Ch. 1 Section 2 Flashcards
psychosexual theory
Freud’s theory proposing that sexual desire is the driving force behind human development
psychosocial theory
Erikson’s theory that human development is drive by the need to become integrated into the social and cultural environment
behaviorism
theory that all thought and behavior can be explained in terms of learning mechanisms
conditioning
the process by which a particular stimulus becomes linked to a particular response
mental structures
in Piaget’s theory of cognitive development, the cognitive systems that organize thinking into coherent patterns so that all thinking takes place on the same level of cognitive functioning
cognitive constructivist theory
Piaget’s theory that the development of knowledge is drive by the child’s interaction with objects in the world
maturation
concept that an innate, biologically based program is the driving force behind development
schemes
cognitive structures for processing, organizing, and interpreting information
assimilation
cognitive process of altering new information to fit an existing scheme
accommodation
cognitive process of changing a scheme to adapt to new information
social constructivist theory
Vygotsky’s theory that child development is drive by the child’s interaction with more experienced others in social contexts
zone of proximal development
difference between skills or tasks that children can accomplish alone and those they are capable of performing if guided by an adult or a more competent peer
scaffolding
degree of assistance provided to the learner in the zone of proximal development, gradually decreasing as the learner’s skills develop
ecological theory
Brofenbrenner’s theory that human development is shaped by five interrelated systems in the social enironment
