Introduction To Developmental Psychology

Select and answer 3 of the questions below. Note: You must answer #4 however. Each of your responses should be about 10-15 single-spaced lines in length

1. The reading titled Developmental Psychology Overview provides us with an introduction to some key issues in the field of developmental psychology. Scroll through the reading and you will find information on the following key issues: Nature-Nurture; Continuity-Discontinuity; Quantitative-Qualitative; Universality-Particularity; and Critical Periods. You might want to browse through some of the other readings for additional information Select and briefly summarize three (3) of these key issues.
The Nature-Nurture debate questions how much of an individual's development is due to nature and

People who believe that development is a series of stages that people have to work through believe in the Discontinuity theory. Proponents of the continuity view say that development is a continuous process that is gradual and cumulative. For example, a child learns to crawl, and then to stand and then to walk. They are gradually learning how to walk. On the other hand, some people see development as consisting of different unique stages. The discontinuity view of development believes that people pass through stages of life that are qualitatively different from each other. For example, children go from only being able to think in very literal terms to be able to think abstractly. They have moved into the 'abstract thinking' phase of their lives. Abstract thinking is to the discontinuity people a distinct stage, whereas continuity theory people believe the child gradually learned the ability to of abstract

However, these periods are no longer thought of as being absolute, since we have discovered that there is great flexibility within these periods for a child to learn. Therefore, if a child misses a learning moment within a period they can still learn later in life. However, it will be harder and more difficult for that child to learn outside the critical period. Therefore, we must make sure that children get the best quality education at a very young age since it will be easier for them to learn at an early age. However, if that window is missed they can still learn later in life, since we essentially discovered that an old dog can learn new tricks. For example, a young child around five years old will learn a second language much easier than an older child of about 15 years old will. However, both can still learn a second language, it just will be more difficult for the older child to learn the second language. Therefore, quality of education is very important and the sooner a child receives it the better for that child. Early interventions are better than later interventions and we must make sure we prepare the child for a successful