One of the many amazing things about psychology is that it can be used in a lot of different situations, which makes it one of the most interesting and in depth subjects I have studied. I’m shocked at the amount of theories and concepts there are, all about how the mind works and how it forms them into what makes them. After reading and learning about the large amount of ideas that have come about through psychology, is the specific reason of what has kept me curious and kept me keen to continue studying the subject and to learn all that I can about it. Continuing to study psychology will allow me to learn more about the many things that affect our changing attitudes throughout life. starting with developmental psychology.
Developmental psychology is the scientific study of how and why human beings change over the course of their life. Originally concerned with infants and children, the field has expanded to include adolescence, adult development, aging, and the entire lifespan. Using the multiple levels of analysis that we’ve talked about in this class and the information I have learned in Developmental Psychology , I can apply to some parts of my life while also talking about it in regards to biologically, psychologically, and finally socially,but first I want to share the importance of Developmental Psychology because I was too confused about it at first.
The study of changes that occur in human beings throughout their lifespan is referred to as Developmental
Many common functions such as thinking, problem-solving, learning, memory, language and more come are explained by Cognitive psychology. With these necessary functions, you may wonder, just what is cognitive Psychology? Cognitive psychology is a branch of psychology that covers the mental processes of how people receive, retain and grasp information and situations. The term “cognition” stems from the Latin word “ cognoscere” or "to know". Basically, cognitive psychology studies how people acquire and apply knowledge or information. It is closely related to cognitive science and influenced by computer science, philosophy, neuroscience, linguistics, biology, physics, and anthropology. Cognitive psychologists are interested in how people understand, diagnose, and solve problems, concerning themselves with the mental processes which mediate between stimulus and response. Recently, cultural and social factors have also become apart of cognitive psychology along with emotion and consciousness.
I realized at a young age that I not only want to help and study others through my profession, I also want to understand them in more ways than one. Delving into the world of psychology as well as wanting to eventually pursue a higher level of education takes a certain kind of self-discipline. Specifically, I believe that human beings are immensely complex beings and that it is important to learn as much as possible about our behaviors and mental capabilities. My reasons for choosing psychology as a major are most definitely in sync with its definition and goals. I am mostly very interested in the psychological goals pertaining to the explanation and prediction of behavior. Psychology has many disciplines,
Psychology is diverse, and there are many diverse specialty areas available to individuals seeking a career in the field of psychology. Most Psychologists choose to specialize in subfields that focus on specific subjects. Obtaining a profession in any of the specialty areas would require graduate study in that area of interest. Some professionals have a broad general knowledge, are skilled in several areas, and work with a range of clients. Some are specialist in treating a specific type of psychological disorder, or work with a specific age group. For those interested in specializing in a psychology career, developmental Psychology is one of the many fields available.
According to Cliff Notes, Developmental psychology is the scientific study of age-related changes throughout the human life span. A discipline of scientific inquiry, developmental psychology recognizes humans of all societies and cultures as beings who are “in process,” or constantly growing and changing. This discipline identifies the biological, psychological, and social aspects that interact to influence the growing human life-span process. Within the last 25 years, developmentalist’s researchers who study human development expanded their focus to include the study of the physical, motor, cognitive, intellectual, emotional, personality, social, and moral changes that occur throughout all stages of the life span (cliff notes).
Crash course eighteen talked about developmental psychology meaning “the study of our physical, cognitive, social, and emotional changes throughout our whole lives – from prenatal to preteen to post retirement. I also learned that both our genetics and our environment begin to affect our development long before we are even born, and they continue to influence our learning until the day we
Psychology is the study of the behavior and mental processes of all living organisms. In psychology, different perspectives are made in order for us to have a better understanding of the different changes and behavior humans will undertake throughout their life. These “theories” help contribute to the study of human growth and development and provide us with a better understanding. They can be sorted into continuous or discontinuous, one course or many courses of development, and nature or nurture. In developmental psychology continuity and discontinuity are two theories that compete to try and explain how individuals change throughout their lives. The continuity theory says that someone changes for the duration of their life along a smooth course whereas the discontinuity theory instead claims that people change abruptly. A development theory is one course when it is believed that there is one universal common path for all people across all places and cultures. On the other hand, a development theory with many courses is stated to have specific stages for specific individuals across specific contexts. Lastly, the nature theory argues that we are born the way we are and genetics determine who we are and who we will become. The nurture theory argues that outside influences such as society determines
As we grow older we change; these changes are most visible during infancy and childhood. From birth, babies grow larger and show noticeable development in both their social and intellectual competence. The study of age-related changes in human behaviour is referred to as developmental psychology. Child development refers to the psychological and biological changes that occur in individuals from birth to adolescence. By understanding child development, psychologists know what to expect in infants and children at each developmental stage, and can therefore establish the limitations in infant’s and children’s
Life span developmental psychology takes a scientific approach to human growth and change, focusing on change during the life span. There are three main aspects to life span development: cognitive, social, and physical development. This class is not simply a discussion of nature vs. nurture, it explores the interaction between genetic and environmental factors that orient us towards specific behaviors. Initially, my views on life span development were limited to more sociological factors, and did not take into consideration physical developments of the brain. In relation to my personal and professional identity this course has made me realize that development occurs on a spectrum and that not everyone develops at the same time, in the same ways, making me more understanding and compassionate towards those who developed differently than me. The three most important lessons I have learned from this class are that development occurs throughout the entire life span, infants begin learning at a very young age, and that senescence begins as early as young adulthood.
Throughout history, we have asked ourselves the age old question, Who am I? Developmental psychologists study the way that we function. All the magnificent ways that are bodies work, the way we think and obtain new information and how these factors change across our life span. These theorists look at how these factors are affected by genetics, culture and experience (Wade, 2008).
Development psychology refers to the scientific study of the systematic psychological changes that normally occur to human beings throughout their growth period from birth to old age. It was originally concerned with children and infants, but it has since expanded to include the entire life span of mankind including adolescence and adulthood. Development psychology covers the extent to which human development occurs through gradual accumulation of knowledge, and the extent to which children born with inmate mental structures learn through experience. Several psychological theories and approaches like the behavioral, humanistic, psychoanalytic, biological, and cognitive approaches have been developed to explain the
Developmental psychology is the scientific study of how and why human beings change over the span of their lifetime. Developmental psychology’s general focus was children and infants but now it has enlarged and now also focuses on adults. Although it would have been logical for me to choose a biopsychologist or neuroscientist as a specialization considering that I am pursuing college to become physician, I chose the topic of developmental psychology because the world is changing rapidly and it is significantly affecting the way the new generations view the world.
The development of a child is viewed from a number of different perspectives by several developmental theorists. While some say that development continues throughout the life, others would hold an opinion that children stop to develop as soon as they mature. Therefore, lifespan developmental theorists have focused on a number of areas while studying the development of an individual. Some of these areas include cognitions, social development, sexual development, moral development and more. Each of these theories is important in order to completely analyze the process whereby which a child matures and transitions into an adult.
In the future, I ultimately intend to be a psychologist. With being a psychologist, I am taking on the responsibility on how to lead people into having an overall better life and promote positive change for them. Psychologists often specialize in studying and examining the brain and human behavior. That being said, psychology is a very important branch of science that attempts to help us stay sane!
This psychology class has further introduced me to two subfields of psychology that interest me. The first subfield is clinical psychology, which is “the study of individuals, by observation or experimentation, with the intention of promoting change” (American Psychological Association, 2015). They study different types of metal, emotional, and behavioral disorders from things as small and temporary such as school and work stress, to permanent issues like schizophrenia and post-traumatic stress disorder. This particular section interests me because I find it interesting to learn about chronic diseases. It intrigues me to learn how these diseases come about and what affects they have on an individuals’ brain. For example, post-traumatic stress disorder can completely change a person and their everyday life, almost controlling them. Another subfield of psychology that interests me is forensic psychology. These psychologists “conduct evaluations that inform and guide legal proceedings” (American Psychological Association, 2015). The cases they work on range from child abuse cases to the sanity of a defendant. Forensic psychologists “conduct research on the interface of law and psychology”, this being why it interests me since I am a criminal justice and psychology major (Myers & DeWall, 2014, p. C-3). The idea of being a part of legal issues such as being a part of the deliberation by the jury or taking place in the consultation is something I would enjoy doing. The reason I
B.F. Skinner (1904-1990), an American psychologist, was a leading proponent of behaviorism, which influenced philosophy drastically. He advocated his own school of thought called radical behaviorism, and conducted experiments analyzing behavior.