ABSTRACT
Maturation plays a significant role in psychological development of the child. Brain development enables the growing child to store more information, to inhibit impulses, and to acquire language. Instead of observing individuals at one time, developmental psychologists are interested in the change of mind and behavior across time, for example from infancy to adolescence. When psychologists use the term maturation, they mean a process based on biological development. Evidence for attachment in human infants came from studies by Mary Ainsworth. Developmental psychology describes how mental capacities grow and decline during the lifespan. The question arises whether a capacity in childhood could predict outcomes in adulthood. Piaget divided cognitive development of children into four stages that build on each other: the sensorimotor, pre-operational, concrete-operational, and formal-operational stages. Children who develop insecure attachment may not only have problems with relationships but may also become irresponsive and insensitive parents.
