The study of how behaviour develops forms part of the science of psychology. But what do we mean by terms such as āscienceā, āpsychologyā and ādevelopmentā? This chapter aims to supply the answer, but although it comes first in the book, it may not necessarily be best to read it thoroughly at the outset. Especially if you have not studied psychology before, it might be useful to read it through quickly at this stage and return to it later, even after finishing the rest of the book, for a more thorough understanding. The issues raised in this chapter are important, but understanding them fully will be easier if you already know something of psychological theories and methods of investigation.
In an important sense, we are all psychologists. We are all interested in understanding behaviour, both our own and that of our parents, children, family and friends. We try to understand why we feel the way we do about other people, why we find certain tasks easy or difficult, or how certain situations affect us; we try to understand and predict how other people behave, or how their present behaviour and situation may affect their future development. Will a child settle well with a childminder, or do well at school? Will watching violent films on television be harmful? Will a child be bullied at school? Can we teach children to cooperate? What level of moral reasoning can we expect a child to understand?
Nicholas Humphrey (1984) described us as ānatureās psychologistsā, or homo psychologicus. By this he means that, as intelligent social beings, we use our knowledge of our own thoughts and feelingsāāintrospectionāāas a guide for understanding how others are likely to think, feel and therefore behave. Indeed, Humphrey went further and argued that we are conscious, that is, we have self-awareness, precisely because this is so useful to us in this process of understanding others and thus having a successful social existence. He argued that consciousness is a biological adaptation to enable us to perform this introspective psychology. Whether this is right or not (and you might like to think about this again after you have read Chapter 2), we do know that the process of understanding othersā thoughts, feelings and behaviour is something that develops through childhood and probably throughout our lives (see Chapter 15). According to one of the greatest child psychologists, Jean Piaget, a crucial phase of this process occurs in middle childhood, though more recent research has revealed how much has developed before this.
If we are already natureās psychologists, then why do we need an organized study of the science of psychology? A professional psychologist would probably answer that it is to try and arrive at greater insight, and greater agreement on contentious issues. Sometimes, common-sense beliefs are divided. For example, attitudes to physical punishment of young children as a form of discipline are sharply divided and polarized in many countries (see Chapter 4). Sometimes, common beliefs are wrong. In the course of researching the lives of children of mixed parentage, Tizard and Phoenix (1993, p. 1) reported to a group of journalists that many of the young people in their sample saw advantages in their family situation through the meeting of two distinctive cultures. The journalists responded with incredulity, since the findings ran contrary to the popular belief that these children inevitably suffered from identity problems, low self-esteem and problem behaviour!
By systematically gathering knowledge and by carrying out controlled experiments, we can develop a greater understanding and awareness of ourselves than would otherwise be possible. There is still much progress to be made in psychology and in the psychological study of development. We are still struggling to fully understand areas such as the role of play in development, the causes of delinquency and the nature of stages in cognitive development. Most psychologists would argue, however, that the discipline of child development has made much progress, and even in the most difficult areas knowledge has now become more systematic, with theories being put forward. We now know more, for example, about the importance of social attachments in infancy (Chapter 4), the process by which a child learns its native language (Chapter 12) and how our understanding of othersā minds develops (Chapter 15) than previous generations ever did or could have done without organized study.
So, how can we go about this?
