Concerns whether a particular developmental phenomenon represents

Subject : Social Studies

Question: Concerns whether a particular developmental phenomenon represents a smooth progression throughout the life span or a series of abrupt shifts. What is it called?

Expert Verified Solution: 

The concept you’re describing is known as the continuity vs. discontinuity debate in developmental psychology.

Explanation:

The continuity vs. discontinuity debate concerns whether development is a smooth, continuous process (continuity) or consists of a series of distinct stages or abrupt shifts (discontinuity).

Continuity suggests that development is gradual and cumulative, where changes are quantitative (e.g., a child gradually learning more vocabulary over time).

Discontinuity suggests that development occurs in distinct stages, each characterized by qualitative differences in behavior (e.g., Piaget’s stages of cognitive development, where a child moves from concrete thinking to abstract thinking in distinct phases).

This debate is fundamental in understanding how humans develop cognitively, emotionally, and physically throughout their lives.