Читать книгу Child Development From Infancy to Adolescence - Laura E. Levine - Страница 87

Physical development consists of the biologically based changes that occur as children grow. Cognitive development consists of the changes that take place in children’s thinking and learning. Social-emotional development consists of the changes that occur in children’s understanding and expression of emotions as well as their ability to interact with other people. Issues in the study of development include debate about the relative contribution of nature and nurture to development, whether change is continuous (quantitative) or discontinuous (qualitative), and how much stability versus change occurs over time. In addition, different developmental pathways may result in the same outcome (equifinality), and the same developmental pathway may result in different outcomes (multifinality). Although we look to make general statements about development, we also consider the effect of individual differences. Developmental psychopathology sees psychological disorders as distortions of normal developmental pathways rather than as illnesses. The positive youth development movement looks for ways to help all children reach their fullest potential. Another debate examines whether children play an active role in their own development or are passive recipients of external influences.