Relationship between Developmental Psychology and Lifespan Development

This article explores the relationship between developmental psychology and lifespan development, specifically focusing on psychosocial, cognitive, and physical development. It discusses the historical and contemporary approaches to studying children's behavior, highlighting the shift from laboratory experiments to field studies. The factors that contributed to this change are also examined.

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Relationship between Developmental Psychology and Lifespan Development
Both development psychology and lifespan development focus on explaining how people
grow and change throughout their life. They both perceive development as a process that can be
analyzed through three distinct developmental aspects including psychosocial, cognitive, and
physical development. Development psychologists use various theories to help understand how
development is a lifelong process. For instance, Sigmund Freud, in his psychosexual
development theory, contends that development assumes five psychosexual stages, including
genital, latency, phallic, anal, and oral (Arnett, 2012). The theory further contends that the focus
of a person is on erogenous zones, including genitals, anus, and mouth. These zones often result
in developmental conflicts, and a stable personality is realized if a person manages to resolve
these conflicts.
However, Sigmund ideas were later modified by Eric Erikson who developed the theory
of psychosocial development. The theory posits that people develop their sense of self through
successful completion of social responsibilities, as well as, via social interactions. Jean Piaget
also developed the theory of cognitive development that illustrates how various stages transform
the thinking and reasoning of children (Arnett, 2012). Ideally, development psychology and
lifespan development focus on the changes that people go through from birth to death. The use of
theories support these changes.
How Children’s Behavior Was Studied Historically
Historically, development psychologists relied on laboratory experiments to study
children’s development and behaviors. Scientists believed that the laboratory setting provided
them with an opportunity to isolate and control experimental factors (Arnett, 2012). However,
researchers during this era failed to understand that children development and behavior could not

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be studied within a laboratory setting. Also, it was not possible to generalize the study findings
to the general population (Arnett, 2012). The setting failed to take into account the influence of
the child’s cultural environment, school, and home life experience in their development and
behaviors.
For the above reasons, contemporary psychologists focus on examining children
development within their surroundings in contrast to a tightly controlled setting. As a
consequence, field studies replaced laboratory studies in contemporary settings. Field studies
allow researchers to understand the relationship between a child’s development and their
immediate surroundings, including peer groups, school, and family (Giorgi, 2012; Robinson &
Smith, 2010). For instance, through field research, researchers can make comparisons between
individuals from the same cultural or social backgrounds. The method permits the researcher to
delve deeper into the feelings, perspectives, and perceptions of the study subjects.
Factors that Might Have Contributed to the Change in the Study of Developmental
Psychology
Contemporary researchers embraced field research in contrast to laboratory experiments
because it provided them with firsthand knowledge and experience about processes, events, and
people under study. It is also easier to understand how social context shapes children
experiences, lives, and development through field research (Reis & Judd, 2014). Ideally, field
research underscores the importance of relevance and the role of social context in children
development. Therefore, it is not possible to study how social factors such as culture influence a
child’s progress in laboratory settings. Instead, a researcher has to go out in the field and
investigate how various factors influence children development and behaviors.

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References
Arnett, J. J. (2012). Human development: A cultural approach. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
Giorgi, A. (2012). The descriptive phenomenological psychological method. Journal of
Phenomenological Psychology, 43(1), 3–12. doi:10.1163/156916212X632934
Reis, H.T., & Judd, C.M. (2014). Handbook of research methods in social and personality
psychology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Robinson, O. C., & Smith, J. A. (2010). Investigating the form and dynamics of crisis episodes in
early adulthood: The application of a composite qualitative method. Qualitative Research
in Psychology, 7(2), 170–191. doi:10.1080/14780880802699084