Is Developmental Psychology Science?
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Is Development Psychology Science?
Claudia P. Cisneros
Georgia Northwestern Technical College
PSYC 1101-Introduction to Psychology
Craig Harston, Ph.D., MBA
September 14, 2011
To answer the question is Developmental Psychology science? We will take in consideration some definitions about Development, development Psychology, how it is studied, and the research methods in which this discipline is based. All this information will help us understand, analyze, and make a conclusion about if Developmental Psychology is a science or not.
First, let’s review what development is. Development describes the growth of humans through the lifespan, from conception to death. The scientific study of human development tries to understand and explain why people change throughout life. This includes all the aspects of human growth, including physical, emotional, intellectual, social, perceptual, and personality development. The scientific study of development is important not only to psychology, but also to sociology, education, and health care. Development does not just involve the biological and physical aspects of growth, but also the cognitive and social aspects associated with development throughout life. Here is where psychology interlace with development, let’s then review the definition of developmental psychology.
Developmental psychology is the scientific study of age-related changes throughout the human life span. Mainly focusing on the development of the human mind trough the life span, developmental psychology seeks to understand how people come to perceive, understand, and act within the world and how these processes change as they age. The early focus of developmental psychology was on child development, or the maturation of children. Within in the last 25 years, developmentalists-researchers who studied human development expanded their focus to include the study of physical, motor, cognitive, intellectual, emotional, personality social and moral
Is Development Psychology Science?
Claudia P. Cisneros
Georgia Northwestern Technical College
PSYC 1101-Introduction to Psychology
Craig Harston, Ph.D., MBA
September 14, 2011
To answer the question is Developmental Psychology science? We will take in consideration some definitions about Development, development Psychology, how it is studied, and the research methods in which this discipline is based. All this information will help us understand, analyze, and make a conclusion about if Developmental Psychology is a science or not.
First, let’s review what development is. Development describes the growth of humans through the lifespan, from conception to death. The scientific study of human development tries to understand and explain why people change throughout life. This includes all the aspects of human growth, including physical, emotional, intellectual, social, perceptual, and personality development. The scientific study of development is important not only to psychology, but also to sociology, education, and health care. Development does not just involve the biological and physical aspects of growth, but also the cognitive and social aspects associated with development throughout life. Here is where psychology interlace with development, let’s then review the definition of developmental psychology.
Developmental psychology is the scientific study of age-related changes throughout the human life span. Mainly focusing on the development of the human mind trough the life span, developmental psychology seeks to understand how people come to perceive, understand, and act within the world and how these processes change as they age. The early focus of developmental psychology was on child development, or the maturation of children. Within in the last 25 years, developmentalists-researchers who studied human development expanded their focus to include the study of physical, motor, cognitive, intellectual, emotional, personality social and moral
References: Cherry K. (2011).What is development? Retrieved October 5, 2011, from http://psychology.about.com/od/developmentecourse/f/dev_faq.htm?p=1 Cherry K. (2011).How is Development studied? Retrieved October 5, 2011, from http://psychology.about.com/od/developmentecourse/f/dev_studied.htm Cherry K. (2011).Research Methods in Developmental Psychology. Retrieved October 5, 2011, from http://psychology.about.com/od/developmentalpsychology/a/devresearch.htm CliffsNotes.com. What Is Developmental Psychology? Retrieved October 5, 2011, from http://www.cliffsnotes.com/study_guide/topicArticleId-26831,articleId-26749.html Gerow, J., Bordens, K., Blanch-Payne, E. (2009).General Psychology. The Science of Psychology and its Research methods Ripple R., Biehler R., Jaquish G. (1982).Human Development. Background of the study of human Development Wikipedia. (2001).Developmental Psychology. Retrieved October 5, 2011 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychology#Developmental