007).

Each of these models has contributed to the understanding of the process of human development and growth.

Furthermore, each theory and model focuses on different aspects of development: social, emotional, psychosexual, behavioral, attachment, social learning, and many more.

Here are some of the most popular models of development that have heavily contributed to the field of developmental psychology.

1. Bowlby’s attachment styles

The seminal work of psychologist John Bowlby (1958) showcased his interest in children’s social development. Bowlby (1969, 1973, 1980) developed the most famous theory of social development, known as attachment theory .

Bowlby (1969) hypothesized that the need to form attachments is innate, embedded in all humans for survival and essential for children’s development. This instinctive bond helps ensure that children are cared for by their parent or caregiver (Bowlby, 1969, 1973, 1980).

Bowlby’s original attachment work was developed further by one of his students, Mary Ainsworth. She proposed several attachment styles between the child and the caregiver (Ainsworth & Bell, 1970).

This theory clearly illustrates the importance of attachment styles to a child’s future development. Consistent and stable caregiving results in a secure attachment style (Ainsworth, Blehar, Waters, & Wall, 1978). In contrast, unstable and insecure caregiving results in several negative attachment styles: ambivalent, avoidant, or disorganized (Ainsworth & Bell, 1970; Main & Solomon, 1986).

Bowlby’s theory does not consider peer group influence or how it can shape children’s personality and development (Harris, 1998).

2. Piaget’s stage theory

Jean Piaget was a French psychologist highly interested in child development. He was interested in children’s thinking and how they acquire, construct, and use their knowledge (Piaget, 1951).

Piaget’s (1951) four-stage theory of cognitive development sequences a child’s intellectual development. According to this theory, all children move through these four stages of development in the same order (Simatwa, 2010).

The sensorimotor stage is from birth to two years old. Behaviors are triggered by sensory stimuli and limited to simple motor responses. If an object is removed from the child’s vision, they think it no longer exists (Piaget, 1936).

The pre-operational stage occurs between two and six years old. The child learns language but cannot mentally manipulate information or understand concrete logic (Wadsworth, 1971).

The concrete operational stage takes place from 7 to 11 years old. Children begin to think more logically about factual events. Abstract or hypothetical concepts are still difficult to understand in this stage (Wadsworth, 1971).

In the formal operational stage from 12 years to adulthood, abstract thought and skills arise (Piaget, 1936).

Piaget did not consider other factors that might affect these stages or a child’s progress through them. Biological maturation and interaction with the environment can determine the rate of cognitive development in children (Papalia & Feldman, 2011). Individual differences can also dictate a child’s progress (Berger, 2014).

3. Freud’s psychosexual development theory

One of the most influential developmental theories, which encompassed psychosexual stages of development, was developed by Austrian psychiatrist Sigmund Freud (Fisher & Greenberg, 1996).

Freud concluded that childhood experiences and unconscious desires influence behavior after witnessing his female patients experiencing physical symptoms and distress with no physical cause (Breuer & Freud, 1957).

According to Freud’s psychosexual theory, child development occurs in a series of stages, each focused on different pleasure areas of the body. During each stage, the child encounters conflicts, which play a significant role in development (Silverman, 2017).

Freud’s theory of psychosexual development includes the oral, anal, phallic, latent, and genital stages. His theory suggests that the energy of the libido is focused on these different erogenous zones at each specific stage (Silverman, 2017).

Freud concluded that the successful completion of each stage leads to healthy adult development. He also suggested that a failure to progress through a stage causes fixation and developmental difficulties, such as nail biting (oral fixation) or obsessive tidiness (anal fixation; Silverman, 2017).

Freud considered personality to be formed in childhood as a child passes through these stages. Criticisms of Freud’s theory of psychosexual development include its failure to consider that personality can change and grow over an entire lifetime. Freud believed that early experiences played the most significant role in shaping development (Silverman, 2017).

4. Bandura’s social learning theory

American psychologist Albert Bandura proposed the social learning theory (Bandura, Ross, & Ross, 1961). Bandura did not believe that classical or operant conditioning was enough to explain learned behavior because some behaviors of children are never reinforced (Bandura, 1986). He believed that children observe, imitate, and model the behaviors and reactions of others (Bandura, 1977).

Bandura suggested that observation is critical in learning. Further, the observation does not have to be of a live actor, such as in the Bobo doll experiment (Bandura, 1986). Bandura et al. (1961) considered that learning and modeling can also occur from listening to verbal instructions on behavior performance.

Bandura’s (1977) social theory posits that both environmental and cognitive factors interact to influence development.

Bandura’s developmental theory has been criticized for not considering biological factors or children’s autonomic nervous system responses (Kevin, 1995).

Overview of theories of development – Khan Academy

Developmental psychology has given rise to many debatable questions and research topics. Here are two of the most commonly discussed.

1. Nature vs nurture debate

One of the oldest debates in the field of developmental psychology has been between nature and nurture (Levitt, 2013).

Is human development a result of hereditary factors (genes), or is it influenced by the environment (school, family, relationships, peers, community, culture)?

The polarized position of developmental psychologists of the past has now changed. The nature/nurture question now concerns the relationship between the innateness of an attribute and the environmental effects on that attribute (Nesterak, 2015).

The field of epigenetics describes how behavioral and environmental influences affect the expression of genes (Kubota, Miyake, & Hirasawa, 2012).

Many severe mental health disorders have a hereditary component. Yet, the environment and behavior, such as improved diet, reduced stress, physical activity, and a positive mindset, can determine whether this health condition is ever expressed (Śmigielski, Jagannath, Rössler, Walitza, & Grünblatt, 2020).

When considering classic models of developmental psychology, such as Piaget’s schema theory and Freud’s psychosexual theory, you’ll see that they both perceive development to be set in stone and unchangeable by the environment.

Contemporary developmental psychology theories take a different approach. They stress the importance of multiple levels of organization over the course of human development (Lomas, Hefferon, & Ivtzan, 2016).

2. Theory of mind

Theory of mind allows us to understand that others have different intentions, beliefs, desires, perceptions, behaviors, and emotions (American Psychological Association, 2020).

It was first identified by research by Premack and Woodruff (1978) and considered to be a natural developmental stage of progression for all children. Starting around the ages of four or five, children begin to think about the thoughts and feelings of others. This shows an emergence of the theory of mind (Wellman & Liu, 2004).

However, the ability of all individuals to achieve and maintain this critical skill at the same level is debatable.

Children diagnosed with autism exhibit a deficit in the theory of mind (Baron-Cohen, Leslie, & Frith, 1985).

Individuals with depression (psychotic and non-psychotic) are significantly impaired in theory of mind tasks (Wang, Wang, Chen, Zhu, & Wang, 2008).

People with social anxiety disorder have also been found to show less accuracy in decoding the mental states of others (Washburn, Wilson, Roes, Rnic, & Harkness, 2016).

Further research has shown that the theory of mind changes with aging. This suggests a developmental lifespan process for this concept (Meinhardt-Injac, Daum, & Meinhardt, 2020).

1. Little Albert

The small child who was the focus of the experiments of behavioral psychologists Watson and Rayner (1920) was referred to as ‘Little Albert.’ These experiments were essential landmarks in developmental psychology and showed how an emotionally stable child can be conditioned to develop a phobia.

Albert was exposed to several neutral stimuli including cotton wool, masks, a white rat, rabbit, monkey, and dog. Albert showed no initial fear to these stimuli.

When a loud noise was coupled with the initially neutral stimulus, Albert became very distressed and developed a phobia of the object, which extended to any similar object as well.

This experiment highlights the importance of environmental factors in the development of behaviors in children.

2. David Reimer

At the age of eight months, David Reimer lost his penis in a circumcision operation that went wrong. His worried parents consulted a psychologist, who advised them to raise David as a girl.

David’s young age meant he knew nothing about this. He went through the process of hormonal treatment and gender reassignment. At the age of 14, David found out the truth and wanted to reverse the gender reassignment process to become a boy again. He had always felt like a boy until this time, even though he was socialized and brought up as a girl (Colapinto, 2006).

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Contemporary theories of developmental psychology often encompass a holistic approach and a more positive approach to development.

Positive psychology has intersected with developmental disciplines in areas such as parenting, education, youth, and aging (Lomas et al., 2016).

These paradigms can all be grouped together under the umbrella of positive developmental psychology. This fresh approach to development focuses on the wellbeing aspects of development, while systematically bringing them together (Lomas, et al., 2016).

Positive parenting is the approach to children’s wellbeing by focusing on the role of parents and caregivers (Latham, 1994).
Positive education looks at flourishing in the context of school (Seligman, Ernst, Gillham, Reivich, & Linkins, 2009).
Positive youth development is the productive and constructive focus on adolescence and early adulthood to enhance young people’s strengths and promote positive outcomes (Larson, 2000).
Positive aging , also known as healthy aging, focuses on the positivity of aging as a healthy, normal stage of life (Vaillant, 2004).

Much of the empirical and theoretical work connected to positive developmental psychology has been going on for years, even before the emergence of positive psychology itself (Lomas et al., 2016).

We recommend this related article Applying Positive Psychology in Schools & Education: Your Ultimate Guide for further reading.

In the classroom, developmental psychology considers children’s psychological, emotional, and intellectual characteristics according to their developmental stage.

A report on the top 20 principles of psychology in the classroom, from pre-kindergarten to high school, was published by the American Psychological Association in 2015. The report also advised how teachers can respond to these principles in the classroom setting.

The top 5 principles and teacher responses are outlined in the table below.

There are many valuable resources to help you foster positive development no matter whether you’re working with young children, teenagers, or adults.

To help get you started, check out the following free resources from around our blog.

Adopt A Growth Mindset This exercise helps clients recognize instances of fixed mindset in their thinking and actions and replace them with thoughts and behaviors more supportive of a growth mindset.
Childhood Frustrations This worksheet provides a space for clients to document key challenges experienced during childhood, together with their emotional and behavioral responses.
What I Want to Be This worksheet helps children identify behaviors and emotions they would like to display and select an opportunity in the future to behave in this ideal way.
17 Positive Psychology Exercises If you’re looking for more science-based ways to help others enhance their wellbeing, this signature collection contains 17 validated positive psychology tools for practitioners. Use them to help others flourish and thrive.
Developmental Psychology Courses If you are interested in a career in Developmental Psychology , we suggest 15 of the best courses in this article.

17 Top-Rated Positive Psychology Exercises for Practitioners

Expand your arsenal and impact with these 17 Positive Psychology Exercises [PDF] , scientifically designed to promote human flourishing, meaning, and wellbeing.

Created by Experts. 100% Science-based.

Earlier developmental psychology models and theories were focused on specific areas, such as attachment, psychosexual, cognitive, and social learning. Although informative, they did not take in differing perspectives and were fixed paradigms.

We’ve now come to understand that development is not fixed. Individual differences take place in development, and the factors that can affect development are many. It is ever changing throughout life.

The modern-day approach to developmental psychology includes sub-fields of positive psychology. It brings these differing disciplines together to form an overarching positive developmental psychology paradigm.

Developmental psychology has helped us gain a considerable understanding of children’s motivations, social and emotional contexts, and their strengths and weaknesses.

This knowledge is essential for educators to create rich learning environments for students to help them develop positively and ultimately flourish to their full potential.

We hope you enjoyed reading this article. Don’t forget to download our three Positive Psychology Exercises for free .

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Lifespan Development: A Psychological Perspective - Fourth Edition

(38 reviews)

Martha Lally, College of Lake County

Suzanne Valentine-French, College of Lake County

Last Update: 2023

Publisher: Martha Lally, Suzanne Valentine-French

Language: English

Formats Available

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Learn more about reviews.

Reviewed by Michael Shaughnessy, Professor, Eastern New Mexico University on 1/16/24

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

This is a VERY comprehensive book, integrating historical, medical and psychological information as it relates to human growth and development. That being said at 496 pages- it is really a graduate level book- as undergraduates would be overwhelmed with it and its comprehensiveness. It is up to date and chock full of tables and figures and pictures and is well organized and rich and robust with depth.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

From what I have seen the book is accurate, and while I did not read every word of every page of this 496 page book- what I have read seems on target and relevant and unbiased.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

Very timely and relevant- one notices the mention of COVID and it's impact on learning and the growth and development of the human organism. Artificial intelligence will be integrated into this 10 chapter book relatively quickly. At first, when I saw 10 chapters, I thought this would be a superficial summary type of book but it is surprisingly an indepth very comprehensive book- one that might fit into an honors class.

Clarity rating: 5

Clarity is good- but this book would need to be a text for a 16-week course- to allow students to read and reflect and absorb the material.

Consistency rating: 5

Logical rational and reasonable---but the length is overwhelming- students might intially be drawn to the pictures charts and graphs- but this is a graduate level text for a graduate level class- in which the graduate students have plenty of time to read and review and reflect.

Modularity rating: 4

This is a ten-chapter book- but it really delves into each chapter extensively. I was initially happy to see the 10-chapter organization- but each of these chapters is rich and robust and in depth-. I suppose that students could be told to skim over the historical and medical parts and just glance at the charts and graphs and figures- but this is a THICK book- 496 pages- and it deserves a full semester. I would NOT recommend this for a summer class.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

It is easy to reflect on the organization as it covers the human development from birth to death - and does so comprehensively. This is a book for reflective scholars- who want to stop and think about and in class- to discuss all of the issues comprehensively covered.

Interface rating: 5

Charts, graphs, figures---are all clean and neat---font could be larger in SOME places- but BOLD is used for terms and headings- and this is nicely organized.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

Readable, enjoyable, conversational----but time has to be allocated for a real reading of this 496 page tome.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

The authors seem to have worked on this- and I have seen a balance here- and I have no concerns or objections.

As I have already mentioned,----this is a book that deserves a full semester---and should not be used in a 4-week summer class or any 8-week approach. This book deserves the time to absorb, think about and reflect on the material that is interwoven with theory and factual knowledge and information. This is a rich robust, but thick challenging book for serious graduate students who really do want to learn more not just about human growth and development- but the human condition !

Reviewed by Kelli Rogers, Assistant Professor Practice, University of Texas at Arlington on 12/12/22

Comprehensiveness rating: 4 see less

This text examines how biological, psychological, and social factors shape people’s lives from conception to death, covering various stages of development and a number of theories relates to these stages. However, there is need for further discussion of atypical development and the influence of various social, cultural, and environmental contexts. There is no glossary, which would be helpful for students who prefer to print the text.

Content Accuracy rating: 4

The content parallels other text on lifespan development and course curricula. However, more contemporary research would increased its accuracy. Detailed discussions of risk and protective factors relative to each of the stages of development would provide a more comprehensive perspective. In addition, other issues of diversity (besides just socioeconomic background and culture) should be described.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 4

This text contains relevant information, however, there are several older references. While this may be appropriate for theoretical and historical discussions of human development, it fails to include updates in science and technology that significantly influences development. In addition, the inclusion of case vignettes would improve relevance and engagement. The text is written and arranged in such a way that necessary updates will be relatively easy and straightforward to implement.

This text is well-organized and easy to read, which makes it ideal for undergraduates. The learning objectives could be more concisely written, as there are several sets of topic-specific learning objectives in each chapter.

Consistency rating: 4

The text appears to be presented in a consistent manner, with regard to terminology and framework. However, the degree of depth to which theories and concepts are covered varies. For example, there are fewer theories discussed in chapters middle adulthood through late adulthood, which may be a reflection of current literature.

Modularity rating: 5

The text consists of 10 chapters, organized by developmental stages and can be easily reorganized and realigned for a variety of course modalities. The text is also easily and readily divisible into smaller reading sections that can be assigned at different points within the course

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 4

The topics in the text are presented in a logical, clear fashion and the layout remain consistent across all chapters. However, some chapter lack a smooth transition between subsections and topics.

The text is free of significant interface issues. The table of contents and external links embedded within the chapters are navigable. The charts and images are readable.

I did not noticed any grammatical errors or issues.

Cultural Relevance rating: 4

I would have appreciated more content on issues of diversity and how this significantly impacts various stages of development. Ageism was limited to experiences in late adulthood ad fails to discuss ageism in adolescence. Case study examples of a variety of backgrounds, disabilities and abilities, religions/spirituality, etc., would improve cultural sensitivity and inclusivity. More diverse images and the inclusion of studies of nonwhite populations would be beneficial.

Overall, I found this text to be very comprehensive in covering all of the developmental stages and major theories of development. While the majority of the content is consistent with other texts, supplemental reading materials, documentaries, case vignettes, etc., are necessary to improve relevance, accuracy, and inclusiveness.

Reviewed by Michael Slavkin, Assistant Professor of Psychological Services and Counseling, Marian University on 5/31/22

Each chapter is organized around a developmental level. Pertinent theories and concepts are covered. Details are strong and material is well discussed. read more

Each chapter is organized around a developmental level. Pertinent theories and concepts are covered. Details are strong and material is well discussed.

No accuracy issues were evidenced. The text is error-free and no bias seems to exist. Relevant information and up-to date references.

The textbook is relevant, providing current information that links with the current research in the field. There is a clear arrangement as the text is tied to areas of development. The fact that there are 10 chapters makes the text fairly straightforward to implement over the course of a term.

No clarity issues were found. The text is written in a clear style, and provides good content with limited jargon. Those terms that are new are highlighted for student ease (no glossary is included, but bolded words are used for new terms).

The text is internally consistent, using a clear organizational scheme. There is no issue with framework, and material could be supplemented easily.

The text is divided into 10 chapters, which could be aligned to different course management systems easily. The text is not overly self-referential. It can be organized and aligned with articles or materials relatively easily.

The topics in the text are organized well. The material is clearly stated, and presented relatively easily for review.

No navigation problems or distorted in any way. The text was displayed well.

Clear text with no grammatical issues.

The book does an exemplary job of sharing up-to-date material that supports a strong multicultural and diverse background. Details about exceptionalities, neurodiversity, and cultural/social sensitivity are included.

The text by Martha Lally and Suzanne Valentine-French is a solid overview of lifespan development. Appropriate for psychology, sociology, education, and human services; this would be a strong textbook for use in a variety of programs. Well organized and developed.

Reviewed by Joshua Smith, Psychology Instructor, Dodge City Community College on 2/25/22

This book is well laid out and covers all of the major areas of the lifespan development. The book is hits on all of the major concepts and theories that I would want to teach in an introductory or intermediate lifespan development course. The book does not contain a list of key terms and definitions at the end of the chapters or a glossary. An index at the end of the text would also be helpful.

Content in the text is consistent with other introductory development textbooks. Historical and theoretical information is accurate and contemporary examples are beneficial. The text presents information that is consistent with psychological theory and supported by research in a way that appears free of any overt bias.

The text was updated in 2019, but still contains several older references. Depending on your teaching goals (e.g., theoretical foundations vs. modern applications), the addition of more recent works could be beneficial. Instructors might need to supplement with recent research in some areas. There have been some updates from previous versions, such as the inclusion of social media and its influences on adolescents.

Clarity rating: 4

The text is clear and should be relatively easy for the average undergraduate student to understand. Major terms and concepts are generally defined in context as you read each chapter, but definitional content could be better. A glossary would help with this. It may occasionally be challenging for students to differentiate major theories or concepts from examples and elaborations on those concepts.

The table of contents is very informative and aligns clearly with the layout of each chapter. Chapter layouts are consistent and easy to follow, making the text very easy to navigate. An index at the end of the text would be helpful for students looking for concepts that are not major chapter or sections headings.

The organization and presentation of chapters follows the unfolding of the human lifespan, so reordering the text is not likely to be necessary. Within each chapter, the text is easily divisible into smaller sections for reading or teaching.

Chapters are clear and logically organized. Presentation of chapter topics follows the unfolding of the human lifespan which is appropriate for a lifespan course. Some instructors might choose to reorder subtopics and sections within a chapter which could easily be done.

Interface rating: 4

The interface is smooth. You can click on chapter titles or subsections from the expanded table of contents to be linked directly to that section of the text. However, navigation within each chapter would be more smooth if the bookmark function was used in the left navigation bar to provide point and click navigation to each chapter and section as you read.

I did not notice any grammatical errors during my review.

There is a nice, if small, section on culture and development in chapter one, but this is not detailed. In several areas, the text touches on culture and diversity, and explores their impact on development. For example, the text brings up cultural influences on cognitive development and education, gender and gender identity, parenting behaviors, marriage practices, and many other areas. However, as with many introductory texts the predominant focus is on white-western culture which serves as the normative comparison point for other groups.

I would use this text for my introductory course in developmental psychology.

Reviewed by Elbert Davis, Assistant Professor, Marshall University on 12/17/21

This is a very in-depth textbook on lifespan development. The authors follow the lifespan from pre-birth to death. The theories are introducted in the first chapter, and are again discussed in the relevant developmental stage in future chapters.... read more

The content of the textbook relies on factual information, providing references at the end of each chapter. Author bias was not observed. Errors were not evident.

This textbook would be easy to update. The chapters are broken into many different sections, which is reflected in the table of contents. While lifespan development is not a new concept, the authors included information on transgendered persons, which is not something usually discussed. That was refreshing to see.

The authors introduce jargon and new terminology by highlighting in purple. They also do a great job in breaking up text by using graphics and tables.

The chapters are arranged using the same basic framework, which makes it easier on the reader to know what to expect.

The authors use extensive subheadings to break up the material, as well as images and tables.

The topic of lifespan development makes it easier for organization. The authors started with pre-birth and discussed the various stages of development, inlcuding infancy, childhood, and adulthood, until death.

There was nothing confusing or distorted in the book. Navigation was easy. The subheadings in the table of contents were clickable, making it easy to navigate.

No graamatical errors were evident throughout the book.

Cultural diversity is woven into the chapters, as well as students with learning disabilites.

Reviewed by Lisamarie Bensman, Assistant Professor, Windward Community College on 12/12/21

This text includes all major areas of development that I would expect to find in a developmental text. The index at the beginning of the text is useful for a quick overview of what is in each chapter and can be used to jump to specific sections. There isn’t a glossary, which has its positives and negatives. Glossaries can be super helpful in reminding students of what terminology means, but they can also provide students with an oversimplified idea of those concepts, so for me a glossary is not a deal breaker.

The content in the text is accurate and provides a solid introduction to development. I was particularly pleased with how the authors presented Freud, as they appropriately acknowledged his lasting contributions to development, as well as the limitations of his work, and did so without his presenting his unsupported, unscientific theory of psychosexual development followed by the usual disclaimer. Avoiding this standard but very flawed way that many developmental texts handle Freud set a tone early on that the authors thought carefully about the validity of the content that they included and would present only the most accurate, scientifically supported information. That trend appears to have continued throughout the text (with a few exceptions, please see comments on relevance).

The majority of the content appears to be as current as can reasonably be expected for any text and, in some places, even more current than would be expected (for instance, when I selected this text in 2019 it already included a small section on children in detention centers at the southern US border and the impact separation and stress has on children, as well as the APA’s opposition to family separations). There are a few places, particularly in regards to pregnant individuals in the second chapter and in regards to gender identity that language could be more inclusive and better reflect current research and understanding, but even then, the language and understandings used are not that out of date nor different from how many developmental texts approach these issues (I’m not saying this standard approach is a good thing, merely a common issue).

The writing in this text is clear and easy to follow. The style is a bit more formal than would be my ideal for my particular students, but it’s not overly formal in an off-putting way. The syntax is appropriate for college students of all levels.

The text is consistent in the framework and terminology used. As a developmental text, it follows a standard organizational format for each chapter (after the beginning two foundational chapters and minus the final chapter on death and dying). The authors clearly, consistently, and appropriately reference back to the same theories and concepts throughout each chapter (adding new developmental concepts and removing old concepts, as appropriate). They provide enough context each time that a past theory/concept is presented to remind students what the students already know without giving so much context that students feel like they are re-reading the same information over and over again.

The chapters in the text are a bit lengthy because they cover all areas of development within the chapter’s developmental time period. If desired, smaller sections within each chapter could be assigned using page numbers. But there’s only one link for the whole book, as opposed to separate links per chapter or section, so if you were going to assign sections within each chapter separately, you’d have to first figure out the page numbers and then students would have to navigate to those sections. This isn’t the end of the world, just like navigating to each chapter isn’t the end of the world, but it might be something you or your students find annoying. As this is a developmental textbook, I wouldn’t suggest doing the chapters or sections out of order (I’d say the same for any developmental text).

This text is well organized. It has one chapter per developmental time period with each chapter progressing from physical development to cognitive development and ending with social development. Putting all three areas of development into one chapter does make the chapters long, but students seem to think they have less reading this way than with development textbooks that do three chapters per developmental time period (i.e. one chapter per area). Within each chapter, the topic order makes sense and follows naturally.

Interface rating: 3

The interface for this book is okay. The text and images flow well together. There are no confusing breaks/blank spaces or distorted images. That being said, it’s not the easiest text to navigate. If you know what page you want or remember to use the table of contents at the beginning of the text (which does allow you to jump directly to a section), you’re all set. But if you’re in a chapter and want something else in that chapter, it’s a scroll till you find it or use ctrl-F a lot type situation. On the left-hand side of the .pdf are thumbnails of the pages, but a linked table of contents would be easier. That way, the sections and order of the chapter could be seen at a glance and, if linked, one could jump directly to the desired section.

There are no large grammatical errors of note. For the most part, the text reads well/easily. There are a few hiccups here and there, but nothing overwhelming, nor do the small issues happen enough to be off-putting or undermine confidence in content.

Cultural Relevance rating: 3

Based on the reviews, I expected more discussion of culture than I found in this text. Even the ‘issues in development’ section in chapter 1 is missing the question of whether development is universal or particularistic, an overarching question addressed in most developmental classes. That being said, there are some sections throughout the text that do mention the impact of culture. In a related vein, as far as diversity goes, while there is some diversity mentioned, there isn’t as much diversity as needed to reflect real life. Even the images selected skew highly Caucasian in many sections. This lack of diversity made the text less relevant to my students who are extremely diverse and might struggle to see themselves in the images and descriptions given.

Generally, I am satisfied with this text. I am currently finishing my fourth semester teaching with it. Students have reported that they find the book easy to read and engaging enough. I typically describe it as a solid text without the bells and whistles of the new for-purchase textbooks and that my students as a group get more out of this text that they can afford to read than they would out of a flashy, interactive text that few of them can afford to buy. I do recommend this text to other instructors.

Reviewed by Mary Ann Woodman, Adjunct Professor, Rogue Community College on 12/8/21

The content material in this book is very easy to read and well organized. It provides a comprehensive look at the stages of human growth over time including theoretical, methodological and historical approaches to lifespan development. Chapter 1: Introduction to Lifespan Development Chapter 2: Heredity, Prenatal Development, and Birth Chapter 3: Infancy and Toddlerhood Chapter 4: Early Childhood Chapter 5: Middle and Late Childhood Chapter 6: Adolescence Chapter 7: Emerging and Early Adulthood Chapter 8: Middle Adulthood Chapter 9: Late Adulthood Chapter 10: Death and Dying Each chapter presents physical development, cognitive development, and psychosocial (or social and emotional) development.

The information is historically accurate, unbiased and without error. It includes a balance of history and contemporary theories and concerns. The information in this text appears accurate, error-free, and unbiased. There is a great deal of content in each chapter from birth to death and all stages in between. Within each category of development, physical, cognitive, and psychosocial development is covered along with stories and examples to support the theories. It also contains links to other resources for students to consider as they study.

The book was completed in 2019, so it is up to date, written and arranged in a way that provides for updates in an easy and straightforward manner. An instructor can easily supplement the material with current issues relevant to the material presented in each stage of human development. The bibliography at the end is also helpful.

The authors writing style is lucid, easily accessible with college level terminology. The learning objectives make it easy for student outcomes and instructor assessment. It would be beneficial to include a glossary and make certain the PDF meets standards of accessibility according to federal legislation.

Each chapter is laid out in a developmental structure with sub-headings that make it consistent in framework. There are no inconsistencies in terminology. The bold vocabulary and italic definitions are a desirable feature and the print size very readable.

The text is organized well and additional material could be added without presenting disruption to the reader. Because the content is already 468 pages, a bit much for college students to absorb in one term, it might be wise to condense some of the material if new content is later added.

Birth to death in a linear fashion is the mark of a book focused on Lifespan Development and this one offers physiology, psychology, sociology and research to support the content. It is well organized in chapters with clear subheadings, and very easy to follow.

The images, graphs, charts and visuals support and enhance the written material very well. Many students are visual learners therefore, this component adds a great deal for understanding the concepts. There are no places that distract or confuse the reader.

There are no grammatical errors in this book.

Most of the chapters include cultural sensitivity of race, ethnicity, and gender concerns. There is a fair amount of information focused on family diversity, religious populations, gender roles and inclusivity.

It will be a gift to offer this textbook at our College as the current cost of textbooks has risen to levels quite unaffordable by our students. Much appreciation to the authors for their incredible efforts in providing this resource for Lifespan Development Courses.

Reviewed by Jeongwoon Jeong, Instructor, Fort Hays State University on 10/20/21

The overall text covers comprehensive ideas including basic and advanced concepts of theories. It would have been better if the text included index or glossary. read more

The overall text covers comprehensive ideas including basic and advanced concepts of theories. It would have been better if the text included index or glossary.

The text content is mostly standard and accurate.

The text content is mostly up-to-date and relevant to each subject with different resources.

The text is well written and is to understand; however, it could have better if the text is more clearly separated between subjects and theories

The text is internally consistent in terms of terminology and framework. They also well included tables and images for each theory or framework

I can say that the text has a high readability by including smaller reading sections.

The topics in the text are well organized by theories and others but some sections are not clear whether they are listed headings or sub-headings.

The text included appropriate images but I would recommend to have more vibrant images.

The text contains no grammatical errors.

Since diversity is very important in our society, I hope that the text included more about cultural perspective in each chapter and theories.

Reviewed by Keonya Booker, Associate Professor, College of Charleston on 9/15/21

This textbook analyzes the human lifespan from birth until death. Each chapter includes a discussion about the physical, cognitive, and psychosocial changes that can be expected at every developmental stage. The expanded table of contents lists all sub-headed sections, but a clear distinction between the three aforementioned categories would have been useful. Terms are in bold print and defined for the reader. The addition of a glossary would be helpful for students who wish to have particular terms organized in one place.

Overall, the textbook is accurate. There are few errors that would significantly change the meaningful content of the book. As an introductory textbook, the major theories of development are presented correctly and without bias.

This textbook juxtaposes classic developmental theory (e.g., Sociocultural, Constructivism, Behaviorism) that will not change, with more recent information that may have to be updated. For example, in the late adulthood chapter the leading causes of death in the wake of COVID will likely have to be revisited. It should be easy to make these revisions. Since the last update was in 2019, another version could address this.

The writing was clear and without filler. Jargon is left to a minimum and examples are provided to help the reader understand complex terms. At times there is an overwhelming amount of statistical references, which can result in a sea of parenthetical percentages that may be hard for students to move through.

Each lifespan stage has a section devoted to physical, cognitive, and psychosocial development. The textbook is consistent with respect to its terminology and framework. A list of fully cited references are provided at the conclusion of each chapter.

In its current state, the textbook is in a PDF format. While the table of contents provides page numbers, it would be preferable to have a more reader-friendly searchable function such as hyperlinked headers, or another way to go to a specific part of the text. As it stands right now, the reader has to seek and scroll. Also, each chapter is very dense, some at more than 40 pages. In a typical twice or thrice weekly class schedule, an instructor may have to assign sections and specific pages at a time.

As this is a developmental psychology textbook, the authors presented the human lifespan in a logical fashion. The physiological and social implications of each developmental stage are addressed.

Most of the images added to the reading experience; however, a few were distorted and unclear. Replacing these images would be helpful. The figures and tables illuminated important topical ideas and research findings.

Grammatical Errors rating: 4

There were a handful of grammatical errors, some of which were within a bolded, defined term. Another thorough editing of the textbook could eliminate this issue.

The authors presented the qualities of the human experience from multiple cultural perspectives. Beyond racial and gender diversity, attention was paid to LGBTQ+ communities, neurodivergent populations, and those who are differently abled. Research was presented that explored how humans make sense of their worlds in a diverse set of circumstances and from a unique identity perspective. The inclusion of images that depicted various multicultural groups was an important component as well.

Thank you to the authors for providing an open source alternative to a traditionally published textbook. I appreciate the time and effort it took to complete such a large project.

Reviewed by Cebrail Karayigit, Assistant Professor, Pittsburg State University on 4/22/21

This book is comprehensive, and includes chapters on each stage of the lifespan. The book covers not only cognitive domain, but also biosocial and psychosocial development, involving continuity and change. The book also analyze different developmental events from the perspective of the major theories of development (e.g. Erikson, Kohlberg). This book also provides a thorough understanding of the timing and sequence of development throughout the lifespan.

The content of this is accurate and consistent with most developmental levels. However, there are few things in emerging adulthood section that I do not believe are fully up-to-date (e.g. emerging adulthood has been proposed as a new life stage between 18-29 in recent literature). Emerging adulthood and Early Adulthood could be covered separately and in different chapters.

The book explains how research contributes to the understanding of development. Although information included is mostly relevant to each developmental level, I do not see any focus on how use of social media plays a crucial role in adolescents' and emerging adults' lives.

The information presented is written very clearly, and the book is easy to follow.

The book has a consistent format and structure. The chapters has good internal consistency.

Each chapter could include a separate domain (e.g. cognitive, biosocial, and psychosocial/emotional), so it would make it easy to focus on specific topics across different developmental levels.

While the book has a consistent and logical structure, it would be helpful if the subsections in each chapter were arranged according to specific domain such as cognitive, biosocial, and psychosocial aspect.

Information is presented in a way that makes it easy to read and navigate. The book contains a lot of figures, graphs, and seems like a good fit with the online format.

No major grammatical errors were detected.

Although few chapters focus on diversity (e.g. chapter 1 and 8), it would make it more effective if each chapter included a section that attempt to analyze different developmental events from the perspective of non-Western perspective.

Reviewed by Dr. Charlene Moore-Peterson, Adjunct Professor, Aiken Technical College on 3/16/21

This book covers all areas effectively as it relates to the subject of Lifespan. read more

This book covers all areas effectively as it relates to the subject of Lifespan.

Accuracy is error and is unbiased.

Content in this book is updated and easy and straightforward to implement effectively.

This book provides adequate context.

Great consistency.

This book is easily readily divisible; broken down inyo section is quite helpful.

Well organized.

The text is free of interface issues.

Little to no grammatical errors.

The text is not culturally insensitive and is not offensive in anyway. Culturally appropriate.

Reviewed by Emily Healy, Assistant Professor, Bunker Hill Community College on 2/9/21

This textbook provides a comprehensive look at human growth and development over the lifespan. It begins with an introductory chapter, which looks at theoretical approaches to studying lifespan development, different methodological approaches to... read more

Chapter 1: Introduction to Lifespan Development Chapter 2: Heredity, Prenatal Development, and Birth Chapter 3: Infancy and Toddlerhood Chapter 4: Early Childhood Chapter 5: Middle and Late Childhood Chapter 6: Adolescence Chapter 7: Emerging and Early Adulthood Chapter 8: Middle Adulthood Chapter 9: Late Adulthood Chapter 10: Death and Dying

Each chapter and corresponding period of development is treated from different perspectives: physical development, cognitive development, and psychosocial (or social and emotional) development.

The information in this text is accurate, error-free, and unbiased. As a survey course, this book is tasked with covering a wide amount of information of the entire lifespan. The book looks at issues of heredity, prenatal development, birth, infancy and toddlerhood, early childhood, middle and late childhood, adolescence, emerging and early adulthood, middle adulthood, late adulthood, and death and dying. Within each category of development, physical, cognitive, and psychosocial (social-emotional) development is considered. Furthermore, each period of development includes special topics and categories that are more pertinent to those periods of development. For example, in the chapter on late adulthood, issues of retirement, neurocognitive disorders, elder abuse, and substance use disorders specifically in the elderly populations are treated. By contrast, in the chapter on adolescence, special topics include sexual development, eating disorders, and teenage drivers.

This book is likely to retain a high score in relevance in the coming decades. While it provides a wealth of information specific to each stage of lifespan development, the information is no so specific as though it will become obsolete or outdated quickly. This textbook provides a solid foundation upon which instructors and educators may build in relevant examples from current events. For example, in the chapter on middle and late childhood, while the topic of physical development is discussed and special topics of sports and childhood obesity are treated, an individual instructor can bring in information that is relevant and pertinent to the specific population in which he/she/they are teaching.

This text is written clearly, in an accessible manner, providing both context and working definitions for any technical terminology. The textbook introduces students to technical terminology used in the field of human growth and development in a scaffolded manner, where new concepts are introduced in appropriate context, are then defined. and the concepts are used in examples in order to improve reader comprehension. Each section of the chapter begins with the learning objectives for that particular section. The text utilizes headers and subheaders to clearly denote information organization. Vocabulary words are bolded and set in the text in purple, and definitions are in italics.

The textbook is organized in a consistent manner. Each chapter begins with an overview. Each section of the chapter contains a text box including learning objectives for that section. Each chapter (apart from the first introductory chapter) treats the subject matter from three broad domains or dimensions: 1. Physical development 2. Cognitive development 3. Psychosocial (social-emotional) development

Within the chapters, consistent formatting of headers and subheaders are used. It is a well-organized and highly navigable text overall, which is student-friendly.

On the whole, this text is easily divided into sections. Chapters do not run over into each other, as each chapter begins on a new page. The text also makes use of a consistent, predictable format, which makes it more predictable for the reader. The only drawback to the text that I have found with regard to its modularity is that it would be helpful if the three approaches (physical development, cognitive development, and psychosocial development) were also set apart. For my own classes, I treat physical and cognitive development on one day (or one week), and psychosocial development on another day (or week), and it is not readily divisible into these sections.

Overall, the organization of this text is clear and predictable. Each chapter is clearly listed, with topics clearly defined. Each section contains a set of learning objectives for that section. In addition, the chapters are organized in a repeating manner, then adding in topic-specific information for that particular stage of development.

The text is easily navigable, and is easily exported as a PDF (in the event that the instructor wishes to break the textbook down chapter-by-chapter for students, such as in an online learning environment where different topics are treated on a week-to-week basis).

The text is very culturally sensitive. Pictures in the text depict a wide array of diverse racial, ethnic, and religious populations (for example: BIPOC, Muslim individuals, etc.). Furthermore, discussions of special topics within chapters are treated from a multitude of perspectives. For example, in the section on religion, a wide variety of faith traditions are treated, rather than singling out one perspective. Furthermore, in the section on family units, different formulations of families (including step- and blended- families, as well as LBGT families) are included.

Reviewed by Jacqueline McMillion-Williams, Adjunct Professor, Bunker Hill Community College on 1/31/21, updated 2/1/21

For a course on developmental psychology, this text provides appropriate coverage of all areas of the lifespan. The table of contents provides an effective index in both short and long form. Key words are bold and defined within the text, but... read more

Accurate information about theory and application with diverse perspectives of the lifespan. Theory presented within a historical context with examples of life lived in a variety of circumstances that influence development.

There is a clear timeline of theory formation, historical context, and application to current society and with recent data. The arrangement of the text, with clear citations and reference information at the end of each chapter allows data to be easily located and updated. This is also true of the use of current slang; reflective of the time and society the text is written within, but also easy to locate and update.

From my perspective, the audience for this book is students and as such, a benefit of this book in comparison to those I have used in the past, is the use of common and approachable language. There is an appropriate use of jargon so the reader can place it in context. Although the text is clearly academic, it tells a clear story about development that engages the reader.

From the beginning, there is a clear framework of development for the reader to follow. Contents of each chapter and use of terminology stays consistent with the framework.

Authors divide the content of the textbook into sections that are logical for a comprehensive overview of the lifespan. Content is easy to divide into weekly readings or modules for student consumption and learning. Teachers could choose to assign in the original order or rearrange content by preference. Simultaneously the sections can be pulled out to be used a supplements for study in other courses on the lifespan such as early childhood, child psychology or adolescence and adult. You could also choose to restructure content to provide individual overviews of each theory.

Authors present topics in a logical sequence as chapters and subtopics are sections of each chapter. This makes the text easy to follow and annotate.

The textbook does not have any interface issues. It has appropriate headings to divide sections. Images and charts are clearly visible in color and black & white. Images are in appropriate locations that provide illustration of information. Alignment with text is complimentary.

I did not locate any grammatical errors in the text.

Text includes culturally relevant and sensitive examples of a variety of backgrounds (race, ethnicity, and sexual orientation) as well as about various aspects of biological, psychological and social influences on normalized development in a manner that may challenge students to rethink what is normal.

My use of this text with students is just beginning. Initial adoption occurred based on a recommendation from other faculty. Overall, the text is more up to date and culturally diverse than past texts I have used for similar and the same course. I would have liked some supplementary materials, but given the electronic format of the text, I have not found it difficult to create my own.

Reviewed by Meagan Docherty, Assistant Professor, Bowling Green State University on 12/15/20

This book is comprehensive, and includes chapters on each stage of the lifespan, as well as an introductory chapter with information on the lifespan perspective, theories, and research. Each chapter includes the major developmental changes and tasks associated with physical, cognitive, and socioemotional development. The table of contents is very detailed, and provides information on subheadings within each chapter.

This textbook is more accurate than others I've looked into using. It provides information on historical research and theory, while also providing a more contemporary perspective, and indicating when findings may be culture-dependent.

I think the content generally appears to be up to date, and includes more contemporary perspectives and recent research findings.

This book is written in a clear, simple style that I think would work well for undergraduate classes. New terms are introduced and explained clearly.

The book appears to be consistent in its approach and framework, including concepts covered and terms used.

With maybe a few exceptions, the text is generally broken up into several subheadings, making it easy to use certain sections on their own or reorganize material if needed.

I think overall the book is organized very well. Other lifespan psychology books tend to break chapters up into subsections for physical, cognitive, and social and emotional development, and it's my impression that undergraduate students appreciate that distinction, so it may help for a later edition of this book to adopt that organization.

Overall I think the book is laid out very well, but some of the charts and images appear to be low quality or dated. I like that there are links to sources embedded in chapters, but overall it does not have the same production quality that undergraduate students may be used to with current e-books.

I did not notice any grammatical errors in my reading of the book.

Overall I think the book does a good job of being inclusive and highlighting different cultural perspectives while being sensitive and appropriate.

I like the material covered in the book, and I think it would provide a good amount of breadth and depth for an undergraduate lifespan course. I think if the production quality was even higher, it would make the book even easier to adopt.

Reviewed by Amy Clinard, Assistant Professor, Bunker Hill Community College on 12/14/20, updated 12/18/20

The Table of Contents itemizes lifespan development just in terms of the stages of the lifespan (infancy, early childhood, etc.) and does not further itemize based on domains which many other textbooks do (physical, cognitive, psychosocial). Although the full table of contents does provide an exhaustive list of specific topics covered within each of those lifespan stages, it might have been better to have those topics itemized by domains.

I very much appreciated the level of accuracy and the unbiased nature of this textbook. It is clear that the authors were deliberate in integrating multiple diverse perspectives into their work. I have not found any major content errors.

This textbook is notably up-to-date and contains many timely, current and important conversations that are not always found in textbooks. It would seem that any necessary updates will be easily implemented as a result.

This textbook is written in a way that is clear, accessibly, and ELL friendly. It clearly identifies, defines and explains psychological jargon and technical terms in a way that is easily understood by the reader.

The text is exceptionally consistent with terminology and framework.

Due to the fact that this textbook only contains a few chapters (based on the stages of the lifespan such as infancy, early childhood, etc.), and is not broken down further into developmental domains (physical, cognitive, psychosocial growth), it can make it slightly challenging to identify and assign smaller reading assignments without referencing specific page numbers.

The topics presented within this textbook flow nicely, and are organized in a logical manner for the reader.

There are no interface issues within this text such as navigation issues, distortions of images, etc. I would add that some of the images included within this textbook are slightly rudimentary (black and white, with limited detail or visual interest) and may benefit from some more interesting components.

There are no grammatical errors within this text.

I would say that this is a major strength of this textbook. In my experience, many other textbooks contain a limited amount of perspectives and/or inclusion of diverse ideas. This particular book is intentional in terms of including diverse perspectives, local AND global issues, and is relevant and meaningful to all students as a result.

Reviewed by Joshua Becker, Professor of Psychology, Greenfield Community College on 6/30/20

The text itself is comprehensive, with each topic organized into logical and interesting sub-topics. The sub-topics are written comprehensively in easy-to-digest paragraphs. There is no glossary or index, however. read more

The information in this text is accurate, current, and relatively bias-free. Good (brief) section in Early Childhood on transgender kids, for example.

This text has a good balance of grand theories and current research. It will (like all texts) require continual revising as new theories emerge and new areas of focus become important for developmental psychologists.

The writing is clear and understandable.

Good internal consistency!

This is a strength of this text. Each subsection can be used on its own, or part of the whole.

Overall, the text is well organized, though I think I would prefer a text that has more layers of organization. This text has 10 chapters, each with numerous sub-headings, but without clear delineations between domains of development.

I did enjoy the interface - though this is essentially one long PDF document, which may be confusing or problematic for some students.

Nice writing!

The text includes weaves in topics related to several lenses of identity, including race, class, sexualities, and gender identity. It does not challenge, however, the enduring structures of oppression in the field of psychology and society at large - though this is probably considered outside the scope of developmental psychology.

I enjoyed the text! I would consider adapting it if I could find ancillary materials.

Reviewed by Kevin Duquette, Assistant Professor, Bridgewater State University on 6/22/20

Very clearly laid out with ten chapters ranging from prenatal to death. Table of contents acts also as an index of sorts, with specific topics within each stage clearly defined and page numbers provided. Could benefit from a glossary (either at the end of each chapter or at the end of the text as a whole) and/or separate index for concepts that are present throughout multiple chapters.

An overall comprehensive view of development with special consideration for culture and diversity. Text also discusses how views have changed over time (e.g., in relation to intellectual disabilities; gender roles, etc.), and uses the most current terms. Text also provides information on many developmental theories (as opposed to pigeonholing information to few), and continually spirals back to these topics to reinforce them. A few small errors (e.g., “tabula rosa” instead of “tabula rasa”, pg. 16), but by and large information is up to date, and clearly explained.

All information is up to date, and uses current citations. Authors also did a great job with citing and providing sources as well so that readers can find additional information on topics from the primary sources. In addition to current parenthetical citations, the writers provide context to let the reader know when the data were taken, which allows a more informed understanding of the numbers provided. Authors show data trends over time that will be easy to update as newer data are published.

One area where there could be additional relevant information would be in regards to substance use, and the recent legalization of marijuana across U.S. states and Canada, and how this legalization may affect understanding and interventions related to marijuana and other substance use.

Writing is very accessible, and clear. Jargon terms are defined as part of the text and the flow of the book as a whole is logical. Main topics (i.e., developmental theories) are revisited and applied to specific life stages with relevant examples to connect to larger themes.

Major concepts are revisited in each chapter, and examples for application of knowledge are given. Further, the formatting itself is consistent, leading to an overall clean and intuitive look. Authors are also consistent with the use of discussion questions for each chapter.

Very well organized. Great use of headings, subheadings, bold, italics, color, and other formatting to break up ideas into intuitive sections. The chapters are broken up logically based on developmental periods. Could have benefited from additional focus specifically on early adolescence considering the importance of this stage of life (relative to others—similar to how the text broke up childhood into early ‘childhood’, and ‘middle & late childhood’)

Clear organization throughout. Good use of boxes, figures, graphs, etc. to enhance understanding and draw readers’ attention to important concepts or illustrations. Logically sequenced chapters and sections.

Very well-organized and good use of images/charts to enhance understanding. Text provides links to images, graphs, references for further reading, which enhances the interactivity of the text. Text would benefit from the ability to “jump” to chapters or sub-sections by clicking on that particular section in the table of contents.

Aside from the aforementioned “tabula rosa” being used instead of “tabula rasa” (p.16), this book reads well and is grammatically sound.

Shows appreciation and consideration of the effect of culture and intersectional identity on development. Provides international perspectives on development as well. The only criticism would be that the vast majority of the images used are of white people.

Solid text. Rivals books that are $100+.

Reviewed by Sandra Gilliland, Associate Professor, Louisiana State University of Alexandria on 4/20/20

This 468 page book covers all of the major stages and domains of development. The book begins with a detailed overview of the field of lifespan development and then goes into great depth on the common issues and areas of interest for each major... read more

The book appears to provide information from various perspectives allowing the student/reader to apply critical thinking to evaluate each topic.

This book was published in 2017, the majority of references are less than 10 years old. The topics are covered with several recent examples but also uses many of the historically popular studies that will remain relevant (for example Harlow's work on attachment).

This was actually my favorite part of the book. I found it very easy to read and feel as though my students would as well.

The book builds on some of the most reputable theories in lifespan development (Piaget, Erikson, Vygotsky).

Modularity rating: 3

I like that each stage of development is covered in separate chapters but it also results in very long chapters. For example chapter 3 is 44 pages long. That is a lot for students to digest so I would need to assign page numbers instead of chapters.

I like the breakdown of chapters into the developmental stages.

The book downloaded as a free PDF, no problems navigating.

No issues with grammar were noted.

Text and images appears to represent a wide arrange of different cultures.

The length of this book is a little intimidating but the content is excellent.

Reviewed by Masami Takahashi, Professor, Northeastern Illinois University on 4/5/20

This is a very comprehensive Lifespan Developmental Psychology textbook (465 pgs). It covers not only psychology but also a fair amount of biology as well, and almost any other topis I can think of including relatively up-to-date research findings. However, one may say that it is good for neither one thing nor the other. Although comprehensive, this book lacks details in theory and data for upper level Developmental Psychology courses for our Psych majors. The book simply scratches the surface of many topics. On the other hand, there is simply too much information for our Gen Ed Human Development. What this means is that the instructors are required to work quite a bit before adopting it for a particular course, at least initially (e.g., finding supplemental readings for our majors, selecting small portions of this textbook appropriate for our Gen Ed students, etc.).

It is accurate for the topics it covers, but the discussions are often limited in details for the Psych majors.

Content is relatively up-to-date. However. with any textbook with cutting-edge research evidence, it is inevitable that that part of the book will require further editing in the near future.

It is clearly written and readable for any level of undergrads.

I noticed several sections with duplication (i.e., cut/paste) that needs editing

For those instructors who are adopting a part of this book (e.g., easy sections for Intro Developmental), it would be helpful if the subsections in each chapter were numbered (2-1, 2-2, etc.) so that they can be specified in the syllabus.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 2

I like the fact that the References are provided not at the end of the book but immediately after each chapter. This allows the readers an easier access to the references if needed. Personally, however, I prefer a topic by topic (rather than chronological) arrangement of the chapters.

There are lots of Figures (mostly photographs from public domains) throughout the book that do not have any caption. I couldn’t tell what these pictures were for.

Good. Readable.

It includes a fair amount of cross-cultural studies

Having presented pros and cons above, would I adopt this book? Yes, I would for my Gen Ed course. That means after thoroughly reading this book, I have to handpick those sections that are general enough for the freshman/sophomore students, specify the pg numbers in syllabus, and align the contents with the exams that I already have for the course.

Reviewed by Linde Althaus, Psychology Instructor, Minnesota State University System on 3/8/20

This book covers all of the age groups covered in a lifespan class, but consolidates some age groups to lengthy chapters. read more

This book covers all of the age groups covered in a lifespan class, but consolidates some age groups to lengthy chapters.

The book appears to be straight-forward and accurate. Several topics could use up-dating and it surprised me that it was last updated in 2019.

The photos seemed dated and some of the topics could be refreshed, but it did not impact my perception of the book as a whole.

Topics were clearly written and were approachable to a reader.

The writing and terminology appears to be consistent throughout the text.

The chapters were long and I feel like it may be difficult to divide into modules. I'm not sure how I would assign the readings in a fully online class if I adapted this text.

This is a book organized from birth to death, which is how I like to teach Lifespan. Someone who teaches a topical approach would struggle using this text.

You have to scroll through the text to find your page. There are not easy ways to jump to various sections of the text. I wanted to read particular sections that I feel are my areas of expertise and I found it cumbersome.

What I read appears correct and well-written.

Some of the pictures are culturally diverse, but I would like more examples and descriptions of other cultures within the text.

I appreciate that this book is available, but I am hesitant to adopt it at the moment. If it was updated, made easier to navigate and more cultural diversity was added, I would definitely switch.

Reviewed by Pamela L. Parent, Associate Professor (Adjunct), J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College on 1/14/20

The text was comprehensive and well-planned. Addresses major concepts and theories with numerous online links to facilitate further inquiry. read more

The text was comprehensive and well-planned. Addresses major concepts and theories with numerous online links to facilitate further inquiry.

Accurate content with good coverage of material. Commendable addition of inclusion of some “nontraditional” areas in developmental psychology.

Good use is made of numerous and diverse live links allowing readers to access various resources.

Written in a clear and coherent manner with some excellent examples. Content was presented in a manner that made it useful to varying levels of learners.

Chapters are well-structured and organized in a clear manner throughout.

Chapters contain logical sections with subheadings. Developmental Psychology lends itself well to a chronological format as used in this text.

Well-organized with consistency in addressing domains. Chapter sections well-segmented.

This text worked well with the online format. Contains numerous helpful graphs, diagrams, etc.

Grammatical errors were not apparent however a few spelling errors that one would hope would have been caught on review - “constructivitst’ and “constrctivist” in the same sentence cluster.

This book consistently incorporated attention to diversity. The unique influences of various cultures on developmental stages was well-addressed.

A comprehensive textbook that works well as an OER. I am intrigued by the possibility of using this as my primary text.

Reviewed by Elizabeth Becker, Senior Instructor II, Eastern Oregon University on 1/4/20, updated 1/15/20

The text covers a wide range of topics related to development, including current trends and issues. read more

The text covers a wide range of topics related to development, including current trends and issues.

The text is accurate and includes a large number of references. It also includes important critiques of major theorists.

The structure of this text will allow it to be easily updated and continue to address important trends and issues.

Educational Psychology texts are often written with dense academic language that makes it a challenge for students to easily process and understand. This OER is written in a way that makes the information more accessible to students and will help keep their interest.

There is a consistent format and structure used throughout the text.

While the overall organization of the text is through chronological age, each chapter addresses many of the same topics in a way that would make it easy to focus on specific topics across different ages/chapters.

The text follows a consistent and logical organization.

The material is presented in a fashion that makes it easy to read and navigate.

No major grammatical errors or patterns were detected.

This text specifically addresses cultural differences related to the topics at hand in a way that is respectful and will help anyone working with a variety of cultures in the classroom.

Reviewed by Amy Hammond, Associate Professor/Dept Chair, Centenary College of Louisiana on 12/30/19

Very comprehensive! All the major concepts and ideas are addressed, although sometimes briefly (as is necessary in a lifespan text). read more

Very comprehensive! All the major concepts and ideas are addressed, although sometimes briefly (as is necessary in a lifespan text).

On the whole, the content is accurate and consistent with most developmental texts. There are elements in the pre-natal development section (particularly around teratogens) that I do not believe are fully up-to-date and provide inaccurate or misleading information.

Content is highly relevant to the topic. While there are some topics that some would consider “supplemental” throughout, there is enough variety that individual instructors can tailor inclusion of these materials as they desire.

Material is presented in a clear and coherent manner throughout the text.

The structure within in chapter reflects consistent approaches to the material. The writing and thoughtfulness is consistently strong throughout.

Organization and structure lend themselves to including or excluding various elements as one chooses. Major sections are easily identified and segmented.

The overall organization is very good for a chronological developmental text. Within chapters, there is a consistent organization of physical, then cognitive, then psychosocial issues and within these sections, when relevant, consistencies in the order of presentation of theories and concepts.

Learning Objectives in each chapter were clear, if exclusively at the lower levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy. I found the use of headings within chapters to be difficult to follow. It wasn’t always easy to see which sections where sub-sections of which ideas. Overall, this text is less visually “fun” than the big publisher versions, however, it is full of colorful photos, relevant graphs and diagrams.

Excellent! This text is easy to read, but is still written in an appropriate manner for lower-level college students.

There is excellent coverage of ideas for a United States audience relevant to US-centric concerns (for example, there are very good sections on LGBTQIA issues). However, mention of topics outside a US context are somewhat thin (especially in the first half of the text). To be fair, this reflects weaknesses in the field more generally (which are slowly being rectified). There is more comprehensive consideration of cross-cultural issues in later chapters. The prenatal development section felt somewhat maternal-blaming. While there were some explicit mentions that environmental factors were important, there was strong implication that most things which could go wrong were the “fault” of the mother. Nothing was explicitly stated in this way, but I felt there was too little explicit and implicit acknowledgement of the randomness that can sometimes cause less-than-ideal outcomes during pregnancy and birth.

I am grateful to our colleagues who have worked to put together this excellent resource! And in particular that you have chosen to make it available in a way that invites ongoing use/changes/updates! It allows me to use the many, many, MANY wonderful elements and tweak the few things that are not quite my personal pedagogical approach. I anticipate adopting this text next year!

Reviewed by Sara Fier, Professor, Minnesota State University System-Southwest Minnesota State University on 12/30/19

The book provided good coverage of developmental psychology concepts. There was no index or glossary included, although the fact that the book is in an electronic format makes this less problematic than for a hard copy book. read more

Comprehensiveness rating: 3 see less

The book seemed to present information accurately and presented multiple theories/perspectives on topics without getting too technical/detailed.

The book covers developmental psychology historical information and developmental basics well. More recent research is incorporated as well. The book's format seems to allow for updates to be easily made.

The book is easy to understand. In some cases illustrative examples help explain concepts that may be new to the reader. The reader would benefit from the use of additional examples.

The book's internal consistency is good, with chapters being organized in a similar format.

Developmental psychology allows for ease of modularity, and this text uses a chronological lifespan format.

The book was organized in the typical developmental psycology chronological format and then further broken down within each chapter by developmental domain: physical, cognitive, social. That was easy to follow. As future editions of the book lead to revisions within each domain, domain-specific organization and transitions can be reconsidered.

Navigation of the book was easy and seemed to work well in the electronic format. No display issues were noted.

Grammatical Errors rating: 3

The book had grammatical/typographical errors comparable in number to published textbooks.

A variety of examples were provided related to diversity of race, ethnicity, and background. Authors should continuously strive to enhance incorporation of these topics into books.

I appreciate the authors making this book available. I look forward to using it as a devopmental psychology text.

Reviewed by Diane Bordenave, Associate Professor, SUNO on 11/9/19

The text covers lifespan development content from birth until death. There is an Table of Contents with chapter sections and page numbers for reference. read more

The text covers lifespan development content from birth until death. There is an Table of Contents with chapter sections and page numbers for reference.

I found no grammatical errors, bias or inaccurate content.

The content of the textbook should become more and more relevant as the country recognizes the importance of understanding and responding to the needs of an aging generation of baby boomers. For the most part, content has been more focused on early childhood and infant development. When comparing the content to older lifespan development textbooks, I did not see many issues where changes in a short period of time were necessary for updating the text. For the most part, issues of development covered here have remained relatively unchanged over time. Particularly in an introductory survey course, more in-depth analysis of changes and consequences such as those resulting from science or technology, are not expected here but can be further explored in graduate or higher level specialized courses on a topic.

The textbook is written at a level appropriate for the students at my HBCU, many of whom are first generation college students. Terminology, when used, is defined. Figures and Tables assist in interpreting the prose.

The terminology and framework in the text is internally consistent and is particularly suited to a lifespan approach. It helps to understand the continuity of life from birth to death and how earlier stages of development impact later ones when the terminology and framework are consistent.

I would have preferred that the text was divided into more chapters than 10 to better align with a typical semester of 15 weeks. Students tend to understand and work better on a chapter by chapter basis than on subsections in my experience.

After a well written introduction, the text presented the chapter is a logical fashion that followed the normal human developmental process from birth to aging/death.

I was able to both view the textbook online and download it and make a copy. I had no interface, navigational or display feature problems in either context. I intend to offer this textbook in an online format.

I found no grammatical errors, and I am a stickler for that in the academic setting.

I teach at an HBCU with mainly non-traditional students so cultural sensitivity is important to me in choosing content. The cover of the textbook is of a diverse family which is immediately welcoming. In the chapter are other culturally diverse images such as in Figure 1.1.

I have adopted this book for my Spring 2020 course CDFS 303 Lifespan Development in the Family. I am happy to give the students the benefit of not having to purchase an expensive textbook, which many of them were unable to do, and still benefit from the readings. I have recommended this book to my colleagues as well.

Reviewed by Sarah McEwan, Assistant Professor, Marian University on 11/4/19

This text addresses all aspects of human growth and development that I cover in my course. read more

This text addresses all aspects of human growth and development that I cover in my course.

This text is accurate up to its published date, 2017.

Published in 2017, so relatively up to date, but there's always few opportunities for updates here and there.

This text is quite user friendly and quick to read.

The text has solid internal consistency.

This book covers all the basics, but just the basics. This text does not contain a lot of additional fluff that other texts contain.

This text was well organized.

No issues with navigation.

I found no grammatical issues.

The text does a fine job covering the basics, but the field of psychology in general has a ways to go to become inclusive.

I chose this text for an accelerated course- I needed a book that accurately and concisely covered all my key concepts, which this did. However, this text did not have as many opportunities/ asides to provide further reading for students interested in specific areas as I have seen in other textbooks. If you are looking for fluff, this is not your textbook. However, I intend on continuing to use this text in my accelerated classes, as it was perfect for a quick overview that my students could manage in a short amount of time.

Reviewed by Allie Chroust, Assistant Professor, East Tennessee State University on 4/21/19

The textbook covers human development across the lifespan. It is presented in the chronological framework. Each chapter provides an in-depth look at that stage of development. However, there is no glossary of key terms or index. Students would... read more

To the best of my knowledge, the information presented within the textbook is accurate. The one area for improvement in relational to accuracy would be the updating some of the sections to use more inclusive terminology (e.g., Children with Disabilities, p. 176).

The textbook is was last revised in 2017. I did come across one or two content areas that should have been updated for the latest edition (e.g., Box 2.3 on p. 50--the Tennessee Law has since been changed; Figure 1.18 p. 2006--it would be very easy to update the years on the basic figure as the years do not relate to any specific study it is simply a schematic of research design).

The textbook is written at a level that lower-level undergraduate students can understand.

Terminology and framework is consistent throughout textbook.

The text is divided into 10 chapters. There are subsections within each chapter if the instructor wishes to break up readings assignments into smaller chunks.

Chronological presentation of human development.

Textbook is easy to navigate within your PDF reader. Tables and Figures are clear. Each hyperlink I tested within the textbook worked properly.

No to minimal grammatical errors.

The textbook does an adequate job describing that human development occurs in variety of contexts, one of those contexts being culture. However, the textbook could provide a more in-depth description of the impact of culture on various developmental concepts. For example, the textbook frequently states, "in some cultures, ...." but, more often then not, textbook does not describe the different patterns of behavior or specify what culture is being referenced.

It is great to have an open textbook aimed at lifespan development however I would like to see a few improvements to make it more competitive against the ebooks for-profit publishers are providing: 1) glossary of terms and/or definitions in the margins 2) improved figures and creation of figure captions 3) inclusion of examples of applications of concepts that show students how the information can be directly applied to various careers 4) hyperlinks within the text--for example if students click on one of the learning objectives at the beginning of the chapter, they are taken to the section of that chapter that addresses that specific objective. 5) inclusion of reading comprehension questions for students to check themselves on before moving on to next section.

Reviewed by Patrick Smith, Associate Professor, Thomas Nelson Community College on 3/21/19

The comprehensiveness of the textbook is interesting, as there are only ten chapters. In other words, the authors pack a great deal of information into each chapter. This book covers all of the requisite topics for an introductory or survey... read more

This is an introductory level textbook, so specific research found in higher level courses would be missing. For the most part, this text covers the basics well, and any inaccuracies are negligible and can be overcome with good discussion.

The thoroughness of the coverage, which is a strength, makes this text very relevant to get a good discussion of actual human development going.

This textbook is very easy to read and follow. Any technical terms and theoretical concepts are well defined and illustrated within an applicable context.

There is no real individual psychological perspectives evident here beyond the basic introduction to this context of human psychology. For this reason, all areas of the human lifespan get fair coverage and presentation.

With a lifespan development course, it is easier to present material that can be discussed as physical, cognitive, or socioemotional. This textbook is divided by stage of life alone. For this reason, it may be difficult to separate chapters into smaller reading sections easily.

The text follows a nice, logical pathway through the human lifespan with a pretty strong connection between stages of development.

Technically, the presentation of the textbook comes without flaw.

There is no consistently evident problem with grammatical errors.

There is a pleasant focus on diversity and inclusion in both the text and the illustrations. There is some attempt to apply the principles discussed beyond the dominant culture of America, without this being forced and artificial.

I would highly recommend this textbook for an introductory, 200-level developmental psychology course. It hits all the right points and is engaging enough to stimulate some good class discussions.

Reviewed by Natalie Danner, Assistant Professor, Western Oregon University, Open Oregon Educational Resources on 3/20/19

This textbook is VERY comprehensive and covers lifespan development from prenatal development to death and dying. There is a very detailed Table of Contents; making it easy to find age groupings, theories, or concepts in development. There is no glossary, which would be helpful to find mentions of a specific term. Overall this textbook covers a great deal of material, without delving into the topic of atypical development.

The developmental theories and definitions were accurate.

Most of the content is still current, and the publication dates for this text is 2017. However there is an emphasis on Howard Gardener's Multiple Intelligence theory in Chapter 5 which has much research against it currently. Rather in the field we now advocate for more of a Universal Design for Learning (UDL) approach or a multi-sensory/hands-on approach to learning. Neither of which are mentioned in the text.

This text would be easy to read and accessible for an undergraduate course in child/adolescent/lifespan development.

Yes, this text is internally consistent.

I plan on using only several chapters of this textbook for a focus on child development ages 3-elementary; chapters 1, 4, and 5. These chapters do make sense on their own and will work as good content for my child development course. However, I wished that the theories that were mentioned, a few in each chapters, either could have all been combined in one chapter, or were easier to pull for individual readings for an online course.

Other than the theories, the book moves in a linear fashion from prenatal development to death and dying. Theories are interspersed in a variety of chapters.

It was easy for me to navigate through the textbook. Images and charts were clear.

This textbook used accurate grammar and writing conventions.

Cultural Relevance rating: 2

The book does not mention cultural diversity, cultural bias, diversity of children and families, and other key topics needed in a child development text. Supplemental material will be needed to focus on this subject.

Reviewed by Laura Lawn, Adjunct Faculty, Chemeketa Community College on 3/5/19

On the whole, the book is very comprehensive, though there were a few places where it could have used a bit more. I did not see much on atypical development outside early childhood years which would be beneficial to include. It would also be nice to see a wider range of cultural studies. The text does not utilize a glossary, but the words are defined in the chapters and you can search the document if using as an e-book to find words which is even easier than a traditional glossary. Though if a student wants to print out the text, a glossary would be helpful.

This textbook is a straightforward discussion of human life span development which, as a field, is always growing. This book is largely current and accurate, but there should be updates as some references are older. Though the information is presented without bias and with references for further research.

The book is current and mostly up to date (as of 2019), though some of the references are a bit old. It worked when the authors were using the original work for a theory but other sources could be updated. For example, the media and development section didn’t touch social media. Including some of the newer studies would increase relevance to the technological age we are in.

The text is clear, easy to read, and understandable while still providing in-depth information. The graphics helped to clarify ideas, especially when explaining or comparing theories.

The look and feel of the text hold consistency through the document. Chapters were presented with continuing themes (such as Erikson’s stages in each life stage) and all work is referenced.

This text is sectioned into logical chunks that can be taught individually or in conjunction with each other. You do not need to read one chapter to understand the following one meaning the book could be taught any number of different ways to match with a variety of courses.

The book is organized into age periods, which is the way I think about the course information, though not the way I have always seen it presented in a text. So, the overall organization matched my thinking quite nicely. This organization also makes it easy to break the text into sections if the entire life span is separated over multiple classes (for example, if someone taught birth through adolescence only).

The text is pleasant to look at with calming colors and a variety of images and graphics that represent cultural diversity. There are no digital or navigational issues with the book.

I did not find any grammatical errors or issues.

The text is not offensive or insulting to any group and handles discussions of differences well. There are some representations of cultures and ages, though this book would benefit from a wider range of faces in images and of experimental studies conducted by / for nonwhite populations.

Reviewed by Francesca Kendris, Associate Professor, Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania on 2/27/19

The book is quite comprehensive. It addresses all developmental milestones and the major theories that accompany them. It provides appropriate depth to each topic and offers a thorough explanation of the subject. The book does not possess an... read more

The book is accurate, error-free and unbiased. It is a straightforward presentation of Lifespan material in and objective and researched light. There are references at the end of each chapter to support the context of the text. There are no attempts to persuade the reader into to thinking that there is a correct or incorrect way to think about the material presented in each chapter. It is factual and the facts are supported by multiple references in most cases.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 3

The content is currently up-to-date (as of 2/2019). There are a variety of references provided for the material presented. Some of the references are current and some are rather dated. In some cases the authors went to the original source for a theory or study, which is fine for most clearly presenting the idea; however, at other times the references for material in the text were from the 1980's or 1990's and could soon be or already be considered obsolete. On the bright side, the material is written in such a way that it should not be difficult to up-date this text with more modern references throughout the book.

The book is very clear and written in easily understandable terms. Everything is defined and explained in a thorough manner for most undergraduate readers. Yet, it is sophisticated enough that I am planning on adopting it for my graduate human development course. This is because while it defines most terms and explains most theories, it does so in such a way that it provides enough depth to substantiate the theory or term presented.

This book is presented in order of development from pre-birth to old age and dying, touching upon milestones and developmental considerations along the way. It is internally sound and all work is referenced and themes are carried from chapter to chapter. For example, Erikson's Psychosocial Stages are presented in each chapter, as well as physical aspects of development. As noted earlier, all terminology is supported by referenced material which addes to the structural integrity of this text.

The book is readily divided up into different modules. One chapter is not dependent upon the next for a thorough understanding of each stage of development. The book could be assigned in any order without difficulty or too much self-referencing.

The book is organized in the most logical fashion for a developmental textbook: from birth to old age. It breaks down into the following chapters: An introduction; Heredity, Prenatal Development, Birth; Infancy & Toddlerhood; Early Childhood; Middle & Late Childhood; Adolescence; Emerging and Early Adulthood; Middle Adulthood; Late Adulthood; Death & Dying. It is free from technical jargon and presents material in a logical and understandable manner.

The images and diagrams in the text represent diverse populations in terms of age, gender, race and LGBTQA populations. The images and diagrams enhance the text and are pleasing to look at.

The book has excellent grammar and is free from typographical errors.

The text is not culturally offensive and the pictures are very diverse. The text itself makes good references and is inclusive of the LGBTQA populations. There are not too many other diverse populations represented, apart from age and gender. There are some considerations given to racial and ethnic differences but not enough. The book would benefit from more multicultural references.

Reviewed by Dan Bacon, Lecturer, San Diego State University on 2/22/19

The courses I teach primarily cover birth through middle childhood, so my review focused most heavily on chapters 1-5. The text is comprehensive in that it covers a wide range of topics you would expect in such a book. However, it may be improved by providing more depth in many of the areas. Even for use in a broad survey course, it would be nice to have more examples to help students understand the basic concepts they are reading about. For example, when covering longitudinal research, I might expect the author to mention an example of landmark longitudinal research in the field. There are certainly some examples (e.g., mentions Piaget when discussing case studies), but not to the degree I'm accustomed to in other textbooks. This text would also benefit from a glossary. While an eText allows students to search for terms easily, for those students who print the pdf (for preference or issues of accessibility), a glossary would be helpful.

A few errors stood out, and makes me imagine there are others in areas outside my expertise that I did not catch. One small example is the author lacks accuracy in stating: "Although the behaviorists were incorrect in their beliefs that it was not possible to measure thoughts and feelings". This is a misunderstanding and oversimplification of Skinner's analysis of public versus private events. Skinner, and other subsequent radical behaviorists, welcomed the scientific analysis of private events, and noted each individual is the observer of their own thoughts. The view that private events have no place in science was that of Watson and the methodological behaviorists. Being a half century past the shift to radical behaviorism, it may be time to start representing the field of behaviorism more accurately.

Mostly relevant with many 2016 citations. As a 2017 publication however, I would have expected the author to use more up-to-date data in some areas. For example, the author referenced a 2012 CDC publication with autism prevalence data from 2008 (1 in 88 children in US). It would have been more relevant to use 2016 publications which showed CDC prevalence rates were then 1 in 68 children in the US. With that said, the text is written in a way that could be easily updated (2018 publication of CDC numbers estimate the prevalence of ASD to be 1 in 59 in US).

I believe students would enjoy the clarity of this text, in terms of its concise writing. This text does a nice job of avoiding jargon, or clearly explaining the terminology when it is used. Where I think it could improve is in providing some additional examples to illustrate some concepts. Additional figures or links to videos might really benefit readers in their ability to quickly digest material.

There seems to be a clear framework that is easy to follow across all chapters. The text is easy to navigate in terms of its internal consistency.

This text could be used in a modular fashion. I could easily see taking chapters 1, 4 & 5 to use in my course on early and middle childhood. One area that adversely impacts modularity, which I touch on in the organization section as well, is how the book covers individuals with disabilities. For example, discussion of ASD is self contained in the chapter on early childhood. While the author briefly touches on the ability of adults with autism to live and work independently, this would be missed if using a modular approach of only assigning the chapter on adulthood.

As is typical of many other human development texts, the author does a nice job of consistently referencing hallmark theories (e.g. Erikson's stages of development) across the chronological chapters. This allows for the reader to build upon prior knowledge, but is done in a way that doesn't limit modularity too much. One area for improvement would be looking at atypical development and individuals experiencing disabilities across all chapters. Discussions of lifelong disabilities, such as Down syndrome, tended to be concentrated in early chapters, without touching on how individual's lives might be impacted in adulthood. This tends to be a problem with other human development texts as well, where atypical development is treated more as a token issue, often as a standalone chapter.

Images and charts are all clearly displayed in the pdf. While navigation could be improved by including links to more outside sources, or the ability to easily jump between chapters and topics by clicking on the index, there are no significant interface issues. I think users of eTexts have come to expect them to be a little easier to navigate through internal links between chapters or to a glossary (if it had one).

Grammatical errors did not strike me as an issue when reading this text.

While no text is perfect, as described by some other reviewers, I found myself wanting a greater focus on diversity. It would have been nice to see a focus not only on issues of race, ethnicity, and sexual orientation, but also on topics like military culture, immigrant culture, and disability culture.

Overall, I found this to be one of the strongest OER options for human development I've come across, at least for an undergraduate survey course. It is easy to think about topics that could be enhanced, such as cultural perspectives, but I think it is worth remembering that there is a finite amount of content that can be covered in one semester. No one text can meet the needs for all courses in developmental psychology or human development, but I thank the authors for creating and sharing something that likely fits the needs for some course very well.

Reviewed by Jennifer Parta-Arno, Psychology Instructor, Minnesota State on 2/7/19

Overall I found this text to be very comprehensive in covering all of the developmental stages and topics that I have used in other textbooks. It has a good layout of information that is for the most part relevant and up to date. read more

Content Accuracy rating: 3

I found at least one instance of out of date information- in Chapter 2 it discusses the law that went into effect in Tennessee that women who use drugs while pregnant can be charged, however that bill was allowed to sunset in 2016 and that is no longer the case so this is outdated information. Hopefully this OER text will be reviewed regularly and updated.

I noticed that in discussing Children and The Media in Chapter 4 there is but a brief paragraph or two and it only pertains to tv not social media or any devices such as smartphones or tablets which are a huge topic of developmental discussion. Also, I do not see any mention of social media and it's influence on teens in the chapter on adolescence. Would need to provide up to date and supplementary materials.

Yes I found the text and writing to be very precise, clear and easy to comprehend for students. Didn't seem to be too much terminology and if used it was defined pretty well.

Yes the layout and structure in which material/theories were covered was consistent throughout the text. The reader knows what to expect in terms of presentation and formatting.

There are quite a few sub-headings and divisions or modulations within the chapters. It isn't the easiest to "pull out a chunk of material" because of the pdf formatting. Would prefer linking to different sections.

I found the text to be fairly well organized.

I just have to say I am not a fan of the pdf format. I have used several other OER texts and they all have the ability to link to different sections within the text or chapters and you can present by Chapter instead of directing someone just to a certain page/chapter. As a hardcover book that is fine, however, I think that online users are expecting more functionality. Also, there aren't any links to supplemental videos, articles or activities which is another aspect that needs improvement.

Grammar was fine.

I appreciated the section on cultural differences in end of life decisions in the final chapter. Also, the section on gay and lesbian elders was refreshing to see included and something that is not currently in a text I use. I liked that!

Overall it is an ok option if you just essentially want an ebook, however as I stated above I think other OER resources have a lot more functionality than this text which is in a pdf format. Not very user friendly and wouldn't be my first choice to use for my students.

Reviewed by Lori Waters, Lecturer - Adjunct Faculty, Leeward Community College on 1/24/19

The research and experiment chapter was easily readable, attractive and enticing. Good, solid, well rounded text. I will highly recommend this text. read more

The research and experiment chapter was easily readable, attractive and enticing. Good, solid, well rounded text. I will highly recommend this text.

The content is accurate. A bit of bias is felt. However, due to readers biases the authors did a good job of masking biases with good solid research that was sited and created unbiased accurate content.

Graphics and photos are helpful and are nicely relevant and certainly adds great clarity. The text easily blends the valid content and includes relevant updates that flow nicely. Organized to easily create new updates. Epigenetics could have been more thoroughly covered.

The text is written with excellent clarity with a simplification of jargon that makes material easy to grasp quickly.

The text is consistent, with topics flowing together and broken up into easily readable subheadings, and tables/graphs/charts/images all flowing nicely. Terminology is consistent.

Good modularity which is consistent throughout the text. Subheadings are clear, easy to read and flow nicely to the eye. Self-referential is not present. Text is easily divisible into smaller reading sections that make it easy to grab topics out of their context. Modularity is also well balanced with the flow, fluidity and relatedness of previous subunits. Especially good flow for online reading and easy page accessibility.

It is easy to page up and down and clearly see the logical organization, again especially as an online pdf. The organization is excellent!

The charts, images, photos and graphics are free of distractions regarding interface issues. They are nicely placed and spaced throughout the text and fall appealingly on the page. Easy for the eye to track and to organize.

The textbook is grammatically correct.

Love the picture on the cover! Great start. Excellent examples that are culturally relevant, especially in the “classroom” section of chapter 5 and remain consistently exceptional throughout the text.

I will use this textbook the next opportunity I have to teach Human Development with the option of choosing which text to use!!!!

Reviewed by Glinda Rawls, Associate Professor, Western Michigan University on 12/14/18

Much of the content presented in the chapters is standard for most lifespan development textbooks. read more

Much of the content presented in the chapters is standard for most lifespan development textbooks.

I did not notice many errors, however there were places in the the textbook where the authors clearly presented their bias. For example, in chapter 4 when discussing childhood disciplinary practices the authors only discussed the harmful affects of corporal punishment; however, there are other scholars who have highlighted the benefit of such disciplinary practices especially among different cultural groups. Both perspectives should have been presented.

In some areas, the content was not up to date. For example, in chapter 10 which contains information about death and dying the authors only mentioned that in 1997 Oregon had laws which facilitate dignity in dying where patients can choose to die on their own terms. However, since 1997 I believe there are three states (California, Colorado, and Hawaii) and Washington DC who all have passed these laws. This needs to be updated in the textbook. Also in chapter 8 the authors really did not discuss how women are delaying marriage and child-bearing along with the content related to marriage. And the information on marriage could have included more topics related to cultural diversity because African American women tend to have the highest rates of being single than other ethnic groups. This was left out of the textbook. Another omission was in discussing maternal mortality. The authors only cited PID as the cause for infertility but PCOS and endometriosis are two other conditions which could contribute to infertility in women. So the authors should update this too.

The textbook was written in clear and uncomplicated way. The information presented in this textbook is succinct and brief which may make undergraduate students more apt to read this textbook. It was very simple and easy to read.

I really liked how the authors used Erickson's lifespan development across several chapters. I have used other lifespan development textbooks that followed this same format. This consistency allowed the reader to have easy access to the theory so that they could apply it to various stages of development.

Each chapter had several subheadings and headings. The material was arranged in such a way that the content flowed very well. The subheadings made sense and were relevant to the larger headings.

The chapters followed the normal stages of development and were well organized.

I am not sure if this would be possible but it would be helpful if the reader could click onto the chapter and just pull it up. Since the document is in a pdf format, the reader has to scroll up and down if they wanted to move back and forth in the textbook. This was a bit cumbersome.

I did not notice any grammatical errors.

The authors made an effort to include cultural diversity and LGBT issues in the textbook. I certainly applaud their efforts, but in some ways things fell a little short in this area. For example, issues of adverse childhood experiences was not mentioned. Social issues like poverty, childhood homelessness and incarcerated parents were also omitted. It seems as though the book could also benefit from including some sociological perspectives to deepen their attempts to include diversity. They also did not include all types of families in chapter 5. They did not include trans-racial adoption or multicultural families where the parents are of different races. So the area of cultural diversity could be enhanced.

Overall this textbook would be useful in a undergraduate course. The instructor would definitely have to supplement the materials to include content that is not only up to date but also includes more sociological perspectives in understanding lifespan development.

Reviewed by Jamie Nordling, Assistant Professor, Augustana College on 11/18/18

The book content matches what I currently teach. read more

The book content matches what I currently teach.

I did not find any big errors. They do discuss how the Attachment Q-Sort is a solid, contemporary way to measure attachment, but there are issues with this method.

I did not notice any issues with relevance.

The prose is clear and easy to understand.

Consistency rating: 3

There are some topics that are not discussed enough (e.g., temperament), and some topics that are not even developmental in scope that are covered in too much detail (e.g., components of memory).

There are subheadings.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 3

There are several chapters that seem choppy (i.e., the sections stand alone and are not well connected).

I had no issues.

Nothing stood out.

Culture is covered, but I believe it could be covered even more.

Overall, I believe this textbook provides a good overview on human development. The writing is well-suited for introductory students.

Some of the concepts that were included that stand out in a positive way include: (a) a good description of how the field has changed from just looking at childhood to looking at the whole lifespan; (b) the use of the multidimensional, multidirectional, multidisciplinary, multicontextual, and plastic approach to development; (c) the inclusion of a description about archival data/secondary analysis, because a lot of developmental data is longitudinal; and (d) the theories of aging (i.e., why do we age).

Some of the more minor issues include: (a) There were some structure issues. I think some of this could be solved by including more clear headings or including an outline of the topics that would be covered in each chapter. It does feel a little like, “Here’s everything you need to know about this age,” without good transitions or an understanding of how topics are related to one another. Students may struggle with processing all of the information as it is presented. (b) There were some citation issues. I want students to have good models for their own writing. There were several sections of the book that made claims about research findings without a single citation. As examples, SES was linked to poor health and various other outcomes (p. 11) without a single citation. Also, the section on genetics (Ch. 2) does not have enough citations to support the claims stated. This citation issue was not found in every chapter – some sections were better than others—but it happened enough to where I took notice. (c) I would ideally like more discussions of culture; however, the book does talk about some aspect of culture in every chapter. (d) There were some topics that were discussed in too much detail given that the topics are not inherently developmental. For example, the authors go into a lot of detail about the different types of memory in chapter 4 (e.g., discusses rehearsal, different types of declarative memories) and into a lot of detail about sex in chapter 7 (e.g., phases in sexual response cycle, role of the hypothalamus, STIs). (e) And there are some topics that, while they may be developmental, are described in more detail than I have seen before in a developmental textbook. For example, (a) there was more detail than other books on prenatal development, pregnancy, and childbirth;(b) I have never seen as much detail about Piaget’s theory in any textbook (not even a child development book that has more time to focus on Piaget); (c) there was a lot of detail on sports and sports involvement, and (d) the sections on childhood issues (e.g., genetic disorders, childhood disabilities, communication disorders) were too detailed given that they seemed more biological or medical than psychological. Note that I am not saying that these issues do not have psychological components, but rather that that is not the way they are presented. They’re presented simply as biological/medical descriptions. (f) There were also some topics that were not detailed enough. My biggest area of complaint in this area relates to temperament. The authors spent too much time focusing on Thomas and Chess, which we know is an outdated view, and spent very little time talking about contemporary approaches to temperament or children’s personality.

Some of the more major issues include: (a) One of the things that bothers me about this textbook is that there are VERY few critical thinking questions that lead students to think deeply about the material. Of course, these questions can be addressed in the classroom, but the book does not include any real aspects of active learning. (b) I wish the textbook had more “science” built into it. The introduction sets up the field as scientific, but there is often little discussion about how the scientific method is essential to the findings presented. Chapter 3 stands out as doing this better – there is more incorporation of research methods, study findings, and some issues with measurement – but other chapters were deficient (c) Relatedly, given that I am teaching my lifespan course in a psychology department, we talk about how developmental psychology is much more than understanding the “whats” and the “whens” of development. We really are aiming to uncover the “hows,” “for whoms,” and “under what conditions”. Essentially, I want my students to better understand mechanisms. This book, compared to about five others that I have either used or previously reviewed, seems to talk more about the “whats” and “whens”, and in my opinion, these are less psychological. For example, topics like (a) when to introduce solid foods, (b) toilet training tips, (c) healthy eating, and (d) how to choose between preschool programs seem more suited to students who are taking a child development course in high school rather than students who are pursuing the scientific study of human development. I realize that this may have been the goal of the authors – perhaps they wanted their textbook to have flexibility for different types of courses. For me, this takes away from the messages that I tell my students.

Will I use this book in my course? In short, I have not decided yet. As noted above, the content that I normally expect my students to know (except for temperament!) is present within this textbook. However, students are not going to be asked to use their critical thinking or scientific literacy skills in this book as much as other books.

Reviewed by Lisa Dunkley, Assistant Professor, East Tennessee State University on 10/23/18

The text is comparative to other texts in the field. However, disability inclusive issues across the lifespan would add for a more comprehensive outlook. read more

The text is comparative to other texts in the field. However, disability inclusive issues across the lifespan would add for a more comprehensive outlook.

Book has used prominent literature to support context.

Information included is relevant to each topic area and today's society.

Book is easy to follow and undergraduate level students will be able to comprehend the information included in the text.

Consistent with related texts.

Book is organized into sections that make it easy to break up reading the content.

The book has a good flow and is easy to understand. Flow is consistent with others in the field.

Images included are appropriate however more vibrant images would make for a more user-friendly book.

None observed.

Book is not culturally insensitive. However more references to other cultures would make for a more inclusive book.

The book is easy to follow and navigate. Information is consistent with for sale texts in the field.

Reviewed by Christopher Belser, Assistant Professor, University of New Orleans on 6/19/18

Overall, the text covers a wide array of topics within this subject, but the degree of depth to which these topics are covered varies. Career development isn’t introduced until the section on emerging adulthood. Research dating back 50+ years... read more

Overall, the text covers a wide array of topics within this subject, but the degree of depth to which these topics are covered varies.

Career development isn’t introduced until the section on emerging adulthood. Research dating back 50+ years discusses career development in the context of childhood and adolescence. Not including career development is a disservice to the career development programming that has been done and continues to be done in K-12 settings.

The textbook covers many of the theories of human development, but does not introduce all of them in the first chapter. Only a select few are covered in this introduction; other theories are introduced in later chapters in the point in the lifespan during which this theory becomes most salient. This is problematic, as the stages are not firmly restricted to these age bands. A review of all theories in the beginning would be helpful to the reader. The book does not cover some theories (e.g., Spiritual development).

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are not covered at all, and the research has been around for 20 years. Any discussion of human development that does not include this research is incomplete.

Other topics (e.g., sexuality, gender identity) are presented in greater detail than other texts I’ve seen. The discussion of grief models, especially refutations of the Kubler-Ross model, are excellent and represent modern research.

The information presented in the text appears to be accurate, with the exception of a few areas that need to be updated with contemporary research.

The text does not include contemporary research on Adverse Childhood Experiences, neuroimaging, and neuropsychology. This contemporary research has enhanced or refuted many long-held theories and must be represented in any discussion of human development

The information presented is written clearly and in a way that is easy to understand and comprehend.

The book appears to be presented in a consistent manner, with regard to terminology, framework, and layout. The authors were not consistent with the depth to which topics are covered; this may be an indication of the authors areas of interest and areas for development.

The book is chunked very well. The chapters are broken down in a rational manner and each chapter includes many smaller sections with headings.

The book is chunked very well. The chapters are broken down in a rational manner and each chapter includes many smaller sections with headings. The authors were not consistent with the depth to which topics are covered; this may be an indication of the authors areas of interest and areas for development.

The book has a very good look. The table of contents is navigable, and there are links to sources embedded within. The graphics, tables, and charts are clear and readable.

The authors use correct grammar and have edited the book well for mechanical and grammatical errors.

The book presents cultural information more completely in some areas and more incompletely in other areas. This is an area of the text that could use additional fine-tuning. Stereotype threat introduced in the section on age, although the research emerged from discussions of race and ethnicity. The book covers sexuality and gender identity in more depth than other texts I’ve used.

Based on the current edition of the text, I cannot say that I would use this book over a traditionally published text without having to provide many additional readings to supplement incomplete areas. At best, there are chapters from this text I could see assigning to supplement additional readings.

Chapter 1: Introduction to Lifespan Development
Chapter 2: Heredity, Prenatal Development, and Birth
Chapter 3: Infancy and Toddlerhood
Chapter 4: Early Childhood
Chapter 5: Middle and Late Childhood
Chapter 6: Adolescence
Chapter 7: Emerging and Established Adulthood
Chapter 8: Middle Adulthood
Chapter 9: Late Adulthood
Chapter 10: Death and Dying

Ancillary Material

About the book.

Developmental Psychology, also known as Human Development or Lifespan Development, is the scientific study of ways in which people change, as well as stay the same, from conception to death. You will no doubt discover in the course of studying that the field examines change across a broad range of topics. These include physical and other psychophysiological processes, cognition, language, and psychosocial development, including the impact of family and peers.

About the Contributors

Martha Lally is an Instructor in the Psychology department at the College of Lake County.

Suzanne Valentine-French is an Instructor in the Psychology department at the College of Lake County.

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What is Developmental Psychology?

Saul Mcleod, PhD

Editor-in-Chief for Simply Psychology

BSc (Hons) Psychology, MRes, PhD, University of Manchester

Saul Mcleod, PhD., is a qualified psychology teacher with over 18 years of experience in further and higher education. He has been published in peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of Clinical Psychology.

Learn about our Editorial Process

Olivia Guy-Evans, MSc

Associate Editor for Simply Psychology

BSc (Hons) Psychology, MSc Psychology of Education

Olivia Guy-Evans is a writer and associate editor for Simply Psychology. She has previously worked in healthcare and educational sectors.

On This Page:

Developmental psychology is a scientific approach that aims to explain growth, change, and consistency though the lifespan. Developmental psychology examines how thinking, feeling, and behavior change throughout a person’s life.

A significant proportion of theories within this discipline focus on development during childhood, as this is the period during an individual’s lifespan when the most change occurs.

Developmental psychologists study a wide range of theoretical areas, such as biological, social, emotion, and cognitive processes.

Empirical research in this area tends to be dominated by psychologists from Western cultures such as North American and Europe, although during the 1980s Japanese researchers began making a valid contribution to the field.

Maturation in psychology refers to the natural developmental process driven by genetics, leading to physical, behavioral, and psychological growth independent of learning or experience.
The idiographic approach focuses on understanding unique, individual differences in experiences or behaviors, often using qualitative methods.
Normative development in psychology refers to the typical sequence and timing of developmental milestones that most people experience within a population.

The three goals of developmental psychology are to describe, explain, and optimize development (Baltes, Reese, & Lipsitt, 1980).

Finally, developmental psychologists hope to optimize development, and apply their theories to help people in practical situations (e.g. help parents develop secure attachments with their children).

Continuity vs. Discontinuity in Human Development

Think about how children become adults. Is there a predictable pattern they follow regarding thought and language and social development? Do children go through gradual changes or are they abrupt changes?

Normative development is typically viewed as a continual and cumulative process. The continuity view says that development is a smooth and gradual accumulation of abilities, with one stage flowing seamlessly into the next.

Children become more skillful in thinking, talking, or acting much the same way as they get taller.

It assumes that changes are incremental, with skills and knowledge building upon what was previously learned. The analogy often used to describe this perspective is viewing development as a slope or ramp, gradually inclining upwards.

The discontinuity view sees development as a more abrupt-a succession of changes that produce different behaviors in different age-specific life periods called stages. Biological changes provide the potential for these changes.

These stages are believed to be qualitatively different, each bringing a dramatic shift in abilities or behaviors.

Theorists like Jean Piaget and Erik Erikson support this perspective. They argue that children pass through distinct stages at certain ages, and the qualities of each stage are significantly different from those of other stages. This can be visualized as steps on a staircase.

We often hear people talking about children going through “stages” in life (i.e., “sensorimotor stage.”). These are called developmental stages-periods of life initiated by distinct transitions in physical or psychological functioning.

Psychologists of the discontinuity view believe that people go through the same stages, in the same order, but not necessarily at the same rate.

Stability vs. Change in Human Development

Stability implies personality traits present during infancy endure throughout the lifespan. It emphasizes the importance of early experiences on future development, suggesting that early childhood experiences play a significant role in determining adult personality traits and behaviors.

For example, a child who is cheerful and outgoing will likely grow into an adult with similar personality traits. Stability theorists believe that change is relatively difficult once initial personality traits have been established.

In contrast, change theorists argue that family interactions, school experiences, and acculturation modify personalities.

It implies that our behaviors, thoughts, and emotions are malleable and can be influenced by experiences and environments over time. This perspective suggests that it is equally likely for an introverted child to become an extroverted adult, depending on various factors such as life experiences, education, or trauma.

This capacity for change is called plasticity. For example, Rutter (1981) discovered that somber babies living in understaffed orphanages often become cheerful and affectionate when placed in socially stimulating adoptive homes.

Nature vs. Nurture

When trying to explain development, it is important to consider the relative contribution of both nature and nurture . Developmental psychology seeks to answer two big questions about heredity and environment:

How much weight does each contribute?
How do nature and nurture interact?

Nature refers to the process of biological maturation, inheritance, and maturation. One of the reasons why the development of human beings is so similar is because our common specifies heredity (DNA) guides all of us through many of the same developmental changes at about the same points in our lives.

Nurture refers to the impact of the environment, which involves the process of learning through experiences.

There are two effective ways to study nature-nurture.

Twin studies: Identical twins have the same genotype, and fraternal twins have an average of 50% of their genes in common.
Adoption studies: Similarities with the biological family support nature, while similarities with the adoptive family support nurture.

Historical Origins

Developmental psychology as a discipline did not exist until after the industrial revolution when the need for an educated workforce led to the social construction of childhood as a distinct stage in a person’s life.

The notion of childhood originates in the Western world and this is why the early research derives from this location. Initially, developmental psychologists were interested in studying the mind of the child so that education and learning could be more effective.

Developmental changes during adulthood are an even more recent area of study. This is mainly due to advances in medical science, enabling people to live to old age.

Charles Darwin is credited with conducting the first systematic study of developmental psychology. In 1877 he published a short paper detailing the development of innate forms of communication-based on scientific observations of his infant son, Doddy.

However, the emergence of developmental psychology as a specific discipline can be traced back to 1882 when Wilhelm Preyer (a German physiologist) published a book entitled The Mind of the Child .

In the book, Preyer describes the development of his own daughter from birth to two and a half years. Importantly, Preyer used rigorous scientific procedures throughout studying the many abilities of his daughter.

In 1888 Preyer’s publication was translated into English, by which time developmental psychology as a discipline was fully established with a further 47 empirical studies from Europe, North America and Britain also published to facilitate the dissemination of knowledge in the field.

During the 1900s three key figures have dominated the field with their extensive theories of human development, namely Jean Piaget (1896-1980), Lev Vygotsky (1896-1934) and John Bowlby (1907-1990). Indeed, much of the current research continues to be influenced by these three theorists.

Baltes, P. B., Reese, H., & Lipsett, L. (1980) Lifespan developmental psychology, Annual Review of Pyschology 31 : 65 – 110.

Darwin, C. (1877). A Biographical Sketch of an Infant. Mind , 2, 285-294.

Preyer, W.T. (1882). Die Seele des Kindes: Beobachtungen über die geistige Entwicklung des Menschen in den ersten Lebensjahren .Grieben, Leipzig,

Preyer, W.T. (1888). The soul of the child: observations on the mental development of man in the first years of life .

Rutter, M. (1981). STRESS, COPING AND DEVELOPMENT: SOME ISSUES AND SOME QUESTIONS*. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 22(4) , 323-356.

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Developmental Psychology Topics

Topics for research, papers, and other projects

Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book."

Emily is a board-certified science editor who has worked with top digital publishing brands like Voices for Biodiversity, Study.com, GoodTherapy, Vox, and Verywell.

Childhood Topics
Adolescence Topics
Adulthood Topics
How to Choose
Tips for Students

Are you looking for a developmental psychology topic for a psychology paper , experiment, or science fair project? Topics you might pick can range from prenatal development to health during the final stages of life.

Developmental psychology is a broad topic that involves studying how people grow and change throughout their whole lifetime. Topics don't just include physical growth but also the emotional, cognitive, and social development that people experience at different stages of their lives.

At a Glance

The following are just a few different topics that might help inspire you. Remember, these are just ideas to help you get started. You might opt to explore one of these areas, or you might think of a related question that interests you as well.

Developmental Psychology Topics on Childhood

Could packaging nutritious foods in visually appealing ways encourage children to make healthier food choices?
Do children who listen to music while studying perform better or worse on exams?
Do students who eat breakfast perform better in school than those who do not eat breakfast?
Does birth order have an impact on procrastination ? Are first-borns less likely to procrastinate? Are last-borns more likely to put off tasks until the last minute?
Does teaching infants sign language help or hinder the language acquisition process?
How do parenting styles impact a child's level of physical activity? Are children raised by parents with permissive or uninvolved parents less active than those raised by parents with authoritative or authoritarian styles?
How does bullying impact student achievement? Are bullied students more likely to have worse grades than their non-bullied peers?
Which type of reinforcement works best for getting students to complete their homework: a tangible reward (such as a piece of candy) or social reinforcement (such as offering praise when homework is completed on time)?

Developmental Psychology Topics on Adolescence

What factors tend to influence the onset of depression in teens and young adults?
How do peer relationships influence identity formation during adolescence and young adulthood?
What impact do parent-child relationships have in predicting substance use among teens and young adults?
How does early substance use during adolescence impact impulsivity and risk-taking during early adulthood?
How does technology use during adolescence influence social and emotional development?
How does social media use influence body image among teens?
What factors contribute to success during the transition from the teen years to early adulthood?
How do cultural differences impact different aspects of adolescent development?

Developmental Psychology Topics on Adulthood

Are older adults who rate high in self-efficacy more likely to have a better memory than those with low self-efficacy?
Do the limits of short-term memory change as we age? How do the limits of short-term memory compare at ages, 15, 25, 45, and 65?
Do mental games such as word searches, Sudoku, and word matching help elderly adults keep their cognitive skills sharp?
How do explanations for the behavior of others change as we age? Are younger adults more likely to blame internal factors for events and older adults more likely to blame external variables?

Choosing Developmental Psychology Topics

Developmental psychology is a huge and diverse subject, so picking a topic isn't always easy. Some tips that can help you choose a good developmental psychology topic include:

Focus on a specific topic : Make sure that your topic isn't too broad to avoid getting overwhelmed by the amount of information available
Have a clear question or hypothesis : Your research question should be focused and clearly defined
Do some background research : Spend some time reviewing the existing literature to get a better idea about what you want to cover with your topic
Consider developmental theories : You might consider analyzing your topic through the lens of a particular theory of developmental psychology
Check out recent research : Use research databases to find the most recently published research on your topic

Before you start working on any paper, experiment, or science project, the first thing you need to do is understand the rules your instructor has established for the assignment.

Also, be sure to check the official guidelines given by your teacher. If you are not sure about these guidelines, ask your instructor if there are any specific requirements before you get started on your research .

If you are going to actually conduct an experiment , you need to present your idea to your instructor to gain their permission before going forward. In some cases, you might have to also present your plan to your school's Institutional Review Board.

Tips for Researching Developmental Psychology Topics

After you have gotten to move forward with your chosen topic, the next step is to do some background research. This step is essential! If you are writing a paper, the information you find will make up your literature review.

If you are performing an experiment, it will provide background information for the introduction of your lab report . For a psychology science project, this research will help you in your presentation and can help you decide how to best approach your own experiment.

What This Means For You

Choosing a topic for a developmental psychology experiment, paper, or project can be tough! The ideas above can be a great place to start, but you might also consider questions you've had about your own life. Once you have a general idea for your topic, narrow it down, do some background research and talk to your instructor.

Nielsen M, Haun D. Why developmental psychology is incomplete without comparative and cross-cultural perspectives . Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci . 2016;371(1686):20150071. doi:10.1098/rstb.2015.0071

Leite DFB, Padilha MAS, Cecatti JG. Approaching literature review for academic purposes: The Literature Review Checklist . Clinics (Sao Paulo) . 2019;74:e1403. Published 2019 Nov 25. doi:10.6061/clinics/2019/e1403

Grady C. Institutional review boards: Purpose and challenges . Chest . 2015;148(5):1148-1155. doi:10.1378/chest.15-0706

Kim WO. Institutional review board (IRB) and ethical issues in clinical research . Korean Journal of Anesthesiology . 2012;62(1):3-12. doi:10.4097/kjae.2012.62.1.3

By Kendra Cherry, MSEd Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book."

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112 Developmental Psychology Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

Inside This Article

Developmental psychology is a fascinating field that examines how individuals grow, change, and develop throughout their lives. As a student of this discipline, you will likely be tasked with writing essays that explore various aspects of development and its impact on behavior.

To help spark your creativity, here are 112 developmental psychology essay topic ideas and examples:

The role of nature vs. nurture in development.
The impact of prenatal development on later behavior.
The effects of attachment styles on adult relationships.
The influence of parenting styles on child development.
The role of play in cognitive development.
The effects of divorce on children's emotional development.
The impact of technology on social development.
The role of genetics in determining personality traits.
The effects of early life stress on brain development.
The influence of peer relationships on adolescent identity formation.
The impact of socioeconomic status on child development.
The role of cultural factors in shaping cognitive processes.
The effects of bilingualism on cognitive development.
The influence of gender on socialization and development.
The impact of media on child development.
The role of temperament in shaping personality.
The effects of early childhood trauma on later development.
The influence of siblings on social and emotional development.
The impact of self-esteem on academic achievement.
The role of cognitive development in moral reasoning.
The effects of nutrition on brain development.
The influence of music on cognitive and emotional development.
The impact of divorce on adult romantic relationships.
The role of cultural beliefs in shaping parenting practices.
The effects of bullying on children's psychological development.
The influence of social media on adolescent self-image.
The impact of early intervention programs on child development.
The role of genetics in learning disabilities.
The effects of divorce on adult children's well-being.
The influence of technology on language development.
The impact of trauma on memory development.
The role of sleep in cognitive development.
The effects of poverty on cognitive and socioemotional development.
The influence of parenting practices on the development of empathy.
The impact of physical activity on cognitive functioning.
The role of culture in shaping moral development.
The effects of child abuse on brain development.
The influence of peer pressure on adolescent risk-taking behaviors.
The impact of social support on resilience in children.
The role of genetics in eating disorders.
The effects of divorce on children's academic achievement.
The influence of technology on attention and concentration.
The impact of sibling rivalry on social development.
The role of cultural values in shaping gender roles.
The effects of poverty on self-regulation skills.
The influence of video games on aggression in children.
The impact of trauma on attachment styles.
The role of genetics in autism spectrum disorder.
The effects of divorce on adult mental health.
The influence of technology on social skills.
The impact of single-parent households on child development.
The role of cultural norms in shaping body image.
The effects of poverty on executive functioning skills.
The influence of violent media on aggression in adolescents.
The impact of trauma on social development.
The role of genetics in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
The effects of divorce on children's social competence.
The influence of technology on sleep patterns.
The impact of parental involvement on academic achievement.
The role of cultural stereotypes in shaping self-concept.
The effects of poverty on language development.
The influence of video games on prosocial behavior.
The impact of trauma on cognitive development.
The role of genetics in intellectual disabilities.
The effects of divorce on adolescent substance abuse.
The influence of technology on emotional regulation.
The impact of adoption on child development.
The role of cultural practices in shaping parenting styles.
The effects of poverty on emotional well-being.
The influence of social media on body dissatisfaction.
The impact of trauma on academic achievement.
The role of genetics in schizophrenia.
The effects of divorce on children's mental health.
The influence of technology on creativity.
The impact of foster care on child development.
The role of cultural beliefs in shaping moral reasoning.
The effects of poverty on social skills.
The influence of social media on self-esteem.
The impact of trauma on self-concept.
The role of genetics in depression.
The effects of divorce on children's self-esteem.
The influence of technology on problem-solving skills.
The impact of adoption on identity formation.
The role of cultural values in shaping aggression.
The effects of poverty on academic achievement.
The influence of social media on social anxiety.
The role of genetics in bipolar disorder.
The effects of divorce on children's emotional intelligence.
The influence of technology on attention deficit disorder.
The impact of foster care on social development.
The role of cultural norms in shaping identity.
The effects of poverty on cognitive flexibility.
The influence of social media on body image dissatisfaction.
The impact of trauma on self-regulation.
The role of genetics in anxiety disorders.
The effects of divorce on children's resilience.
The influence of technology on sensory processing.
The impact of adoption on emotional well-being.
The role of cultural practices in shaping parenting practices.
The effects of poverty on emotional regulation.
The influence of social media on sleep quality.
The impact of trauma on language development.
The role of genetics in personality disorders.
The influence of technology on spatial reasoning skills.
The impact of foster care on cognitive development.
The role of cultural beliefs in shaping body image.
The effects of poverty on self-esteem.
The influence of social media on academic achievement.
The impact of trauma on executive functioning.
The role of genetics in substance abuse disorders.

These essay topic ideas provide a wide range of possibilities for exploring different aspects of developmental psychology. Remember to choose a topic that interests you and aligns with your research interests. Good luck with your essay writing!

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What Is Developmental Psychology?

Conditions treated, training and certifications.

Developmental psychology is the study of how humans grow, change, and adapt across the course of their lives. Developmental psychologists research the stages of physical, emotional, social, and intellectual development from the prenatal stage through infancy, childhood, adolescence, and adulthood.

This article covers developmental psychology, including the definition, types, life stages, and how to seek treatment when necessary.

seksan Mongkhonkhamsao / Getty Images

Defining Developmental Psychology

According to the American Psychological Association (APA), developmental psychology is a branch of psychology that focuses on how human beings grow, change, adapt, and mature across various life stages. Developmental psychology is also known as human development or lifespan psychology.

In each of the life stages of developmental psychology, people generally meet certain physical, emotional, and social milestones. These are the major life stages, according to developmental psychologists:

Prenatal development: Developmental psychologists are interested in diagnoses, such as Down syndrome, that might be noticed during the prenatal (before birth) stage. They also investigate how maternal behaviors (behaviors of the pregnant parent), such as nutrition and drug use, could affect the developing fetus.
Early childhood: Developmental psychologists are interested in whether young children are meeting key milestones, such as walking, talking, and developing fine motor skills (coordination in the hands, fingers, and wrists). They might also be interested in a child’s attachment to their parents and other caregivers.
Middle childhood: In this stage, children learn about the world and acquire knowledge through experimentation, questioning, and observation. They begin to develop logical and moral reasoning skills.
Adolescence: Adolescence is a time of major strides in terms of personal development and identity formation. Teens and young adults might experiment with various identities, career choices, or areas of interest.
Early adulthood: During early adulthood, most people are focused on preparing for the rest of their lives through a focus on education, career, and financial independence. Romantic relationships, marriage, family-building, setting down “roots,” and child-rearing are often a focus of this life stage.
Middle adulthood: Middle-aged adults are often focused on helping the next generation, whether in their own family or their community. They are also often interested in the legacy they’ll leave behind.
Older adulthood: In addition to physical health challenges, older people might face issues like dementia or cognitive decline (decline in thinking, remembering, and reasoning). Older adults also often need to reflect on their lives, tell their stories, and find meaning and peace within the aging process.

The Origins of Developmental Psychology

During its early development as a branch of psychology in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, developmental psychology focused on infant and child development. As the field grew, so did its focus. Today, developmental psychologists focus on all stages of the human lifespan.

Theories of Developmental Psychology

As developmental psychology grew over time, various researchers proposed theories about how to understand the process of human development. Depending on their training, a developmental psychologist might focus on a specific theory or approach within the field.

These are a few of the major branches of developmental psychology.

Psychosocial Developmental Theory

Building on Austrian neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis Sigmund Freud’s theory of psychosexual development , psychologist Erik Erikson proposed a lifespan theory that included eight stages of psychosocial development .

Each of the stages corresponds to both an age range and a core “crisis” (such as trust vs. mistrust in infancy) that must be resolved before someone can move on to the next.

Cognitive Developmental Theory

Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget’s theory of cognitive development focuses on how children and youth gradually become able to think logically and scientifically. Piaget proposed that cognition develops through four distinct stages of intellectual development, beginning at birth and ending at age 12.

Attachment Theory

Attachment theory , originally developed by psychoanalyst John Bowlby, establishes the importance of a supportive, steady, and loving caregiver in infant and child development. If a child doesn’t establish such a connection, or if they experience parental separation or loss, they might continue to struggle with healthy attachments as they get older.

Sociocultural Developmental Theory

While Bowlby considered the importance of the immediate family in child development, psychologist Lev Vygotsky’s sociocultural developmental theory looks at the role of society. Cultural influences and beliefs can have a profound impact on how a person views their own identity and relates to others.

Developmental psychologists can help people address developmental issues in order to reach their full potential.

Some of the conditions a developmental psychologist might treat include:

Learning disabilities
Intellectual disabilities
Developmental delays
Motor skill delays
Issues with social and emotional development
Auditory processing (hearing) disorder
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD)
Speech and language delays
Mental health conditions like anxiety and depression, especially related to life stages

The training required to become a developmental psychologist is similar to that in other subfields of psychology. Most developmental psychologists start with an undergraduate degree in psychology or a related field, followed by a master’s degree and a doctoral degree (PhD).

There are many master’s, graduate certificate, and PhD programs in developmental psychology in the United States. Some focus on a certain part of a person's lifespan, such as child and adolescent development. In addition to research and teaching, graduates may participate in a practicum or internship to pursue licensing as a therapist.

When to Seek Treatment

If you're concerned that your child is facing a developmental delay, a developmental psychologist can assess them to ensure that they are meeting their milestones. It's best to seek an assessment, diagnosis, and treatment early, so intervention can begin as soon as possible.

Examples of when to see a developmental psychologist may include:

An infant is struggling to bond with their parents.
A toddler is missing milestones, such as walking or developing speech.
A school-aged child is not progressing appropriately in reading or writing.
An adolescent is facing challenges related to social and/or emotional development.

A developmental psychologist might perform physical and/or cognitive testing to diagnose your child or refer them to another specialist, including the following:

Physical therapist (helps people improve movement and manage pain)
Occupational therapist (helps people adjust to everyday activities after injury, illness, or disability)
Speech-language pathologist (treats speech, language, and social and cognitive communication)
Psychotherapist (uses talk therapy to treat mental health conditions)
Neurologist (medical doctor who treats disorders of the brain, spinal cord, and nerves)
Psychiatrist (medical doctor specializing in mental health conditions)

A developmental psychologist will also likely ask you and your child questions about issues in areas of their life such as friends, behavior, or school performance.

In addition to working with infants and children, developmental psychologists can also help people at any stage of life. In particular, many older adults benefit from working with a developmental psychologist if they're experiencing symptoms of dementia, ill health, or cognitive decline.

Developmental psychology is the study of how human beings grow and change throughout their lives. Many developmental psychologists focus on the intellectual, social, emotional, and physical development of infants, children, and adolescents. Others treat and assess people of all ages.

Developmental psychologists can treat issues such as developmental delays, intellectual disabilities, learning disabilities, speech and language delays, motor skill delays, dementia, anxiety, depression, auditory processing disorder, autism spectrum disorder, and more. They also make referrals to other specialists, such as physical therapists, psychiatrists, and speech-language pathologists.

American Psychological Association. Developmental psychology .

Maryville University. What is human development and why is it important ?

American Psychological Association. Developmental psychology studies human development across the lifespan .

Liberty University. Theories of psychosocial development .

Oklahoma State University Library. Cognitive development: the theory of Jean Piaget .

University of Illinois Psychology Department Labs. Adult attachment theory and research .

Massey University. Vygotsky .

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Child development - developmental monitoring and screening .

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC's developmental milestones .

By Laura Dorwart Dr. Dorwart has a Ph.D. from UC San Diego and is a health journalist interested in mental health, pregnancy, and disability rights.

71 Developmental Psychology Essay Topics

🏆 best essay topics on developmental psychology, ✍️ developmental psychology essay topics for college, 👍 good developmental psychology research topics & essay examples, 🎓 most interesting developmental psychology research titles.

Developmental Psychology Theories by Piaget, Vygotsky, and Erikson
Developmental Psychology History and Application
Three Developmental Theories in Child Psychology
Human Development Psychology
Nature and Nurture in Developmental Psychology
Developmental Psychology: Developmental Milestone
Development Psychology: Personality Development Theories
Career in Developmental and Personality Psychology Professionals who work in the area of developmental psychology concentrate on the provision of required assistance to people with developmental issues.
Aspects of the Developmental Psychology The paper states that cognitive learning theorists developed the idea of information processing to understand how people learn and remember new information.
The Teaching of Developmental Psychology This paper analyzes the teaching of developmental psychology. The research concepts integrate interpersonal spirituality with developmental systems.
Developmental Psychology: Nature or Nurture? There are six major questions that can be addressed in developmental psychology. One of the most interesting themes is the role of nature in the development of child psychology.
Piaget’s and Erikson’s Developmental Psychology The purpose of this paper is to discuss Piaget’s four stages of intellectual and Erikson’s eight stages of psychosocial development.
Human Development Psychology: Stages, Socio-emotional Development, and Emotional Attachment Lifespan development is the growth of the physical, cognitive, and psychosocial changes that incurs throughout life.
Young Adulthood in Developmental Psychology Erikson, an ‘ego psychologist’, believed that psychological development took place in 8 stages across the lifespan. Each stage is critical and builds upon previous stages.
Careers in Development and Personality Psychology This paper focuses on development and personality psychology, identifies the type of education needed to become a professional, describes a range of duties and works settings.
Developmental Psychology: Full Brain Maturity Full brain maturity can be reached when a person is in the ’20s. Rapid achievement of the full capacity can be linked to a direct biological impact of the new environment.
Human Development Psychology Issues This paper summarizes learned information on the development of human, in particular transgender disorders and homosexuality, and personality development.
Longitudinal Research in Developmental Psychology Various types of designs can be used to provide research investigations in developmental psychology. Among the most popular ones are the longitudinal designs.
Developmental Psychology: Self-Esteem and Cultural Values The paper analyzes the findings of the survey exploring the relationship between self-esteem and the fulfillment of the values dominating the cultural environment.
Developmental Psychology: Aggression Between Parents The article that is presented by the New York University is dealing with the parents’ influence on the children’s ability to control emotions and recognize them.
Developmental Psychology: Apert Syndrome This paper compares the level of development in a girl with Apert syndrome to the behaviours, which all children are expected to display at this stage of cognitive development.
Infancy and Early Childhood Development in Developmental Psychology
Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Developmental Psychology View
The Attachment Theory and Its Significance in Developmental Psychology
Developmental Psychology: Definition, Stages, and Issues
Cognitive Development in Infancy: Piaget’s Theory in Developmental Psychology
Key Differences Between Child and Developmental Psychology
Developmental Psychology: The Impact of Early Childhood Education on Cognitive and Social Development
Middle Childhood and Adolescence in Developmental Psychology
Developmental Psychology and Early Childhood Education
Cognitive Development in Middle Childhood: Concrete Operational Stage in Developmental Psychology
The Relationship Between Developmental Psychology and the Aging Process
The Evolution of Developmental Psychology: Milestones and Key Theories
Cultural Variations in Child Rearing Practices: Insights From Developmental Psychology
The Bolts and Nuts of the Developmental Psychology Field
Nature vs. Nurture: An Ongoing Debate in Developmental Psychology
How History Influences the Current Status and the Future of Developmental Psychology
The Role of Family Dynamics in Adolescent Developmental Psychology
Early Intervention Programs and Their Impact on Child Developmental Psychology
Key Theories in Developmental Psychology
Language Developmental Psychology: From Babbling to Bilingualism
Issues and Debates in Developmental Psychology
The Effects of Socioeconomic Disparities on Developmental Psychology
Developmental Psychology: From Infancy to Adulthood
Resilience and Coping Mechanisms in Developmental Psychology
The Impact of Divorce on Children: Insights From Developmental Psychology
Adolescence and Transitions in Developmental Psychology
Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation in Developmental Psychology
Developmental Psychology of Adolescent Girls: Conflicts and Identity Issues
Aging and Memory: Challenges and Strategies in Developmental Psychology
Defining Age Ranges in Developmental Psychology
Media and Technology’s Role in Contemporary Developmental Psychology
The Developmental Psychology of Language Acquisition
Genetic Influences on Behavior and Developmental Psychology
Lev Vygotsky and Contemporary Developmental Psychology
The Impact of Early Childhood Education on Developmental Psychology
Developmental Psychology Approaches to Learning Disabilities
Life Span Theory in Developmental Psychology
Environmental Factors and Socioemotional Developmental Psychology
The Role of Schools in Child Developmental Psychology
The Evolution of Developmental Psychology Throughout History
Parent-Child Attachment: A Crucial Concept in Developmental Psychology
Darwin and Developmental Psychology: Past and Present
Genetic and Environmental Factors in Developmental Psychology Research
Cross-Cultural Differences in Child Rearing: Implications for Developmental Psychology
Developmental Psychology and the Relevance of a Critical Metatheoretical Reflection
Adolescents and Social Media: A Developmental Psychology Perspective
The Scope and Methods of Developmental Psychology
Early Language Development: A Crucial Milestone in Developmental Psychology
Adolescents and Risky Behavior: A Focus in Developmental Psychology
Bullying and Its Psychological Consequences: A Developmental Psychology Perspective

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These essay examples and topics on Developmental Psychology were carefully selected by the StudyCorgi editorial team. They meet our highest standards in terms of grammar, punctuation, style, and fact accuracy. Please ensure you properly reference the materials if you’re using them to write your assignment.

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Good Developmental Psychology Essay Example

Type of paper: Essay

Topic: Psychology , Child Psychology , Human , Development , Life , Education , Children , Family

Words: 1200

Published: 11/25/2020

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Introduction

Developmental Psychology is a branch of psychology which studies how the human being changes over a life span (McLeod, 2012). It not just focuses on the physical development but also on social, emotional and personality development throughout the lifetime of a human being. The objective of this paper is to understand developmental psychology, its benefits and applications in life. This paper is divided into four sections. The first section includes the introduction, history and goals of developmental psychology. The second section discusses the benefits of developmental psychology. The third section talks about the application of developmental psychology in life. The fourth section concludes the paper.

Developmental Psychology: Introduction, Goals and History

Life-span developmental psychology includes the study of constancy and change in human behaviour throughout the life (Baltes & Paul, 1987). It examines the influence of nature and nurture at the various stages of human development. Throughout the life, human beings go through various life stages of development. External environment influences on the functioning of families as contexts of human development (Bronfenbrenner & Urie, 1986). Developmental psychologists study people’s growth, development and adaption during different stages in their lifetime. Developmental psychology studies the broad range of topics that include cognitive development, motor development, personality development, emotional development, motor skills, social change and moral understanding. Developmental psychology has three major goals – description of the behaviour, identification of the causal factors and optimization of the development. The first systematic study of children was conducted by G. Stanley Hall who is also called as the “father” of developmental psychology (Keil, N.Dat.) Initially, developmental psychology dealt with only infants and children. But it later expanded its horizon to include the other stages of life such as infants, adolescence and old age. Developmental psychology’s initial appearance was seen more in the literary form in the book “As You Like It” which describes seven stages of a man’s life. John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and Charles Darwin, who were the three early scholars, proposed three major theories of human behaviour. Locke proposed that the mind of the new born is like a blank slate where information is inserted through experience. Rousseau introduced the three development stages of a human i.e. infant, childhood and adolescence. Darwin suggested that development happened through evolutionary recapitulation.

Benefits of Understanding Developmental Psychology

The scientific study of developmental psychology started in the late 19th century, however it was only in the early 20th century that psychologists developed new ideas and methods of human behaviour and its development during the different life stages. Below are the four benefits of understanding developmental psychology. First, one of the advantages to study developmental psychology is to understand what is normal and what is not. Many people consider themselves as normal and like to be called as fairly typical of people in general. Developmental psychology provides the information of the typical behaviours which occurs in a person at a particular time. For e.g. thumb sucking, nail biting and other tantrums are considered as normal behaviour for the children upto a particular age because most children within the same age group show a similar behaviour. Second, the other benefit is that it helps in understanding human nature. Development is the continuous process in any human being. Hence, studying developmental psychology would help in understanding the process of development and changes in human nature. Third, it helps in upbringing of the children. Sound knowledge of developmental psychology helps in overcoming the challenges of raising and educating children. Study of developmental psychology discovered parents’ and care takers’ anger management and other negative behaviour and emotions towards their children. This provides better rearing of the children. Fourth, it also gives better understanding of the self. All human beings start their life as infants who grow to adolescence, then adult and finally old age. Studying developmental psychology gives a better understanding of the different stages and the process of development and changes in each stage.

Applications of Developmental Psychology in Life

The centralized focus of developmental psychology is to deal directly with the human being’s behaviour and development from birth till death. Developmental psychology is applicable in different aspects of life. Developmental psychology is applied in child psychology, cultural psychology, educational psychology, ecological psychology and cognitive psychology. Many of the theories of developmental psychology are applied to understand the environmental and social factors in the physical and emotional development of a human being. It also predicts human behaviour and forecast developmental processes. The result of study of developmental psychology is to understand the cognitive performance in real life scenarios such as workplace and classroom. Various studies and experiments done by the developmental psychologists, give the important knowledge about the development of infants and children. This information was used by different set of people for different purposes. The scientific methods of developmental psychology applied to the study of children which provides the various solutions of the problems of child care, education, paediatrics and treatment. Parents use this information for better rearing of their children. Teachers use this information to guide and understand youth. Educators use it develop a unique way of teaching so that the learning would be easy and interesting for the children. Various clinics use it to evaluate children’s abilities. It is also used in setting up the curriculum for children as well as adults as per the maturity level of their age group. Study of developmental psychology is also relevant to the population as median age increases. Hence, it provides the understanding of the aging process and provides senior citizen with the care that is necessary.

Developmental psychology is a branch of psychology of scientific study of the changes of human behaviour and development during different phases of life. Studying and understanding developmental psychology offers several advantages. It provides the basic understanding of which human behaviour is normal and which is abnormal. Generally a person behaves similarly in a particular age group, which provides the information about normality in human beings. Other benefits include, better understanding of children by their parents which helps in their upbringing. It also helps in understanding human nature. Nevertheless, developmental psychology has also various applications in life. It is applied in various others stream of psychology i.e. child psychology, cultural psychology, educational psychology, ecological psychology and cognitive psychology. Also, it helps in providing the information about the aging process and provides senior citizen with the care that is necessary Thus, studying developmental psychology proved to be very beneficial and useful in various different aspects of life, especially when it combines with the other stream of psychology.

Keil, F.C. (N.Dat.). The Origins of Developmental Psychology. Retrieved from http://www.yale.edu/cogdevlab/aarticles/originsdevpsych.pdf McLeod, S. (2012). Developmental Psychology. Retrieved from http://www.simplypsychology.org/developmental-psychology.html Baltes & Paul, B. (1987). Theoretical propositions of life-span developmental psychology: On the dynamics between growth and decline. Developmental Psychology, 23(5), 611-626. Bronfenbrenner & Urie (1986). Ecology of the family as a context for human development: Research perspectives. Developmental Psychology, 22(6), 723-742.

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Theories of Developmental Psychology Definition Essay

Attachment theory, limitations of the attachment theory, social learning theory, limitations of social learning theory.

There are numerous theories of developmental psychology. Theses theories have attempted to explain changes in human behaviours as a result of certain conditions or situations. In spite of the fact that a number of studies have focused on children’s development, there is an increasing interest in the behaviour of old people as well (Papalia, Olds & Feldman, 2007, p.2). This paper will therefore discuss the strengths and weaknesses of two theories of developmental psychology.

John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth are regarded as the authors of attachment theory. John Bowlby devised the fundamental principles of the theory by relying on ideas from cybernetics, ethology, developmental psychology and information processing. Ainsworth’s creative methodology facilitated the empirical testing of the theory of attachment. Ainsworth also invented the notion of the attachment figure as a secure pedestal which a child can use to explore the society (Bretherton, 1992, p.759).

Attachment is perceived as a natural system that transforms itself to guarantee continued survival of a child. Children have a natural tendency to seek physical, psychological and emotional support from persons they are attached to (Bretherton, 1992, p.759). Bowlby developed his theory after serving as a voluntary worker in an institution for maladjusted children.

Bowlby was mainly influenced by his experience with two children at the institution. The first child was an extremely affectionless and detached youngster who did not have a stable mother figure. The second one was a nervous eight years old boy who followed him everywhere (Bretherton, 1992, p.760).

Bowlby’s theory relied heavily on Lorenz’s ethological theory (especially his research of imprinting). Lorenz used young ducklings in his research to demonstrate that attachment was a matter of survival. Bowlby suggested that attachment behaviours are innate and that a child is bound to feel insecure and afraid when the attachment figure is absent.

He also asserted that the fear of strangers is an inherent behavioural attribute that a child is born with. This innate behaviour enables a child to maintain close proximity with his/her attachment figure (Bowlby, 1980, p.2).

The attachment theory helps us understand the importance of an attachment figure in shaping the child’s personality. A child is likely to experience psychological and emotional disorders when the attachment system is broken (Bowlby, 1980, p.4). Pickover (2002) states that children raised in an insecure attachment system are usually unreceptive to new secure attachments patterns (p.3).

In addition, they often become emotionally withdrawn. However, when children are brought up in a secure attachment system, they are able to socialize with other people and at the same time maintain close relations with their attachment figures (Pickover, 2002, p. 3).

Bowlby’s attachment theory has attracted criticisms from some psychologist. According to Bowlby, the personality of a child is mainly influenced by his/her attachment figure (especially the mother). For example, Bowlby asserts that a child will grow up to be an irresponsible person if his/her parents are reckless. However, Harris gives a different viewpoint. He asserts that parents are not the only people that alter their children’s actions.

He claims that environmental factors and peer pressure influence the behaviour of children (Harris, 1998, p. 5). Bowlby assumes that the mother family member (such as fathers and siblings) can also influence the behaviour of young children. Finally, Bowlby’s attachment theory lends more credence on the stressful circumstances (as opposed to the non-stressful circumstances) that a child encounters during temporary separation from his/her mother (Fraley & Spieker, 2003, p. 8).

The social learning theory was developed by Robert Sears in an attempt to explain factors that influence human behaviours (Grusec, 1992, p.776). The social learning theory is based on “socialization processes that had a particularly strong impact on research and theory in social developmental psychology” (Grusec, 1992, p.777). In other words, this theory attempts to understand the process in which children learn the behaviours, attitudes and values practiced by other members of the society.

The social learning theory also focuses on matters such as the attainment of culturally endorsed sex-role behaviours, the control of hostility and the struggle with enticement and guilt. Sears asserts that parents play a major role in helping their children to internalize the culturally accepted behaviours. He also states that the internalization process is greatly affected by parents’ behaviour (Grusec, 1992, p.777).

The social learning theory is based on three key aspects. These are aggression, dependency and identification. Sears’ assessment of aggression relied heavily on Freud’s early concepts of aggression. Freud asserted that aggression was a by-product of frustration. According to Freud, “aggression is attributed to a drive…linked to experience with frustrating events” (Grusec, 1992, p.777). Sears asserted that aggression could be alleviated via a learning process.

Dependency is another critical element addressed by the social learning theory. According to Sears, the presence of dependency is attributed to the fact that children posses numerous drives which are reduced by their mothers. Sears argues that a child is able to imitate his/her mother’s attributes through observation (during the infant-mother pairing moments such as breast feeding).

He further states that the desire by the infant to be close to his/her mother yields dependent behaviours that are bolstered by motherly attention (Grusec, 1992, p.778). Sears’ theory also lends credence to the role of identification in personality development. When young children develop a dependency drive; they perceive actions of their mothers as vital elements of their own behaviour patterns (Grusec, 1992, p.778).

Sears’ social learning theory has failed to stand the test of time. The theory makes fundamental assumptions regarding human actions. For instance, the theory ignores the fundamental biological principles that are critical to the social learning process. It is obvious that Sears encountered problems as he attempted to describe the growth of drives. He ultimately discarded the notion of drives and relied on the concepts of incentive and reinforcement. Consequently, his theory lost its unique attributes (Grusec, 1992, p.779).

To sum it up, the two theories emphasize on the role of adult individuals and the socio-cultural environment in shaping up children’s behaviour. Basically, Bowlby believed that attachment system was an integral aspect that facilitated a close bond between children and their mothers. Similarly, Robert Sears’ social learning theory attempts to explain factors that influence human behaviours. Nonetheless, both theories do not give adequate explanations with respect to developmental psychology.

Bowlby, J. (1980) Loss: Sadness & Depression. Attachment and Loss (vol. 3); (International psycho-analytical library no.109). London: Hogarth Press.

Bretherton, I. (1992). The Origins of Attachment Theory: John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth. Developmental Psychology, 28, 759-775.

Fraley, R. C., & Spieker, S. J. (2003) Are infant attachment patterns continuously or categorically distributed? A taxometric analysis of strange situation behaviour. Developmental Psychology, 39, 387-404.

Grusec, J.E. (1992) Social Learning Theory and Developmental Psychology: The Legacies of Robert Sears and Albert Bandura. Developmental Psychology, 28, 776-786.

Harris, J. R. (1998) The Nurture Assumption: Why children turn out the way they do. York: The Free Press.

Mith, P.K., Cowie, H., & Blades, M. (2008) Understanding Children’s Development . Basic psychology (4 Ed.). Oxford, England: Blackwell Inc.

Papalia, D. E., Olds, S. W., & Feldman R. D. (2007) Human development. 10th ed. Boston: McGraw Hill.

Pickover, S. (2002) Breaking the cycle: A clinical example of disrupting an insecure attachment system. Journal of Mental Health Counselling, 24, 358-367.

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