Key Takeaways
- Developmental psychology looks at how people grow and change throughout their whole lifetime, including emotionally, cognitively, and socially.
- Packaging nutritious foods in visually appealing ways might encourage children to make healthier food choices.
- Technology use during adolescence could influence social and emotional development.
Are you looking for a developmental psychology topic for a psychology paper, experiment, or science fair project? Topics you might pick can range from prenatal development to health during the final stages of life.
Developmental psychology is a broad topic that involves studying how people grow and change throughout their whole lifetime. Topics don’t just include physical growth but also the emotional, cognitive, and social development that people experience at different stages of their lives.
At a Glance
The following are just a few different topics that might help inspire you. Remember, these are just ideas to help you get started. You might opt to explore one of these areas, or you might think of a related question that interests you as well.
Developmental Psychology Topics on Childhood
- Could packaging nutritious foods in visually appealing ways encourage children to make healthier food choices?
- Do children who listen to music while studying perform better or worse on exams?
- Do students who eat breakfast perform better in school than those who do not eat breakfast?
- Does birth order have an impact on procrastination? Are first-borns less likely to procrastinate? Are last-borns more likely to put off tasks until the last minute?
- Does teaching infants sign language help or hinder the language acquisition process?
- How do parenting styles impact a child’s level of physical activity? Are children raised by parents with permissive or uninvolved parents less active than those raised by parents with authoritative or authoritarian styles?
- How does bullying impact student achievement? Are bullied students more likely to have worse grades than their non-bullied peers?
- Which type of reinforcement works best for getting students to complete their homework: a tangible reward (such as a piece of candy) or social reinforcement (such as offering praise when homework is completed on time)?
Developmental Psychology Topics on Adolescence
- What factors tend to influence the onset of depression in teens and young adults?
- How do peer relationships influence identity formation during adolescence and young adulthood?
- What impact do parent-child relationships have in predicting substance use among teens and young adults?
- How does early substance use during adolescence impact impulsivity and risk-taking during early adulthood?
- How does technology use during adolescence influence social and emotional development?
- How does social media use influence body image among teens?
- What factors contribute to success during the transition from the teen years to early adulthood?
- How do cultural differences impact different aspects of adolescent development?
Developmental Psychology Topics on Adulthood
- Are older adults who rate high in self-efficacy more likely to have a better memory than those with low self-efficacy?
- Do the limits of short-term memory change as we age? How do the limits of short-term memory compare at ages, 15, 25, 45, and 65?
- Do mental games such as word searches, Sudoku, and word matching help elderly adults keep their cognitive skills sharp?
- How do explanations for the behavior of others change as we age? Are younger adults more likely to blame internal factors for events and older adults more likely to blame external variables?
Choosing Developmental Psychology Topics
Developmental psychology is a huge and diverse subject, so picking a topic isn’t always easy. Some tips that can help you choose a good developmental psychology topic include:
- Focus on a specific topic: Make sure that your topic isn’t too broad to avoid getting overwhelmed by the amount of information available
- Have a clear question or hypothesis: Your research question should be focused and clearly defined
- Do some background research: Spend some time reviewing the existing literature to get a better idea about what you want to cover with your topic
- Consider developmental theories: You might consider analyzing your topic through the lens of a particular theory of developmental psychology
- Check out recent research: Use research databases to find the most recently published research on your topic
Before you start working on any paper, experiment, or science project, the first thing you need to do is understand the rules your instructor has established for the assignment.
Also, be sure to check the official guidelines given by your teacher. If you are not sure about these guidelines, ask your instructor if there are any specific requirements before you get started on your research.
If you are going to actually conduct an experiment, you need to present your idea to your instructor to gain their permission before going forward. In some cases, you might have to also present your plan to your school’s Institutional Review Board.
Tips for Researching Developmental Psychology Topics
After you have gotten to move forward with your chosen topic, the next step is to do some background research. This step is essential! If you are writing a paper, the information you find will make up your literature review.
If you are performing an experiment, it will provide background information for the introduction of your lab report. For a psychology science project, this research will help you in your presentation and can help you decide how to best approach your own experiment.
What This Means For You
Choosing a topic for a developmental psychology experiment, paper, or project can be tough! The ideas above can be a great place to start, but you might also consider questions you’ve had about your own life. Once you have a general idea for your topic, narrow it down, do some background research and talk to your instructor.
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