HISTORY OF DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY Ψ study of behavior, thought, and feeling as viewed
through the lens of evolutionary biology.
arose shortly after the emergence of scientific psychology
in the latter part of the 19th century. John Bowlby (1907-1990) and Mary Ainsworth (1913-
primarily concerned with child and adolescent 1999)
development loss and attachment
began as a correlational science, focusing on observation
G. Stanley Hall (1844-1924)
PRE-SCIENTIFIC ANTECEDENTS recapitulation theory
Preformationism Ψ as people develop, they repeat behaviors of their
a homunculus (miniature adult) contained in the semen or evolutionary ancestors
egg at conception.
homunculus was only quantitatively different from the James Mark Baldwin
adult. early imitative movements were the basis for early
learning.
linked to Piaget's Cognitive Development and
PHILOSOPHICAL BASES Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development theories
John Locke (1632-1704)
Father of Modern Learning Theory CHILD STUDY MOVEMENT
the child was a tabula rasa or blank slate on which G. Stanley Hall (1844-1924)
experience writes Father of American Developmental Psychology
bring about the passage of laws governing child labor and
Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) compulsory education
Father of Classical Developmental Psychology scientific understanding of the child
Emile (1762) emphasized the natural unfolding of the Pedagogical Seminary (1892); renamed as the Journal of
child based on an innate blueprint. Genetic Psychology
wrote Adolescence (1904), Senescence (1922), concerned
BABY BIOGRAPHIES with the second half of life
Dietrich Tiedemann (1748-1803)
first baby biography in 1787 FOUR PIONEER DEVELOPMENTALISTS
James Mark Baldwin (1861-1934)
Wilhelm Preyer (1841-1897) proposed a stage theory of development which initially
accounted the mental development of his son during his focused on cognitive development.
first four years. included social development and his work influenced both
published the results as Die Seele des Kindes, The Mind Vygotsky and Piaget.
of the Child (1882)
Ψ cited as beginning the modern child psychology John Dewey (1859-1952)
movement wrote on developmental issues
focused on education as it would establish the agenda for
Milicent Shinn (1858-1940) development
observed her niece established a laboratory school at the University of
Ψ a popular version was later published as The Chicago.
Biography of a Baby in 1900
Alfred Binet (1857-1911)
IMPACT OF DARWIN Father of Modern Intelligence Testing
Charles Darwin (1809-1882) research on cognitive functioning, including memory
The Origin of Species (1859)
focus on individual differences and adaptation Maria Montessori (1870-1952)
wrote extensively on child development
Wilhelm Preyer (1841-1897)
The Origin of Species (1859) PSYCHOANALYTIC APPROACHES
helped in the areas of language development and language Sigmund Freud (1856-1939)
pathology Father of Psychoanalysis
followers: Ana Freud (created the field of psychoanalysis)
Konrad Lorenz (1903-1989) and Niko Tinbergen (1907- and Erik Erikson
1988) research on cognitive functioning, including memory
Evolutionary Psychology
Karen Horney (1885-1952) Mary Cover Jones (1896-1987)
worked on feminine psychology conducted a study of a three-year-old boy
emphasis on life-span growth and self-actualization. Demonstrate how undesirable fears could be eliminated
(behavior modification)
Carl G. Jung (1875-1961)
theoretical innovator in adult development and aging Benjamin Spock
replaced Watson as the leader of the child-care movement
Melanie Klein (1882-1960)
developed object relations theory Kurt Lewin (1890-1947)
rival of Anna Freud Field Theory: behavior is the result of the individual and
emphasized the first 2 years of life; the importance of the the environment
mother.
Clark Hull (1884-1952)
NORMATIVE DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY Drive-reduction theory of learning
Arnold Gesell (1880-1961) no learning is occurred unless a drive produced tension
collected data on the physical and motor development of and impelled the organism into activity to procure a
infants and children reward
tried to combine learning theory and psychoanalytic
theory
THE TESTING MOVEMENT
Francis Galton (1822-1911)
Robert Sears (1908-1989)
Attempted to measure intelligence through reaction time
applied learning principles to an understanding of the
tests but proved unproductive.
socialization of children
Patterns of Child Rearing
Alfred Binet
Tried a new approach and published scales (Binet-Simon
B. F. Skinner (1904-1990)
Scale) in 1905, 1908, and 791 t.
Operant Learning (operant conditioning)
led to widespread use of behavior modification
Henry H. Coddard (1866-1957)
techniques (autistic children)
brought a version of Binet’s scale to the United States.
tried on normal and disabled children, declared the
Albert Bandura (1925- )
measure a success
focused more on social learning
emphasized the importance of modeling
Lewis Terman (1877-1956)
conducted many experiments demonstrating how
developed the most widely used version of the Binet-
socialization takes place
Simon scales (Stanford-Binet)
first longitudinal study of development, beginning in
THE GENETIC EPISTEMOLOGY OF JEAN PIAGET (1896-1980)
1921.
Jean Piaget
Lev Vygotsky (1896-1934) and Contextualism his works was revived and his stage theory became the
A Marxist who believed in the importance of the social centerpiece for American developmental psychology
and historical context to development. criticized for his methodology and unwillingness to
emphasized the role of parent and teacher in cognitive address other approaches.
development, and the function of speech, as an aid to the
child’s development. LIFESPAN PSYCHOLOGY
Zone of Proximal Development (the ability of children to Johann Tetens (1736-1807)
perform beyond their current level). published a book which addressed many life-span issues
(1777)
LEARNING THEORY
John Watson (1878-1958) Friedrich Carus (1770-1808)
Father of Behaviorism Aging was not simply about loss and decline, but was an
Learning became the central issue for study. occasion for growth and perfectibility.
Little Albert experiment (1920), attempted to show how a
child’s emotional development could be understood in Adolphe Quetelet (1796-1874)
terms of learning. first to collect data on physical and psychological
variables
Francis Galton (1822-1911)
established an anthropometric laboratory in London in
1884
data constituted an early cross-sectional view of selected
physical and psychological characteristics
Robert Havighurst (1900-1991) and Bernice Neugarten
(1916- )
active researchers on development at the University of
Chicago.
CENTERS OF RESEARCH
Iowa Child Welfare Research Station
founded after World War I by Iowa housewife, Cora
Bussey Hillis
if useful research could be conducted in order to
understand animals, equally effective research should be
directed to an understanding of the child.
ORGANIZATIONS AND JOURNALS
American Psychological Association (APA)
divisions devoted to Developmental Psychology; Adult
Development and Aging; and Child, Youth and Family
Services.
publishes several relevant journals
American Psychological Society (APS)
organizational home for many American developmental
psychologists
Society for Research in Child Development
1933, Child Development and a monograph series
