Final answer:
Developmental psychology is the study of how humans change over their lifespan, focusing on physical, cognitive, and psychosocial development. It explores issues like nature vs. nurture, and continuous versus discontinuous development, using theories from Freud, Piaget, Kohlberg, Skinner, and Bandura.
Step-by-step explanation:
Developmental psychology is the scientific study of how and why human beings change over the course of their life. This field examines physical, cognitive, and psychosocial development across three developmental domains. Developmental psychologists study a range of theoretical issues, such as the nature versus nurture debate, and whether development is continuous or discontinuous. In discussing continuous development, it relates to the idea that development is an accumulative process, where changes are gradual, like physical growth. On the other hand, discontinuous development suggests that development involves distinct and separate stages, with changes being more abrupt, such as an infant suddenly understanding object permanence.
Classical theorists like Sigmund Freud, Jean Piaget, and Lawrence Kohlberg have laid the foundation for understanding these processes. Freud introduced the concept of psychosexual stages, placing emphasis on how early life experiences influence later personality. Piaget outlined stages of cognitive development, focusing on how children's thought processes evolve over time. Kohlberg extended these ideas to moral development, suggesting that moral reasoning also progresses through distinct stages.
In contemporary approaches, the social-cognitive theory highlights the importance of learning and thinking in personality development, with figures such as B.F. Skinner and Albert Bandura contributing significantly to this field. While Skinner focused on the role of reinforcements and punishments, Bandura emphasized reciprocal determinism, where cognitive processes, behavior, and context all interact with each other.
Overall, developmental psychology enriches our understanding of how individuals progress from infancy through adulthood, as well as the psychological, social, and biological factors that contribute to human development.