Child/Developmental Psychology  

Child/developmental psychology explores all aspects of children’s and adolescent’s development and adjustment. For example, developmental psychologists are interested in how children grow cognitively, emotionally, interact with others, and the ways that such growth is influenced by both biological and environmental factors. Developmental psychology forms the basis for many professions related to children. Some of the primary child-oriented fields within psychology employ child-clinical psychologists, school psychologists, and educational psychologists. Studying child/developmental psychology, however, is also excellent preparation for work in the fields of social work, teaching, and child welfare. At NIU, we offer several courses that provide a strong background in child/developmental psychology, and we have several faculty who specialize in developmental issues.