Introduction to Developmental Psychology

Developmental psychology studies how people change and stay the same across the lifespan—from infancy through late adulthood. This introduction explains the field’s core questions, major influences on development, and the difference between growth, maturation, learning, and aging.

You will also learn the basic lenses psychologists use to study development: physical, cognitive, social, emotional, and moral change. The lesson sets the foundation for the rest of the course by showing why developmental psychology matters in real-world settings such as parenting, education, healthcare, and policy.