Why Study Development? Child developmentalists have four-related goals: To describe what people are like at different ages and how they change as a result of age To explain what causes developmental change To predict what an individual will be like at a later point in development To use knowledge to enhance the quality of children's lives Defining Development Development is growth and change over time Characteristics: makes an individual better adapted to the environment proceeds from the relatively simple and global to the more complex and specific is relatively enduring