Developmental Psychology Archives - Page 9 of 14 - The Psychology Notes Headquarters

Little Albert Experiment: Watson’s Classical Conditioning Study

The little albert experiment was a 1920 study conducted by psychologist John B. Watson and graduate student Rosalie Rayner at Johns Hopkins University. They conditioned a nine-month-old infant to fear a white rat by repeatedly pairing it with a loud, startling noise — demonstrating that fears can be learned through classical conditioning. The experiment also documented stimulus generalization, showing that...

Havighurst’s 8 Developmental Tasks of Adolescence: Complete Guide with Examples

Havighurst’s developmental tasks of adolescence consist of eight specific milestones that teenagers must master to transition successfully into adulthood. These tasks include achieving emotional independence, developing mature social relationships, and preparing for a career. According to Robert Havighurst, the successful completion of these biological and social milestones leads to happiness and societal acceptance, while falling short can result in difficulty...

Piaget’s Preoperational Stage: 9 Key Characteristics with Real-Life Examples

The preoperational stage is Piaget’s second stage of cognitive development, spanning roughly ages 2 to 7. It marks the point when children first begin thinking symbolically — using words, drawings, and pretend play to represent the world. That’s a genuine developmental breakthrough. But the preoperational stage also comes with well-documented limitations: egocentrism, centration, static reasoning, and an inability to mentally...

Scaffolding in Psychology: Vygotsky’s ZPD Explained & 7 Techniques That Work

Scaffolding in psychology is a teaching strategy where instructors provide temporary, adjustable support to help learners accomplish tasks just beyond their independent abilities. The scaffolding psychology framework, coined by Jerome Bruner, David Wood, and Gail Ross in 1976, stems from Lev Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)—the gap between what learners can do alone and with guidance. Effective scaffolding includes...

Carol Gilligan’s Ethics of Care: Why Kohlberg’s Moral Stages Got Women Wrong

Gilligan’s ethics of care emerged as a direct challenge to the most influential model of moral development in psychology — and it permanently changed the field. Carol Gilligan, once a student and research collaborator of Lawrence Kohlberg, identified a critical flaw in her mentor’s work: his six-stage framework was built entirely on data from boys and men, then presented as...

Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory: How Your Environment Shapes Who You Are

Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory proposes that human development is shaped not by a single factor, but by five layers of interconnected environments — from your immediate family and classroom all the way to the broader culture you live in. Developed by Urie Bronfenbrenner in the 1970s, this framework is a cornerstone of developmental psychology and a core topic in AP...

Category: Developmental Psychology