Development from infancy, through childhood and adolescence follows a predictable pattern. Specifics of development may vary (economic deprivation, war torn territories, refugees etc.) The prime focus of developmental psychologists is to study the genetic background, consider our environmental factors and how their interplay affects human growth and interaction Developmental psychology is the study of how humans grow, change and adapt across the course of their lives. Developmental psychologists study human growth and development over the lifespan, including physical, cognitive, social, intellectual, perceptual, personality and emotional growth. (APA Dictionary) Scope of developmental psychology is broad, however, developmental psychologists, primarily work in these 4 broad domains i)Physical Development ii) Cognitive Development iii)Personality Development iv) Social Development

2.  Development from infancy, through childhood and
adolescence follows a predictable pattern.
 Specifics of development may vary (economic
deprivation, war torn territories, refugees etc.)

3.  The prime focus of developmental psychologists is to
study the genetic background, consider our
environmental factors and how their interplay affects
human growth and interaction.

4.  Developmental psychology is the study of how humans
grow, change and adapt across the course of their lives.
 Developmental psychologists study human growth and
development over the lifespan, including physical,
cognitive, social, intellectual, perceptual, personality
and emotional growth. (APA Dictionary)

5. Life span development is defined as a field of study that
examines patterns of growth, change and stability in
behavior that occurs throughout one’s life span.
 Study of life span development follows a scientific
approach
 Methodological, scientific techniques to validate the
accuracy of assumptions systematically

6.  Scope of developmental psychology is broad, however,
developmental psychologists, primarily work in these 4
broad domains
i)Physical Development
ii) Cognitive Development
iii)Personality Development
iv) Social Development

7. i) Physical Development
 Examine the ways in which the body’s makeup- brain,
nervous system, muscles & senses- help determine
behavior.
ii) Cognitive Development
Examine development involving the ways that growth
and change in intellectual capabilities influence a
person’s behavior.

8. iii) Personality Development
Examine the development involving the ways that the
enduring characteristics that differentiate one person
from another change over the lifespan.
iv) Social Development
Examine the ways in which individual’s interaction with
others and their social relationships grow, change and
remain stable over the course of life.

9.  Biological fact of life that people mature at different
ages and reach developmental milestones at different
points.

10.  Developmental psychologists usually look at a
particular age ranges.
 Life span is divided into broad age ranges
Prenatal period (Conception to birth)
Infancy and toddlerhood (0-3 years)
Preschool period (3-6years)
Middle childhood (6 – 12 years)
Adolescence (12 to 20 years)
Young adulthood (20 – 40 years)
Middle adulthood (40 – 65 years)
Late adulthood (age 65 to death)

11.  Case Study Discussion
 Cohorts: - A group of people born at around the same
time in the same place.

12. History-graded Age-graded Socio-cultural
graded
Non-normative
life events
Biological &
environmental
influences
associated with a
particular
historical moment
Biological &
environmental
influences that are
similar for
individuals in a
particular age
group regardless of
when or where
they are raised
Social & cultural
factors present at a
particular time for
a particular
individual,
depending on
variables such as
ethnicity, social
caste & sub-
cultural
membership.
Specific, atypical
events that occur
in a person’s life at
a time when such
events do not
happen to most
people.