Essays and Research Papers on Developmental Psychology

An 8 page paper discussing self concept as a factor in success or failure. Includes summaries of scientific studies which show self concept to be more important, in some cases, than actual preparedness. Includes criteria for goal setting and discusses self improvement and mastery as they relate to self concept. Bibliography lists ...

A 14 page paper looking at William I. Miller's exhaustive analysis of the place of the faculty of disgust in our lives. He looks at what disgusts us, why it does so, and concludes by showing how difficult it is to get over something so deeply embedded in our psyches. No additional sources cited.

In this 5 page essay, the writer analytically discusses the work of several key theorists in the area of intelligence and comes to the conclusion that intelligence is not necessarily pre-determined at birth but that it can indeed be improved with experience. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

A 10 page paper that outlines Gardner's eight intelligences and considers their application. This paper supports Gardner's contention of eight distinct intelligences and demonstrates the way in which each is developed through biological and environmental impacts. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

A 10 page paper that looks at the different intelligences as defined by Howard Gardner. Originally, Gardner defined 7 different intelligences but in the mid-1990s, he added an 8th. Each intelligence is explained. Also included is Gardner's perception of the myths of multiple intelligences versus the reality as he intended. Application examples are provided. Bibliography ...

An 8 page analysis of current research on inhibitors in the area of organization and retrieval in psychological processes. The writer provides a search of the literature preceding and explains several studies on inhibitors as they relate to the study of long-term memory. Bibliography lists more than a dozen sources.

This 6 page research paper investigates different theories of human motor skills development. A review of the literature offers a consistent view of the sequence in which these skills are developed along with the caution that not all children develop the same skills at the same age. Four different theorists are offered. Bibliography lists 7 ...

A 5 page research paper on the works and theories of Rudolf Arnheim. The writer makes a comparison to opposing views, and theorizes that Arnheim's Gestalt views have a measure of accuracy throughout artistic time. Bibliography lists 5 sources.

A 12 page paper that provides a substantive overview of the current literature as it relates to the issue of motor learning, the process of cognitive motor development and the impact of knowledge of results. Bibliography lists 12 sources.

A 12 page paper that provides a substantive overview of the impacts of modeling in the development of motor learning and in the maintenance of long-term motor memory. Bibliography lists 12+ sources.

10 pages in length. The author discusses the problems disabled persons have and their relationship to the ADA. Bibliography lists 7 sources.

8 pages in length. Individuals have varying abilities to assess the degree of variation between either related or unrelated events. Habituation is the technical psychological equivalent of 'get used to it,' and is important in industrial applications involving environmental noise and chemical odors. Some workers do indeed 'get used to it' more quickly ...

6 pages in length. Observed behavior can result from habituated responses. Habituation is the technical psychological equivalent of 'get used to it,' and then exhibit a resulting change in behavior. Many researchers directly apply the results of animal studies to human behavior, but at least one cautions against doing so. The underlying ...

An 8 page paper that provides an analytical overview of the principles of Festinger's Cognitive Dissonance Theory, and also critiques the theory based on the criteria for theories and the current debates regarding its applicability. Bibliography lists 6 sources.

A 5 page argument that as people age behaviors become cognitively-based (on interpretation by the individual) rather than behaviorally based (by emulating others such as parents, etc.). Bibliography lists 4 sources.

A 25 page examination of ten studies that pertain to current research on aggression. Starting from the premise that aggression has a positive correlation with high testosterone levels, the writer shows where the relevant data supports and contradicts this hypothesis before arriving at the conclusion that aggression has a variety of causes with the most ...

This 3 page essay discusses issues inherent to rent-seeking, its desired results, and quasi-rent seeking behaviors. Rent seeking behavior can best be described as 'the expenditure of resources in order to bring about an uncompensated transfer of goods or services from another person or persons to one's self as the result of a "favorable" decision ...

The problem of racism and the use of racial slurs by public servants has gained considerable representation in recent years, as public servants from police officers to the governors of a number of states have been reprimanded for their inappropriate behaviors. This 12 page paper considers the problem of the use of racial slurs ...

In this 6 page research paper, the writer explores the precepts of Behaviorism briefly tracing major contributors from Pavlov to Skinner. The effect this theoretical concept has had on learning is the focus. How the individual is perceived within the Behavioristic theory is also discussed. Bibliography lists 4 sources.

An 8 page discussion of the societal need for effective youth leadership. Discusses the phenomena of increasing violence and the role of youth leadership in combating this trend and in decreasing other youth behaviors which are not of benefit to society as a whole. Concludes that it is every adult's responsibility to provide ...

5 pages in which the writer defines various kinds of reinforcement (positive, negative,scheduled etc;) and presents personal examples of each. All terms are well-defined. No Bibliography.

This 8 page paper analyzes some of the functions of deviance and how the violation of norms actually contributes to social order. Bibliography cites 7 sources.

This 8 page paper provides an overview on the concept of deviance. Several aspects are explored including the relative nature of the concept. Labeling theory is discussed and the paper focuses on juvenile delinquency when it provide examples. Bibliography lists 6 sources.

This 8 page paper develops the view that cognition and emotion play equally important roles in the development of consciousness. Though it has been proposed by psychologist like Ellis that cognition must come before emotion, there is also opposition to Ellis' premise. By looking at the cognitive theories of psychologist's like Piaget, and ...

This 5 page paper explores how an individual's sensory perception influences blind taste tests. The writer is concerned with various psychological factors and how they may or may not impact the validity of relevant studies. Bibliography lists approximately 10 sources.