Developmental Psychology

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The development of and changes in psychological functions from birth through adolescence are the topic of this course. These changes will be illustrated with many empirical findings and explained by some theoretical models. Such influential older theories as that of Piaget will be compared to more recent information processing models of development. How does a child reason? How does a child becomes faster and better in learning? How does a child succeed in developing from almost nothing into an adult? How do children learn to perceive and to think (the so-called cognitive development) ? In addition to these questions, attention will be paid to language development because it is amazing to see how a newborn baby, who does not understand a word and cannot say anything, learns to talk within a period of two or three years without, incidentally, the use of dictionaries or grammar books. The social-emotional basis for later development will be explored. It concerns the attachment relations to mothers and fathers. How do infants form attachments? Is attachment important? Do our early attachments influence our later emotional development? Other social-emotional topics are temperament and aggression. Not every development ends in a “normal” child. The course will address deviant development too, such as disorders as autism and ADHD. When is an active young boy normal and when do we say that he has ADHD?