Developmental Psychology Careers
Developmental psychologists are interested in how people psychologically change and develop over the course of their lives, with a specific focus on their cognitive, physiological, and social development. Such psychologists seek to describe, measure, and explain age-related changes in human behavior. They focus on issues like personality, language acquisition, addiction, disorders, aging, moral reasoning, and socialization.
Developmental psychologists often specialize in a particular section of the life course, such as infancy, childhood, adolescence, maturity, and old age. They seek to answer questions like: What is the role of children's diets in their development? How do we enable the elderly to live independently for as long as possible? What are the telltale signs of autism in the young? How does menopause affect women psychologically? How does socialization occur during childhood and adolescence? They explore these questions through observation and experimental research.
Developmental psychologists are most often employed as teachers or professors, consultants, or researchers.
Skills: The most successful developmental psychologists are creative, disciplined, and hard working. They are curious about how and why people age the way they do, and have excellent research skills to explore these issues. You also need to be detail-oriented and comfortable both working alone and as part of a team to succeed in this area.
Requirements: In order to practice developmental psychology, you need to hold a master's or doctoral degree. This degree is more flexible than, for example, a clinical psychology degree, because developmental psychologists are not specifically trained to evaluate and treat patients. The need for developmental psychologists is on the rise, as research is urgently needed to determine how best to deal with the sizeable aging population in the United States.
Job Outlook: Job prospects for psychologists are best for those with doctoral degrees rather than just a master's. In 2003, starting salaries for research positions in psychology ranged between $45,000 and $68,000 a year. Those going into teaching earned between $35,000 and $50,000 annually.
Article Resources:
American Psychological Association
Baylor University
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
West Chester University of Pennsylvania