Frequently Asked Questions

Dr. Lester M. Sdorow, author of Psychology, answers questions about human development.

1. I am planning to go to graduate school in developmental psychology. Which areas of developmental psychology are in the greatest need of more research?

Though all areas of developmental psychology deserve more research, several are particularly intriguing. One area is behavioral genetics, which is contributing to our knowledge of the relative influence of heredity and experience on physical, intellectual, and personality development. Another area is social attachment, particularly research indicating that your style of attachment to friends and lovers now might have its roots in how securely or insecurely you were attached to significant adults--particularly your mother--in infancy and early childhood.

2. What kind of advice is good for parents who have to leave their young children in day care and want to ensure that the children have a positive experience?

The many studies on the effects of day care indicate that, when it is of high quality, it is neither the danger to children's well-being that its opponents claim nor the boon to them that many of its supporters claim. High-quality day care provides a safe environment and individualized attention from a sufficient number of warm, caring, socially mature adults. Unfortunately, not all parents who need day care for their children have access to it or can afford it. But there is some evidence that even high-quality day care can have a negative effect on infants. This possibility needs to be studied further.

3. The theory of the stages of adulthood is interesting, but the stages seem accurate for some of the people I know, but not others. Are they really valid?

You're right. The theory of stages of adulthood, most notably related to Erikson's theory of life-span development, holds for some people but not others. There is evidence that the crises he associates with each stage are common in many, but not all, adults. Moreover, those who experience these crises do not necessarily do so at the same age or in the same order. Nonetheless, whether strict stages of adult development hold true in general, the issues of intimacy versus isolation, generativity versus stagnation, and integrity versus despair are useful when examining important factors in adult development.

4. My parents both turned 50 recently. What are some examples of how they will continue to develop as human beings?

Though they will continue to develop, they will probably show only modest developmental changes. These might be triggered by retirement, having grandchildren, suffering some physical decline, and the deaths of friends and relatives. Of course, brain damage related to things such as strokes, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, or other diseases associated with old age might provoke marked changes in their intellect or personality.