Developmental Psychology

After taking a general look at psychology and some of its major theories, we will trace psychological thought about the human life by focusing on human development. We will look at models of human development put forward by Saint Thomas Aquinas and other Catholic philosophers, Jean Piaget, Sigmund Freud, Erik Erikson, and Lawrence Kohlberg, as well as a few others. Students will not only learn about psychology, they will also learn a lot about themselves.

Thursday, September 22, 2005

Childhood Development

Definitions
  • Development = To bring from latency to or toward fulfillment: To cause to become more complex or intricate; To bring into being gradually.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Third Edition copyright © 1992 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Electronic version licensed from INSO Corporation; further reproduction and distribution restricted in accordance with the Copyright Law of the United States. All rights reserved.

  • Maturation = The pattern of development that occurs based on a natural biological timeline.
Areas of Development
  • Physical

  • Cognitive

  • Emotional

  • Social

  • Moral
When Does Development Begin?
Is physical development the only development to occur in the womb?
  • It makes sense that cognitive development would begin in the womb, since it certainly occurs after birth and there is really no difference between pre-natal and post-natal development other than location.
  • Children in the womb learn the voices of their parents
  • Children learn the faces of their parents soon after birth
  • Psychologists verify learning occurs in infants by testing for voluntary reactions to stimuli (vs. reflexive responses)

posted by Jeffrey @ Thursday, September 22, 2005

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