Three core issues that characterize developmental psychology

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When developmental changes occur, it can be either a gradual or sudden process. Continuity is considered the gradual process of how a child changes. These changes can be physical or mental. When a child begins to grow, they gradually gain weight, and begin to grow in length, they begin to make sounds and gradually those sounds turn into words. These changes are so gradual that most likely they are not really noticed and seem to sneak up on parents. This principle is characterized as being similar to the seedling gradually transforming into a tree Santrock, 2009). I personally support the continuity principle, and feel that most things happen gradually, even though they may appear to be sudden.

The more sudden changes are considered to be discontinuity. These changes are those that seem to occur overnight, and can happen in specific stages. An example of discontinuity in child development would be the milestones that a child reaches, such as speaking their first word, crawling, standing, and walking. These milestones tend to happen without warning. This principle can be characterized as being similar to the caterpillar abruptly changing to a chrysalis and into the butterfly (Adolph, Berger, & Leo, 2011).

The next issue that will be discussed is the stability versus change issue. The stability and change issue involves the degree in which a child's early traits or characteristics continue ...