Developmental Psychology Literature Review

Prior to beginning work on this assignment, review the APA's Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct: Including 2010 Amendments and read the required Baltes (1987) article.

In this assignment you will choose five general topics of interest to you within the field of developmental psychology from the list below.

· Prenatal development
· Infant care
· Attachment
· Child development
· Adolescence
· Adulthood
· Gerontology/Aging
· Language development
· Parenting
· Relationships
· Education
· Physical development
· Cognitive development
· Psychosocial development

For each of your five chosen topics, research a peer-reviewed article in the Ashford University Library that was published within the last 10 years.

You will utilize your chosen articles to explain human development in the context of current trends within the selected topic. Critically evaluate the scholarly perspectives presented in the articles by describing strengths, limitations, inaccuracies or lack of clarity, and any remaining questions. Provide an analysis of ethical considerations in the research addressing the sample and methodology used. Apply the developmental theory presented in Baltes's set of six principles that define our understanding of human development (lifelong, multidimensional, multidirectional, gains and losses, contextual and historical, and multidisciplinary) through a synthesis of the information from your chosen articles. The review should be formatted with the headings and content designated below.

Introduction

Begin with an introduction that briefly describes your topics, chosen articles, and the principle of development from Baltes (1987) to be addressed. The introduction should end with a succinct thesis statement that presents the idea of how each unique topic within developmental psychology can be applied to your chosen principle of development.

Summary and Critical Evaluation

In this section, you will summarize each article by highlighting the purpose, research questions and hypotheses, methods, results, and conclusions drawn regarding the topic the article represents. Then, evaluate the merits of the article, including the strengths, weakness and limitations, and future directions of the research. Additionally, evaluate whether you had any issues with accuracy or clarity in reading the article, and address any remaining questions you have. Finally, evaluate any ethical considerations that may or may not have been addressed by the authors of the articles.

Synthesis of Principles Defining the Lifespan Development Approach

In this section, you will integrate one of the principles of development which state that development is lifelong, multidimensional, multidirectional, gains and losses, contextual and historical, and/or multidisciplinary (Baltes, 1987). To do so, you will first describe your chosen principle and explain how it can be applied to each of your five topics. Construct clear arguments regarding how your chosen principle drives, and is influenced by key elements presented in the articles.

Conclusion

Synthesize the findings described in your five articles into a succinct conclusion in which you reaffirm your thesis statement and describe how the principle of development discussed in your review influences our understanding of human development across all five chosen topics.

Address any remaining questions and overarching implications of the studies with regard to future directions in developmental psychology.

Writing the Literature Review

The Literature Review:

1. Must be 8 to 11 double-spaced pages in length, not including the title page or reference list, and must be formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.

2. Must include a title page with the following:

oTitle of paper

oStudent's name

oCourse name and number

oInstructor's name

oDate submitted

3. Must begin with an introduction that has a succinct thesis statement.

4. Must address the topic of the paper with critical thought.

5. Must end with a conclusion that reaffirms your thesis.

6. Must use at least five peer-reviewed sources published within the last 10 years, all of which come from the Ashford University Library.

7. Must document all sources in APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.

8. Must include a separate reference page that is formatted according to APA style as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.