Psychology · Contexts
HDEV — Human development
Psychology · SL / HL · syllabus-mapped notes
Brain development
Brain maturation, critical and sensitive periods, and neuroplasticity as biological drivers of development, and how environment shapes them.
Sociocultural factors in development
How social interaction, cultural tools, parenting and socio-economic context shape cognitive and social development, contrasted with purely biological accounts.
Stage theories and continuous models
Whether development proceeds through qualitatively distinct stages (Piaget, Kohlberg, Erikson) or as gradual continuous change, and how well each explains development.
Theory of mind
The developing ability to attribute mental states to self and others, how it is measured, and its biological, cognitive and social bases.
Attachment and childhood experiences in the development of self
The role of early attachment bonds and wider childhood experiences in shaping the self, the internal working model, and later relationships.
Enculturation of social norms and peer influence in the development of self
How children absorb the norms of their culture and how peers shape identity, self-concept and behaviour, especially in adolescence.