1.2 Developmental Theories

Question 1

Developmental Theory

Answer 1

Organizes knowledge so as to provide testable explanations of human behaviors and the ways they change or don’t change over time. At present there is no single unified theory of human development.

Question 2

Psychodynamic Theories

Answer 2

Propose that behavior is determined by the way people deal with conflicts they face at different ages.

.i.e. Erikson’s Theory

Question 3

Learning Theories

Answer 3

Focuses on the development of observable behavior. Heavy emphasis on sociocultural. Who they are observing.

.i.e. Operant-Conditioning. Social Learning Theory.

Question 4

Cognitive-Developmental Theories

Answer 4

Focuses on thought processes and how they change over time.

.i.e.
Paiget: four-stage universal sequence.
Information-processing: people think like computers with hardware and software.
Vygotsky: emphasized influence of culture.

Question 5

Ecological and Systems Approach

Answer 5

Bronfenbrenner proposed that development occurs in the context of several interconnected systems of complexity.

Competence-Environmentalpress postulates there is a “best-fit” between a person’s ability and demands placed on them from the environment.

Question 6

What are the four tenets of Life-Span Theories?

Answer 6

1. Multi-directionality
2. Plasticity
3. Historical Context
4. Multiple Causation

Question 7

Multi-Directionality

Answer 7

Development involves both growth and decline; as people grow in one area they may lost in another at a different rate.

.i.e. vocabulary builds but reaction time slows through life.

Question 8

Plasticity

Answer 8

Capabilities to learn or improve skill at any point in life but with limits.

.i.e. skills to help handle the declines in memory.

Question 9

Historical Context

Answer 9

Experiences differ based on when and where someone is born.

.i.e. middle class suburb 50s Indianapolis vs poor Latino 90s Texas

Question 10

Multiple-Causation

Answer 10

How we develop results from all the forces.

.i.e. children in the same household may have different experiences if one has a developmental disability and the other does not.

Question 11

Selective Optimization with Compensation (SOC)

Answer 11

Developmental trends to focus one’s efforts and abilities in successively few domains as one ages and to acquire ways to compensate for normative losses.

Question 12

Life-Course Perspective

Answer 12

Refers to understanding human development within the context of the historical time period in which a generation develops, which creates unique sets of experiences.