Jean Piaget -schaema- stages
sensory motor, pre operational,
concrete,formal - cant understand
things over stage - assimilation
accomidation
methods: clinical interviews
Criticism:on his own
children - language leading
- dont understand -
controlled environment
uncomfortable
Kurt Fischer-Dynamic Skills theory- more
flexible than piaget -developing skills
practice and more experience doing it -
phases rather than stages -sensory motor
action , representation, abstraction -too
many skills wont perform best
Criticisms: agrees with piaget learning is
spontaneousand practice - cog development
progresses at different rates for different skills- brain
growth goes on to adulthood
Pse theorists
Michael Rutter - studied adolsecent boys
home conflict more likely for disturbed
behaviour than maternal seperation-
separation not always the crucial factor-
children can make multiple bonds - the
condition of separation more
important-children can recover from early
childhood deprivation
Research Methods- Clinical
Interviews- Questionaires
Criticisms- found seperation from 1 parent not
strong cause for deliquency- Investigated adopted
children found form strong bonds-research
considered many variables before reaching
conclusion
John Bowlby -Theory of Attachment
-Importance of primary bond between
mother and baby - form bonds is innate -
can affect future mental health
Research methods - case studies
- longitudinal studies
Criticisms - focussed on
relationship with mother
not any other - ignored
chance of more
attachments - home
circumstances can cause
emotional disturbance not
necessarily seperation
Linguistic theorists
Roger Brown - research on telegraphic
speech- 5 stages 2-3 word
sentence,naming objects and events ,
questions what?why?where?joining short
sentences, complex sentences - adult
should repeat child with correct grammar
-talk about real life so child can relate
Research
methods-
longitudinal -
naturalistic
Criticism-only studied 3 children-
childs memory not good enough
to remember whole sentence so
remembers important words
Noam Chomsky- Lad- nature- has to be heard
- too complex to learn - children to be bathed in
language
Criticism: if innate why does it take so long
to acquire? why mistakes in grammar? why
is their differences in liguistic skills
Methods
Naturalistic Observation -
Natural Environment -
Natural reaction - if noticed
act differently- time
sampling, checklists, grids-
objective - interventionist
manipulated -non
interventionist more true
picture - struggle to get
everything down - provides
info to plan to meet needs
of child
Surveys - questionaires and
interviews - can lie - not
understand the question -
can cover a large range of
topics- if spoken could lead -
oral or written - telephone or
street survey -put children in
an unnatural environment