Introduction to Development Psychology

Developmental psychology includes issues such as the extent to which development occurs through the gradual accumulation of knowledge versus stage-like development or the extent to which children are born with innate mental structures versus learning through experience. Many researchers are interested in the interaction between personal characteristics the individual’s behaviour and environmental factors including social context and their impact on development; others take a more narrowly-focused approach. Developmental psychology informs several applied fields including: educational psychology child psychopathology and forensic developmental psychology. Developmental psychology complements several other basic research fields in psychology including social psychology cognitive psychology ecological psychology and comparative psychology. 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. A significant issue in developmental psychology is the relationship between innateness and environmental influence in regard to any particular aspect of development. The book will be of use to the students researchers and general readers of this subject.