Child Psychology

br Child Psychology 1 CHILD PSYCHOLOGY

A Brief Look at Developmental Psychology in Child and Adolescents

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Developmental psychology may be defined as the study of behavioral changes from birth to death , aimed at establishing the cause for such changes . For several centuries , infants and children were initially thought to be incapable of thoughts and feelings , in response to circumstances around them . Childhood was considered a period in which the mind was not organized and

not properly formed . It is no wonder therefore that there is no history of notable theories on mental development stretching from infancy to adulthood . It was in the last quarter of the nineteenth century that child behavior , observation and their mental development was acknowledged . Although research in developmental psychology is mainly attributed to child development there is also an increasing interest in older people , than for other ages . Most developmentalists agree that behavior development is associated with genetic and environmental factors . However the extent to which these factors affects , is speculated . Another important aspect of children 's growth is whether this growth occurs continuously or in stages . The stage theories like that of Sigmund Freud emphasizes that development occurs in predetermined stages and sequences . Other theorists advocate a continues , gradual development . The existence and importance of certain crucial and sensitive phases in the course of human development is also widely acknowledged . Such sensitive periods corresponds to growth when the individual is utmost responsive to particular biological or environmental occurrences . The importance of childhood experiences in influencing growth and development in subsequent later stages is also emphasized in developmental psychology Emotional Child Psychology 3

conflict and attachment during early childhood is attributed to later psychological impacts . Broadly speaking , developmental psychology may be branched into emotional development and intellectual development . The emotional development relates to the personal-social attribute , while the intellectual development relates to the intelligence and linguistic attributes . Social cognition attempts to relate personal-social development with intellectual development

Among the several theories that attempt to analyze development process , Jean Piaget 's stage theory is also a prominent one . Piaget 's theory was first published in 1952 , which equated a child 's knowledge to schemas of basic knowledge , which helps in understanding past and new experiences . According to Piaget , theses schemas are constantly modified by processes , which he as `assimilation ' and `accommodation . Incorporating new information into prevailing schema is referred to as `assimilation ' while `accommodation is changes within schema for accommodating new knowledge . Cognitive development according to Piaget is a continuous effort to balance assimilation and accommodation in to achieve equilibrium . The process of cognitive development occurs through four universal stages of infancy toddler and early childhood elementary and early adolescence and adolescence and adulthood . The development in each stage is associated with an increased level of thinking . Child Psychology 4

Lev Semenovich Vygotsky , a Soviet psychologist emphasized in his theory of cognitive development , that social interaction and culture are crucial to the development...