Theories of Development

Theories of Development

1. Domains of Development:

   • physical
   • maturation of brain & CNS
   • motor
   • sensory/perceptual
   • language
   • cognition
   • emotional
   • social
   • personality
   • moral

2. Behaviourism

   • (Watson)
     • development observed via overt BH
       • development from learned associations / responses in environment
         • Little Albert - conditioned fear response to rat
   • (Bandura 1977)
     • Social-learning Theory
       • Operant AND Observational Learning
         • People are cognitive, info-processing beings
           • Anticipation/belief of/in outcome shapes DEV
             • Observational learning = learning from observing BH of others
   • (Skinner 1953)
     • Operant Learning Theory
       • Development shaped by external stimuli
         • consequences = reinforcers or punishers
   • Precise & Testable
   • aids Bh modification techs
   • gives info about all dev aspects

3. Psychoanalytic Theories

   • (Erikson)
     • 8 Psychosocial Stages
       • Oral: trust vs mistrust
         • Anal: autonomy vs shame
           • Phallic:initiative vs guilt
             • Latency: industry vs inferiority
               • Genital:identity vs role confusion
                 • Young Adulthood: intimacy vs isolation
                   • Adulthood: generativity vs stagnation
                     • Maturity: ego integrity vs despair
   • (Freud)
     • Sexual

4. Cognitive Development

   • (Piaget 1960's)
     • CHildren active explorers=Schemas
       • 4 DEV Stages
         • 1. Sensorimotor
           • 2. Preoperational
             • 3. Concrete Operations
               • 4. Formal Operations =
                 • assimilation & accommodation = resolving disequilibriums
                   • = adaptation to environment

5. Information Processing

   • Mind = Computer
     • Info flows in-->operated on-->output - answers, inferences, solutions
       • Cognitive DEV = age-related changes in mind's hardware (brain) & software (mental processes eg attention,memory)
         • Brain-maturation = faster info processing
           • influenced by experiences, ie the problems presented to children
             • Probs = not naturalistic eg lab conditions, underestimates diversity of cognition

6. BIological/Evolutionary

   • (Bowlby 1973)
   • humans born with adaptive attributes thru natural selection
     • adaptive attributes = DEV = survival
       • humans influenced by experiences
         • 'sensitive periods' = times when certaiin adaptive characteristics arelikelyto DEV, provided environ supports DEV
           • biologically-influenced attributes affect the type of learningexperiences received