Developmental Psychology After the Grand Theories
S06, S07, S08
David Anderegg
Comprehensive theories in developmental psychology posited relatively abrupt structural changes in children’s thinking in the course of childhood. These theories have been supplanted, in large part, by basic research (largely from brain imaging techniques), documenting gradual changes in children’s development. In this course the grand theories (Piaget, Freud, and Vygotsky, as well as attachment theory and evolutionary psychology) will be reviewed along with current findings that challenge their scope and reach. Topics will include cognitive, emotional, and social development from infancy through adolescence.