Branches of Psychology

Developmental Psychology

Citation Formats

General Reference

Psychology Atlas. "Developmental Psychology." Accessed August 30, 2026. https://dev-psychology.interactiveatlas.org/branches/developmental-psychology.

APA Style

Psychology Atlas. (n.d.). Developmental Psychology. Retrieved August 30, 2026, from https://dev-psychology.interactiveatlas.org/branches/developmental-psychology

BibTeX

@misc{psychologyatlas-developmental-psychology,
  author = {Psychology Atlas},
  title = {Developmental Psychology},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://dev-psychology.interactiveatlas.org/branches/developmental-psychology},
  note = {Accessed August 30, 2026}
}

The branch of psychology that studies how individuals change over time, especially during childhood, tracing physical, cognitive and social development across the lifespan.

Facts

Central Question

How and why does the human mind grow, change and adapt over the course of a lifetime? 1

Key Debate

The nature versus nurture debate, over whether development is driven chiefly by innate, genetically specified processes or by experience and environment; most developmental psychologists now treat the two forces as intertwined rather than opposed. 1

Cross-Tradition Connections

Includes

Ainsworth's Strange Situation

Attachment Theory

Cognitive Development Theory

Constructivism

Source Wikipedia: Constructivism (learning theory)

Cultural-Historical Psychology

Edward Tronick

Source Wikipedia: Edward Tronick

Eleanor Gibson

Source Wikipedia: Eleanor J. Gibson

Harlow's Rhesus Monkey Experiments

Harry Harlow

Howard Gardner

Source Wikipedia: Howard Gardner

Jean Piaget

John Bowlby

Lev Vygotsky

Piaget's Conservation Experiments

Source Wikipedia: Conservation (Psychology)

Sally-Anne Test

Stanford Marshmallow Experiment

Source Wikipedia: Stanford Marshmallow Experiment

Still Face Experiment

Visual Cliff Experiment

Sources

1. Wikipedia: Developmental psychology

Wikimedia FoundationOpening paragraph

Quote, Opening paragraph

the scientific study of how and why the human mind grows, changes, and adapts over the course of a human lifetime

1. Wikipedia: Developmental psychology

Wikimedia FoundationNature vs nurture section

Quote, Nature vs nurture section

A nativist account of development would argue that the processes in question are innate, that is, they are specified by the organism's genes

Simply Psychology, Branches of Psychology

Simply Psychology (Saul McLeod Ltd)Branches of Psychology, Developmental Psychology section

Quote, Branches of Psychology, Developmental Psychology section

Developmental psychology studies how individuals change over time, especially during the childhood period.

View the Source

Wikipedia: Conservation (Psychology)

Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Piaget's Conservation Experiments, Lead section

Quote, Includes: Piaget's Conservation Experiments, Lead section

Conservation refers to a logical thinking ability that allows a person to determine that a certain quantity will remain the same despite adjustment of the container, shape, or apparent size, according to the psychologist Jean Piaget.

Wikipedia: Stanford Marshmallow Experiment

Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Stanford Marshmallow Experiment, Detailed procedure section

Quote, Includes: Stanford Marshmallow Experiment, Detailed procedure section

The purpose of the study was to understand when the control of delayed gratification, the ability to wait to obtain something that one wants, develops in children.

Wikipedia: Constructivism (learning theory)

Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Constructivism, Social constructivism section

Quote, Includes: Constructivism, Social constructivism section

Social constructivism recognizes and embraces the individuality and complexity of each learner, actively encouraging and rewarding it as a vital component of the learning process.

View the Source

Wikipedia: Edward Tronick

Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Edward Tronick, Introduction

Quote, Includes: Edward Tronick, Introduction