Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsHistoryKey Aspects of Development in Child PsychologyMajor ContextsInfluential Factors

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Table of Contents

History

Key Aspects of Development in Child Psychology

Major Contexts

Influential Factors

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Understanding how kids think, learn, and grow is important for parents, educators, anyone else who is part of children’s lives, and, frankly, anyone who wants to gain insights into the impact of their own childhood (aka all of us). Child psychology is one of the manybranches of psychology. Also often referred to as developmental psychology, this particular branch focuses on the mind and behavior of children. That includes everything that happens fromprenatal developmentthrough the end of adolescence.

Child psychology deals with how children grow physically and seeks better to understand their mental, emotional, and social development.

Children’s psychology encompasses the five stages of child development: newborn, infant, toddler, preschool, and school age. In the past, kids were often viewed simply as “mini-adults.” It’s only been fairly recently that we’ve started to think of childhood as a distinct period.

Today, experts look at the many factors that impact how kids develop, including their cultural, social, and socioeconomic contexts. By exploring topics such as cognitive development, genetics, language, and social growth, experts are better able to help kids thrive.

How Our Understanding of Child Psychology Has Changed

Historically, children were often viewed simply as smaller versions of adults. WhenJean Piagetsuggested that children actuallythink differentlythan adults, Albert Einstein proclaimed that the discovery was “so simple that only a genius could have thought of it.”

Today, psychologists recognize that child psychology is unique and complex, but many differ in terms of the unique perspective they take when approaching development.

Experts differ in their responses to some of thebigger questions in child psychology, such as whether early experiences matter more than later ones or whethernature or nurtureplays a greater role in development. Because childhood sets the course for the rest of life, it is little wonder why this topic has become so important in psychology, sociology, and education.

Experts focus not only on the many influences that contribute to normal child development but also on various factors that might lead to psychological problems during childhood. Self-esteem, school, parenting, social pressures, and other subjects are all of tremendous interest tochild psychologists, who strive to help kids develop and grow in healthy and appropriate ways.

To understand children’s psychology, it’s important to understand the major aspects of development and how they unfold.

Physical Development

As they grow, kids experience important physical changes that can also impact their psychological development. In addition to the obvious physical changes, they also acquire more sophisticated motor skills that allow them to interact with their environment in different ways. This influences their ability to learn new things and develop new abilities.

Cognitive Development

Piaget suggested that children go through a series of cognitive stages of development. During the early stages, children acquire knowledge through their sensory experiences. They then progress through increasingly complex stages, where they learn to think symbolically, logically, and abstractly.

Emotional Development

Children begin life dependent on others and gradually develop a greater sense ofself-awarenessandself-regulation.Secure attachmentswith caregivers play an important part in helping kids form strong foundations for their future emotional relationships.

Through their interactions and experiences, kids become better at understanding and managing emotions. During adolescence, kids develop a sense ofidentity, independence, andempathythat can foster greaterbelongingnessand social connection.

Social Development

The early years of a child’s life involve interactions with caregivers and immediate family members. As kids grow, they begin to forge social connections with others in the community, particularly their classmates. They learn to cooperate, share, and resolve conflicts. During middle childhood and adolescence, friendships take center stage and help kids shape theirsocial identityandsense of selfwithin their communities.

Major Contexts in Children’s Psychology

If you are like most people, you probably think about the internal factors that influence how a child grows, such as genetics and personal characteristics. However,developmentinvolves much more than the influences that arise from within an individual.

Environmental factors such as social relationships and the culture in which we live also affect how kids develop.

There are three majorcontextsthat we need to consider in our analysis of child psychology.

Cultural Context

The culture a child lives in contributes a set of values, customs, shared assumptions, and ways of living that influence development throughout the lifespan. Culture may play a role in how children relate to their parents, the type of education they receive, and the type of childcare that is provided.

Social Context

Relationships with peers and adults have an effect on how children think, learn, and develop. Families, schools, and peer groups all make up an important part of the social context.

Socioeconomic Context

Social class can also influence child development in critical ways. Socioeconomic status (often abbreviated as SES), is based upon a number of different factors including how much education people have, how much money they earn, the job they hold, and where they live.

Children raised in households with a high socioeconomic status tend to have greater access to opportunities, while those from households with lower socioeconomic status may have less access to such things as health care, quality nutrition, and education. Such factors can have a major impact on child psychology.

Remember, all three of these contexts are constantly interacting. While a child may have fewer opportunities due to a low socioeconomic status, enriching social relationships and strong cultural ties may help correct this imbalance.

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Factors Influencing Child Psychology

Child psychology encompasses a wide range of topics, from the genetic influences on behavior to the social pressures on development. The following are just some of the major subjects that are essential to the study of child psychology:

Child psychologists, for example, might examine which childcare settings and practices lead to the best psychological outcomes or work with children to help them develop growthmindsets.

Child psychologists may specialize in helping kids cope with specific developmental concerns, or they may take a more general approach. In either case, these professionals strive to help kids overcome potential problems and grow in ways that lead to healthy outcomes.

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Takeaways

Understanding what makes kids tick is an enormous task, so the study of child psychology is both wide and deep. The goal is to study the many influences that combine and interact to help make kids who they are and to use that information to improve parenting, education, child care,psychotherapy, and other areas focused on benefiting children.

By having a solid understanding of how children grow, think, and behave,parents and professionals working with childrencan be better prepared to help the kids in their care.

5 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Psychological Association.Clinical child and adolescent psychology.Reisman FK, Keiser LJ, Westphal J.Connecting Creativity and Motivation Research with End Users: Lab to Learner. 1 Edition. Cambridge University Press; 2024.Likhar A, Baghel P, Patil M.Early childhood development and social determinants.Cureus. 2022;14(9):e29500. doi:10.7759/cureus.29500Goswami UC.Child Psychology: A Very Short Introduction. First edition. Oxford University Press; 2014.Committee on the Science of Children Birth to Age 8: Deepening and Broadening the Foundation for Success; Board on Children, Youth, and Families; Institute of Medicine; National Research Council; Allen LR, Kelly BB, editors.Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8: A Unifying Foundation. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 2015 Jul 23. 4, Child Development and Early Learning.

5 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Psychological Association.Clinical child and adolescent psychology.Reisman FK, Keiser LJ, Westphal J.Connecting Creativity and Motivation Research with End Users: Lab to Learner. 1 Edition. Cambridge University Press; 2024.Likhar A, Baghel P, Patil M.Early childhood development and social determinants.Cureus. 2022;14(9):e29500. doi:10.7759/cureus.29500Goswami UC.Child Psychology: A Very Short Introduction. First edition. Oxford University Press; 2014.Committee on the Science of Children Birth to Age 8: Deepening and Broadening the Foundation for Success; Board on Children, Youth, and Families; Institute of Medicine; National Research Council; Allen LR, Kelly BB, editors.Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8: A Unifying Foundation. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 2015 Jul 23. 4, Child Development and Early Learning.

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

American Psychological Association.Clinical child and adolescent psychology.Reisman FK, Keiser LJ, Westphal J.Connecting Creativity and Motivation Research with End Users: Lab to Learner. 1 Edition. Cambridge University Press; 2024.Likhar A, Baghel P, Patil M.Early childhood development and social determinants.Cureus. 2022;14(9):e29500. doi:10.7759/cureus.29500Goswami UC.Child Psychology: A Very Short Introduction. First edition. Oxford University Press; 2014.Committee on the Science of Children Birth to Age 8: Deepening and Broadening the Foundation for Success; Board on Children, Youth, and Families; Institute of Medicine; National Research Council; Allen LR, Kelly BB, editors.Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8: A Unifying Foundation. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 2015 Jul 23. 4, Child Development and Early Learning.

American Psychological Association.Clinical child and adolescent psychology.

Reisman FK, Keiser LJ, Westphal J.Connecting Creativity and Motivation Research with End Users: Lab to Learner. 1 Edition. Cambridge University Press; 2024.

Likhar A, Baghel P, Patil M.Early childhood development and social determinants.Cureus. 2022;14(9):e29500. doi:10.7759/cureus.29500

Goswami UC.Child Psychology: A Very Short Introduction. First edition. Oxford University Press; 2014.

Committee on the Science of Children Birth to Age 8: Deepening and Broadening the Foundation for Success; Board on Children, Youth, and Families; Institute of Medicine; National Research Council; Allen LR, Kelly BB, editors.Transforming the Workforce for Children Birth Through Age 8: A Unifying Foundation. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 2015 Jul 23. 4, Child Development and Early Learning.

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