DAP- Themes and Theories

DAP- Themes and Theories

1. Nature vs. Nurture (biological/maturational)

   • Development primarily determined by inherited factors and biology
   • Anything produced by the pre-determined unfolding of genetic information- Maturation
   • Nurture = behaviourist/ learning. Development primarily determined by environmental influences. Social or cultural factors that affect us.

2. Continuity vs. Discontinuity

   • Continuity= smooth gradual cumulative changes
     • children as mini adults that just lack the knowledge gained through experience
   • Discontinuity= distinct abrupt changes, qualitative differences between stages e.g. tadpoles

3. Critical vs. Sensitive Periods

   • Critical = A period of development at which specific experiences are vital for typical development
   • Sensitive = A period of development where specific experiences are important for typical development, but maybe not essential as typical development may stil occur.

4. Stability vs. Change

   • Stability= Argued to be due to inherited traits, or irreversible impact of early experiences (behaviourist) change.
   • Change= Potential for change possible across the lifespan but with diminishing plasticity

5. Role of the Child

   • Child originally seen as passive recipient requiring stimulation from environment
   • More recent views:
     • They choose what to pay attention to
     • Practice talking when alone
     • Play alone, self-directed activities seem to be their own reward
     • Increases in adolescence when able to make own choices about friends and activities

6. Individual characteristics vs. Contextual influecne

   • Modern view adopts interactionist approach- a combination o individual characteristics and situational factors

7. Behaviourism

   • Watson, Pavlov and Skinner
   • Emphasises the role of learning in human behviour
   • Changes in behaviour happen gradually and continuously
   • Operant conditioning advocated as a way to guide children's development
     • Still used by parents and schools

8. Piaget- Constructivist

   • Child has active role in own development
   • Construct Schema to understand world through adaptation
   • Trial and error testing of hypothesis
   • Four main sequential stages of cognitive development
   • Discontinuous, a qualitatively different way of thinking at each stage
   • Development precedes learning

9. Vygotsky

   • Social interaction a critical force for development
   • Assistance from 'experts' or experienced others scaffolds the child's learning
   • Learning precedes development

10. Maturational Theory

    • Development according to maturational timetables
    • Children's abilities pre-determined by genetic inheritance
    • Teaching of little use if the appropriate maturational stage has not been reached

11. Bronfennerbrenner 1977

    • Ecological systems- social context can change development
    • 1) Microsystem- immediate family/peers
    • 2) Mesosystem- connections between immediate environment factors
    • 3) Exosystem- external but related environment
    • 4) Macrosystem- cultural and social norms
    • 5) Chronosystem- changes over time

12. Bandura

    • Social Learning Theory
    • Observational learning and modelling behaviour under certain conditions
    • Attention, Retention, Reproduction and Motivation
    • Only model attractive or desirable characteristics

13. Erikson- Psychosocial

    • Eight stages of psychosocial development
    • Based on Freud but more emphasis on social and cultural aspects
    • Continuing development across lifespan rather than based on childhood experiences
    • Each stage sees new challenges to be confronted and mastered. successful completion of each stage required for normal development

14. Psychoanalytic- Freud

    • Development in stages, determined by unconscious biological drives
    • ID, Ego & Superego