Developmental psychologists study lifelong development in three areas:
- Physical development – growth and changes in the body and brain, sensory organs, motor skills, as well as health and well-being (For example, growth that occurs rapidly in infancy and slows down around the age of 4-6 years. Girls have a growth spurt at the age of 8/9 – about 12 years).
- Cognitive development – learning, attention, memory, speech, thinking, thinking and creativity (For example, scientists have found out that children easily understand different objects and the principle of their work, even without having experience working with them.).
- Psychosocial development – emotions, personality and social relationships (For example, in the study of attachment, she is a long-standing connection or connection with other people. The formation of healthy branches is one of the leading psychosocial milestones of infancy).
The normative approach is based on the study of people in childhood to determine the norms when most children reach certain stages of development (crawling, walking, speech, puberty). Some physical milestones are universal, such as puberty. Social milestones, such as going to school, vary across cultures. The social aspect is essential because cultural customs make a significant difference in the development of children from different parts of the world. One child goes to school at the age of 6, and the other has already been trained in all hunting skills, and this is enough for him to live.
It helps to understand better the ongoing biological and psychological changes in a person. Monitor the dynamics of its changes and apply external mechanisms in time to increase the tone of a person. It is essential to learn how to react as early as possible to positive and negative changes. One day, people will accelerate adulthood and slow down aging thanks to knowledge about the development of life expectancy.
Reference
(2021) Chapter 9. Lifespan development.