Topic Ideas for your Developmental Psychology Research Paper

1.  How does long-lasting parental conflict affect a family?  Discuss how bad marriages can influence children and other relatives over time?  Is it useful for parents to stay married “for the children’s sake”?  How will parental conflicts affect the way their children act as parents later?

2.  Many children in this country live in homes that are affected by divorce.  Consider the multiple consequences of divorce on various relatives.  What are the reactions of children to divorce and how do those reactions change as a function of age, socioeconomic status, and gender?  What are the consequences for the child’s later adult relationships and marriage?

3.  What are the possible reasons for teenage pregnancy?  Consider why teenagers choose to have babies, or alternatively, choose not to avoid becoming pregnant?  What makes having a baby desirable and for whom?  Discuss the differences in teenage pregnancy rates as a function of race, socioeconomic status, geography, history, or nationality.

4.  Is America moving toward more or less gender equity?  Consider how boys and girls are treated as infants, children, and adolescents?  How do history, economics, and race influence the degree of gender differences in a family?  Discuss multiple sources of gender socialization (i.e., families, schools, media, peers) to support your argument.

5.  In many parts of this country, non-native speakers of English comprise the majority of many school populations.  Discuss how bilingual education can foster or hinder academic success.  Which is a better way to teach children a new language, through language immersion or teaching the dominant language as a second language?  What are the long-lasting consequences of multilingual education?

6.  Violence committed by children is on the rise in America.  Why?  Consider why children commit violent acts and what influences them (i.e., TV, movies, video games, imitation of others, drugs, anger, helplessness, etc.).  Discuss the role of gangs in today’s youth culture and consider what kinds of interventions may reduce violent crimes committed by young people.

7.  What role does religion play in the development of children’s morality and behavior?  How does religion increase or decrease family cohesion?  How does religion serve different functions for families of different socioeconomic or ethnic backgrounds?

8.  Many children display exceptional talent at an early age in athletics music art and so forth.  Consider child prodigies and how giftedness affects their own development and the lives of other people in their families.

9.  What is sibling rivalry and how does it change across the life span?  Is it a normal part of growing up in a family with multiple children or should parents treat it as a symptom of family dysfunction?  How do differences in gender, age and abilities affect sibling relationships?

10.  Many children today grow up in single parent homes.  What are the positive and negative features of single parent homes?  Does it matter if it is a female or male-headed household?  Why?  How do finances, race, age, geography and extended family support influence the success of single parent family homes?

11.  How does the birth of a child affect family members?  Consider how the arrival of a new child affects the parents, siblings, and grandparents in a family.  Does the impact of a new baby vary depending on the age of the parents, whether it is a first child or a family with children, or whether the pregnancy was planned vs. a surprise?  Are there other factors that you think might be important in determining the impact of a new baby?

12.  School districts across the country are being challenged to address the achievement gap between White students and African American and Latino students.  What factors contribute to this achievement gap?  Consider race/ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status, and school climate in your discussion and analysis of the achievement gap.  What can schools do to address the underperformance of certain groups of students and provide an effective learning environment for all students?

13.  Children throughout the world are exposed to violence on a daily basis.  How does this repeated exposure to violence impact their development?  Consider how the age, health, and family status of children affect their resiliency to these conditions.  What changes in public policy or community based programs would you recommend to counteract the negative consequences of repeated exposure to violence? 

14.  Friends are considered important at all ages but the reasons may differ for each age group.  What functions does friendship serve and how does this differ for infants/toddlers, preschool children, school age children and adolescents?  What changes in friendship patterns and interactions do we see as children get older?  What are the consequences of having few friends?

15.  Mainstream psychology has been criticized for using white middle class male experiences as the norm for all human behavior and ignoring the experiences of other groups of people.  Choose a topic from this course and learn more about the research that has been conducted in that area with children other than white middle class males.  For example, you could research the self-esteem and identity development of African American girls.  Another example would be the language development of Latino American (or Asian American) children.  You could examine the educational experiences of working class or poor children.  How are these processes different from the developmental norms that were described in your book (if at all)?  If so, why do you think these differences exist?  Does the information you learned in doing this research change your perspective on child development? 

16.  Many children in this country must contend with negative stereotypes and messages of inferiority based on their race/ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status, and/or religious background.  How can parents socialize their children so their self-esteem and self-image are not negatively impacted by negative messages about their social group?  What parenting practices and activities are recommended to ensure the healthy psychological development of children from these historically marginalized groups?