On different approaches towards understanding the development of children

Ewelina Błońska

Ewelina Błońska - Wszechnica Polska Szkoła Wyższa w Warszawie

Renata Botwina

Renata Botwina - Wyższa Szkoła Pedagogiczna TWP w Warszawie

Abstract

This article aims at presenting various approaches of understanding the complex processes of children’s development in the framework of modern developmental psychology. Nowadays, developmental psychology has a huge inventory of methods that are used depending on the needs. An experiment and observation serve as a perfect example of such methods. The authors show that developmental psychology also relies on numerous psychological tests, such as cross-sectional study and longitudinal study. The selection of the study depends on various factors, such as the subject, conditions or results one wants to achieve. Often the data for the research is gathered throughout several years. The above-mentioned studies have their advantages and disadvantages. Nonetheless, they are the best option for researchers studying children’s development.

Keywords:

developmental psychology, children’s development, experiment, cross-sectional study, longitudinal study, research