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Home > Developmental Psychology

Developmental Psychology

Developmental psychology is interested in discovering the psychological processes of development. The three core studies in this section all focus on how children develop. It is worth noting that developmental psychologists also study adulthood too.

Samuel and Bryant's (1984) study is an example of a experiment which attempted to criticise Jean Piaget's cognitive developmental approach to child development. Piaget's influential approach to child development is also called the structuralist approach.

Piaget argued that younger children do not have the capabilities to think in the same way as older children. And that children have to go through a process of cognitive development in order to achieve the abilities of an older child or adult. Piaget believed that there are a number of stages that all children go through in the same order. Piaget is therefore arguing that these stages are innate.

Bandura takes a very different approach to developmental psychology. In his study of aggression, Bandura (1961) demonstrated that children learn development from role models. Bandura's approach is an extension of behavioural theories which emphasise the way we learn behaviour from others, our environment, experiences and so on. Bandura was particularly interested in the way children learn new behaviours through observing and imitating role models.

Whereas Piaget was mainly interested in cognitive development and Bandura behavioural development, Freud (1909) was interested in emotional development. Freud's psychodynamic approach argued that a child's early experiences will shape its personality in later life. He believed that all children pass through a number of psycho-sexual stages as they develop. Freud's study of Little Hans provides a detailed account of a young boy coming to terms with his emotional conflicts.