Developmental Psychology: Theories and Findings

• The lecture is titled "Developmental Psychology" by Prof. Dr. Andreas Neubauer for the winter term 2024/2025.
• The lecture highlights theories and empirical findings in developmental psychology, focusing on adulthood but will pick themes to study from childhood and youth to pedagogical psychology.
• The lecture is based on the textbook by Schneider, W. & Lindenberger, U. (2018). Entwicklungspsychologie (8th ed.). Weinheim: Beltz.

Key Themes and Dates

• October 8th: Questions, concepts, perspectives
• October 15th: Methodological basics
• October 22nd: Prenatal development and the first years of life
• October 29th: Cognitive development in childhood
• November 12th: Development in adulthood (1)
• November 19th: Development in adulthood (2)
• November 26th: Higher and old age
• December 3rd: Goals and Adaption
• December 10th: Social relationships
• December 17th: Cognitive development in adulthood
• January 7th: Ambulatory Assessment
• January 14th: Well-being
• January 21st: Stress and stress regulation
• January 28th: Buffer, summary, questions.

Module Details

• Lectures take place on Tuesdays from 10:30 to 12:00.
• Assessment is a 60-minute exam covering lecture content.
• Exam 1: February 7th, 13:30-14:30
• Exam 2: March 24th, 11:30-12:30
• The exam format is an e-exam in Dynexite, including a balance of open and closed questions.
• A refresher seminar is availible in the summer semester.
• Remember to register for both the course and the exam.

Key Content Topics

• Phases and Stage Models
• The "Expanded" Concept of Development
• Basic Principles of Developmental Psychology
• Central Explanatory Concepts
• Continuity and Discontinuity

Learning Goals

• Understand how developmental psychologists approach problems.
• Discover the key concepts in developmental psychology.
• Learn the key questions in developmental psychology.

Phases and Stage Models

• Development proceeds in discrete stages.
• Phases are sequential, building upon each other.
• Development is directed toward a higher end state.
• Development is irreversible.
• Changes are qualitative.
• Changes are age-correlated.
• Stages are universal.

Erik Erikson's Model

• Development occurs through resolving conflicts or identity crises.
• Successful resolution of conflicts leads to psychological strengths; failure leads to disorders.
• Stages are age-correlated and universal.
• Is based on psychoanalytic.

Limits of Phase and Stage Models

• Development can be gradual, not always in distinct stages.
• A "higher" stage can be limiting and culturally specific.
• Stage progress could be deterministic, irreversible, or normative.

The "Expanded" Concept of Development

• Alternative to stage models that emphasizes lifespan as important in development.

Key Characteristics:

• Lifespan perspective
• Focus on both general and differential development
• Recognition of development as gains and losses
• A view of individuals as actively shaping their development

Expanded View

• Development is a lifelong process.
• Development is multidirectional, includes diverse patterns of change
• Development is differential, it acknowledges individual differences in development.
• Development is transactional, individuals and their contexts affect each other.

Basic Principles of Developmental Psychology

• A central goal is to identify the mechanisms and forms of organization that underlie the stability and change of psychological functions.

Conflicting Goals in This Field

• Normative development versus individual differences
• Focus on stability rather then change
• The effects of aging in a culture

Age and Development

• Age alone does not drive or explain development.
• Certain processes may be age-correlated, but age itself is not the cause.
• Age is a dependent variable; is affected by development and the influence of systems.
• Developmental processes and influencing systems explain changes related to age.
• Age is a proxy for key processes in development.

Central Explanatory Concepts Explained: Reifung

• "genetically triggered, age-related construction processes of structures and functions of organs, the central nervous system, the hormonal system, body shapes, etc."
• Ability development not linked to learning that cannot be accelerated by practice is called reifung.

Central Explanatory Concepts Explained: Prägung

• Automatic bonding to a primary caregiver is called pragung.
• This only happens in bird and mammals.
• This is highly controversial because bonding happens differently for humans

Central Explanatory Concepts Explained: Entwicklungsaufgaben

• The timing of events in culture determine their impact.
• Erikson's stages use cultural norms, and apply to cultural evolution.
• Root task is reifungs und abbauprozesse.
• Task are also related to societal needs making them cultural

Central Explanatory Concepts Explained: Kritische Lebensereignisse

• Are not clearly age-normed or strictly normative.
• Examples include the birth of a sibling, marriage, divorce, having a child, or losing a partner.
• These events tend to trigger affective changes.

Life Events

• Responses to critical life events often involve a variety of processes:
• Anticipation
• Reactivity
• Recovery
• Resilience
• Hedonic adaption

Absolute Stability

• No change over time in individuals
• No change in a population's average value

Relative Stability

• The distribution or ranking of individuals remains consistent over time in the reference group

Key Distinctions

• The distinction between absolute and relative stability is crucial
• Crucial to know how permanent are personality or cognitive traits

General Conclusion

• Phase and stage models see development as distinct and qualitative.
• The expanded view sees development as a lifelong, multidirectional, differential, and transactional process.
• Age is not directly causative and serves a proxy of several factors
• Absolute and relative stability are separate phenomena.