The Connection Between Psychology and Learning

Psychology is the scientific study of the mind and behavior. The process includes the study and comprehension of brain functions, behaviors, and the mental process.

Every child has different mental processes, hence requiring a different and sometimes individualized approach to how they develop, learn, and navigate the world around them. There are many theories of human development that helps us to understand cognitive behavioral processes especially in the early years of child development. For instance, Psychologists working in the education field study socio-emotional and cognitive processes in the education of young children and uses their findings to improve the effectiveness of learning.

The Role of Psychology in Child Development

Child psychology is the study of conscious and subconscious childhood development, which is basically the study of how children interact with their environment to better understand their mental and socio-emotional development.  The main aim is to identify normal and abnormal psychological patterns to find the best ways to cope during each new developmental stage. The psychological study of child development is broken down into sub-sections to ensure accurate observation and implementation takes place. These sub-sections include cognitive development, physical development, emotional development, and social development.  These areas are studied to develop an understanding of each individual child as we know no two children are the same.

Understanding how each child operates in different environments and situations gives teachers and parents a better idea of how to develop the most appropriate tools to aim in their overall growth and development.  As children grow and develop new strategies and tools are needed to ensure learning is taking place and that child receives the necessary support in these developmental stages. That is why it is important to have continued psychological studies and evaluations.

A child’s growth and development include changes in emotions, personality, thought process, behavior, speech and language, and other changes from birth to around age eight in early childhood. From early in the womb, babies respond to familiar sounds to being born and learn skills such as smiling for the first time. These are called developmental stages or milestones. Each child grows and develops differently based on how they learn, act, speak, move, and play. Milestones give a general idea of what to expect when children grow and reach these said milestones. Understanding child development between ages 0-8 provides teachers with the necessary information to create, implement, and assess teaching strategies for effective overall growth and development.