ABSTRACT
The goal of the study of human development is to obtain a complete picture of the sequence of age-related changes that occur within a lifetime. Because all aspects of human development are interrelated and integrated, each change must be understood within the context of past experience; other developing competencies; and the individual's social network. Human development involves patterned, orderly, changes over time that allow the physical organism and its personality to become fuller, bigger, and better. The chapter presents concepts and principles that are basic to all development, including the concepts of growth, aging, and maturation and the principles of orderly, discontinous, differential, cephalocalidal, proximodestal, and bilateral development. It discusses three of the most widely read theorists of developmental psychology: Sigmund Freud; Jean Piaget; and Erik H. Erikson. The chapter focuses on methodological issues that govern developmental research, specifically the concept of statistical normalcy and the effects due to setting, number of subjects, and method of intervention.
