Understand the definition of developmental psychology. In order to approach learning developmental psychology, you must comprehend the main idea of what you will be investigating. The definition of developmental psychology involves the study of the mind, as well as physical behaviors and abilities. The difference between developmental psychology and regular psychology is that in developmental psychology, there is an emphasis on the study of the mind during an individual's growth.
Find out which scientists were involved in the creation of the field. The scientists most often associated with developmental psychology are Sigmund Freud and Jean Piaget. Freud analyzed the psychosexual stages of development and believed that the various stages of development were characterized by a difference in sexual pleasure. Such stages consist of the oral phase, the anal phase, the phallic phase, the latency phase, and the genital phase. Jean Piaget analyzed the patterns of thought development, or genetic epistemology. He believed that at the various developmental stages, humans find a different mechanism of learning. Such stages consist of the sensorimotor stage, the preoperational stage, the concrete operations stage, and the formal operations stage.
Know the general stages and age categories of development. In order to approach learning developmental psychology, understand the divisions associated with the developmental periods. The infant and toddler stage lasts from zero to two years of age. The early childhood stage extends from two to six years. The middle childhood years last from seven to eleven years of age. The adolescent stage lasts from twelve to nineteen years of age. The rest of the ages are incorporated in the adulthood stage.
Comprehend the main physical and mental occurrences of childhood. During the infant and toddler stage, the child first experiences oral dependence, and then transitions to the anal conflicts associated with excretion. During this stage of development, the child is experiencing the sensorimotor stage, and is learning how to seek pleasure in toys. In the early childhood stage, the child encounters the phallic stage, and becomes aware of his genitals. During this developmental period, the child also experiences the preoperational stage, in which he is able to pretend and express his creativity. During the middle childhood years, the child experiences the latency period, in which sexual thinking lies dormant. It is at this time that the child encounters the concrete operations stage, which involves the realization that a quantity can remain the same, yet have a different arrangement.
Understand the components of the adolescent and adulthood stages of developmental psychology. Within the adolescent stage, the child experiences the genital stage and desires to have an emotional relationship. The child also experiences the formal operations stage, or the exposure to abstract thinking. Within the adulthood stage, further development is associated with the genital and formal operations stages.
Create an outline that organizes this information. In order to approach learning developmental psychology, you should organize your information in the form of an outline. This will help you to prepare. For example, you may choose to put each stage of development as a heading, such as the infant/toddler stage, the childhood stage, the middle childhood stage, the adolescent stage, and the adulthood stage. Then under each heading, write the general information that Freud and Piaget attribute to these developmental periods. You can write your outline with a pen and paper, or type it on the computer.