What is Developmental Psychology?

Psychology Basics, an introductory psychology reference title, provides the following introduction to its chapter on development:

"Developmental theories allow psychologists to manage and understand the enormous body of data on behavioral development through old age. Theories of development focus on many different issues and derive from many perspectives and periods in history. All, however, are concerned with explaining stability and change in human behavior as individuals progress through their lives."

Getting Started

Before beginning your research, spend some time thinking about the topic at hand and how to develop a search strategy. Consider the following:

• Are you looking for information about a particular developmental stage? Or about a particular process or function across a life span?
• Are you presenting a perspective based on one or several theories?
• How essential is a cultural or historical perspective to your topic?
• How could you apply the "nature vs. nurture" approach?

Finding General or Background Information on Developmental Psychology

Use both general and subject reference sources to find background information on psychology. You can explore broad concepts such as theories, big names in the field, controversies, as well as specific terminology. General sources include:

• The New Encyclopaedia Britannica - R AE 5 .E363 2002
• Encyclopaedia Britannica

Search ROSIE by keyword for psychology handbooks or encyclopedias. If you started by looking for a very specific reference source – and found none - be sure to turn to one with a broader coverage; for example, if the search for keywords “developmental and psychology and encyclopedia" finds little, continue with “psychology and encyclopedia” - and then browse the books you found for broad and specific topics related to developmental psychology.

Consider starting with the following titles:

• Psychology Basics - R BF 31 .P765 2005
• Child Development - [electronic resource]
• Blackwell Handbook of Adolescence - R BF 724 .B487 2003
• Handbook of Adult Development - R BF 724.5 .H36 2003
• Handbook of Psychology, v. 6. Developmental Psychology - R BF 121 .H1955 2003

Note that electronic books - encyclopedias, handbooks and dictionaries - from databases like XreferPlus, Oxford Reference Online and Gale Virtual Reference Library are also available through ROSIE.

Finding Information About Developmental Psychology in Books

Searching ROSIE Using Keywords

Search by keyword using terms related to your topic of interest – you may have found these looking through the background sources. Remember that you are searching book titles, subjects assigned to books, and (in some cases only) tables of contents – and not the contents of books. Leave the very specific, detailed search for periodical databases; in ROSIE, search for a single term or combination of two.

Search by keyword for "psycholog*" and:

• terms describing different stages of human development (e.g., adult*, child*, old*)
• synonyms and related terms (e.g., emotional development, cognitive development, life cycle or stages, intergenerational relations)
• word variations (adolescence or adolescent - best to replace by adolescen*)
• names (e.g., Piaget, Kohlberg). If you are looking for information about a particular person, a famous figure in psychology, try combinations like “psychologists and biography” (or “psychologists and history”).

  The asterisk (*) allows you to search for words with different endings.

Searching ROSIE by Subject

The following examples of Library of Congress Subject Headings might be useful in your research (remember to explore the “related topics” links as well):

Developmental psychology
Child psychology
Child development
Adolescent psychology
Adulthood

Browsing Call Numbers

Because books are arranged on the Library’s shelves by subject, browsing the library stacks in the call number areas suggested below can also be useful. You can get additional ideas from a book's table of contents or index. You can browse book records online through ROSIE, but remember that only records of recently published books list tables of contents and none lists an index.

BF 712 - BF 725 (Developmental Psychology)
HM 503 - HM 1075 (this section contains materials on family life aspects and life stages)

Finding Articles About Developmental Psychology Using Research Databases

Bowman Library subscribes to many Web-based databases where you will find newspaper, magazine and scholarly journal articles. Ones that are particularly useful for researching topics in psychology are listed below. See Searching Electronic Resources Effectively for guidelines on making the most of your search.

ProQuest
Search ProQuest for psychology articles published in scholarly, popular and general interest periodicals. Explore the drop-down menus and “More Search Options” to broaden or narrow your search. Note, in particular, the limit to “Full text documents only”. Wait to limit your search to scholarly journals from the results page; some quality magazines, like Scientific American, The New Yorker or The New York Times Magazine, often publish well-researched articles you do not want to exclude from your search.

PsycArticles
PsycARTICLES© is a database of full-text articles from journals published by the American Psychological Association, the APA Educational Publishing Foundation, the Canadian Psychological Association, and Hogrefe Publishing Group. It currently contains 61 journals. Coverage for some of them extends back to XIX c. Note the Thesarus (link at the bottom of the screen) for help in finding synonyms and broader, narrower or related concepts.

Wilson Select Plus
Search Wilson for psychology articles published in academic and professional publications. The best strategy is to use search capabilities from the Advanced Search: use the top menu tab to get there and then explore the drop-down menus. Limit your search to full text.

Congressional Quarterly Researcher (CQ Researcher)
You will find here reports about issues widely discussed in the media, for example, family, childcare, education, teen sex, baby boomers or age discrimination. While these topics are not discussed from a strictly psychological perspective, the reports can provide context and background for your research.
Each 20+ page report contains background information on the topic, pro/con statements from representatives of opposing positions, analysis of the current and future (outlook) situation, a bibliography and list of readings for further research.

Contemporary Women's Issues (CWI)
This database focuses on contemporary issues affecting the lives of women around the world. Its broad range of topics includes law, health, human rights, education, culture, customs, demographics, family life and more. The articles’ perspective might be unique, as CWI's content includes mainstream periodicals as well as reports from NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations), non-profit organizations, special interest groups, government and international agencies, and research institutes.

Selected Free Web Sites

The following Web sites have been selected by Bowman Librarians as examples of sites appropriate for college research. Keep in mind, however, that free Web resources are rarely filtered, often making it difficult to determine the content's accuracy. Use our guide Evaluating Web Resources to help you review the authority, currency, and objectivity or bias of every site you use.

Internet Resources about Piaget and Vygotsky
http://www.piaget.org/links.html
The Jean Piaget Society is an “international, interdisciplinary organization of scholars, teachers and researchers interested in exploring the nature of the developmental construction of human knowledge.”

Trends in Human Development
http://teachpsych.lemoyne.edu/teachpsych/faces/text/Ch10.htm
A chapter on developmental psychology from The Many Faces of Psychological Research in the 21st Century, an online-only broad overview of current research agendas and approaches across many of psychology's sub-disciplines.

ADOL: Adolescence Directory On-line
http://education.indiana.edu/cas/adol/adol.html
ADOL is a collection of Web documents that focus on the social and emotional growth and developmental needs of adolescents. It is provided by the Center for Adolescent and Family Studies at Indiana University.

Forum on Child and Family Statistics
http://childstats.gov/
Every year the Forum releases its annual monitoring report, “America's Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being.” This report presents the most important indicators of the well-being of the nation's children, based on data currently available. The Forum is a federal interagency program.

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/healthinformation/index.cfm
You will find here information about children's mental health, including signs and symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment for a variety of disorders.

Citing Your Sources

Be sure to check with your professor on which citation style is required. Bowman Library provides the following resources to assist with citation format:

For online resources, see How to Cite Your Research for links to MLA, APA and Chicago citation styles.

MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers - LB2369 .G53 2003 (Located in Library Permanent Reserves).

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association - BF76.7 .P83 2001 (Located in Library Permanent Reserves).

The Chicago Manual of Style - Z253 .U69 2003 (Located in Library Permanent Reserves).

Have Questions?

• Explore WOODIE for help with Research.
• The following guides include related information that may assist your research:
  • Introductory Psychology Research Guide
• Ask a Librarian. We are here to help!