Chapter 2: Theories of Development Flashcards
The principle that developmental changes occur the same in all people across all cultures.
Universality
Well-known father of the psychoanalytic theory. He argued that personality development take place through a series of universal stages beginning with birth & ending in adolescence. He stressed the role of unconcious motivation & drives, such as libido, in creating psychosexual crises durinh thesr dtages. He also posed a structure of the personality which included the id, ego, & superego.
Sigmund Freud
Contemporary approach to development suggesting development occurs throughout the entire life span.Historically, development theories have suggested development is complete at adolescence. This perspective changes the view that childhood experiences shape who we become.
Life-span perspective
The term used by the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle & British philosopher John Locke to describe the mind as being blank at birth. This is an extreme nurture view in the nature vs. nurture controversy.
Tabula rasa
Theorist who constructed a stage model of cognitive development & who argued that cognitive development is the result of the child constructing shema based on his or her activity with objects in the enviroment. His theory is a discontinuity theory (stage theory) of development which emphasizes universals in development.
Jean Piaget
A debate regarding the relative influence of heredity versus experience/the enviroment on development.While some developmental theorists underscore one over the other, both influence development.
Nature versus Nurture controversy
Any developmental theory that suggests development takes place through a series of small, incremental improvements gradually occuring over time. Development is considered to involve quantitative rather than qualitative change.
Continuity theory
The psychologist who constructed the psychsocial theory of personality development. He argued personality develops throughout the lifespan (life span perspective) & his model contains eight stages beginning with birth & ending in old age. During each stage of development the person faces a psychsocial crisis which can be resolved in a positive or negative way. He is also well known for his discussion of idenity development in adolescence.
Erik Erikson
The principle that developmental changes are influenced by, & therefore are specific to, the sociocultural context in which the individual lives. Development varies across cultures & contexts.
Context specific
Any developmental theory that suggests development occurs through a series of qualitatively different stages or phases.
Stage theory
The psychologist who created the ecological systems theory of development.
Urie Bronfenbrenner
Name used for cultures that value the common good rather than individual achievement.
Collectivist culture
Name usef for cultures that value individual achievement & drive rather than the common good.
Individualistuc culture
Piaget’s theory based on the notion that cognitive abilities (or one’s ability to think) are developed as individuals mature physiolgically & have opportunities to interact with their enviroment.
Cognitive-developmental theory
Piaget’s term for the process of modifying an existing sheme in order to include a new experience. (Adjusting prior knowledge gained through former experience & interactions.)
Accomodation
Piaget’s term for the process of modifying an experience to make ot fit into a preexisting scheme. (Fitting together the new info. with what has been previously known or understood.)
Assimilation
The term used by theorist like Piaget who argue that the developing child actively constructs idead derived from an active exploration of his or her enviroment.
Constructivism
The psychologist who studied moral reasoning & suggested a stage model of moral development. He presented moral dilemmas to subjects & observed differences in reasoning about these dilemmas across age groups.
Lawrence Kohlberg
This theoretical perspective uses the computer as a metaphor for the human mind & studies how the human mind processes information. Theorists describe changes in information processing capacity & speed that are associated with age. This approach acknowledges that not only are individuals influenced by their enviroments which they then adapt to, but individuals also are active in shaping their own enviroments. This theory is of interest to educators because of its insistence on the idea that intelligent thinking can be taught.
Information processing approach
The term used by Piaget to describe the cognitive experience of imbalance that occurs when a child’s experience does not fit into preexisting schema. The psychological state is the motivation for developmental change. According to Piaget, the child is motivated to return to the state of mental balance.
Disequilibrium
This is the theory of language development derived from the Behaviorist perspective in psychology. Language development is described as being continuous & gradual. Development is believed to be the result of experience. Language is defined as verbal behavior which is conditioned & shaped.
Learning theory
A theoretical perspective in psychology that defines development as changes in overt behavior. This perspective underscores the role of the enviroment in development & describes the developing person as passive in the developmental process. The mind is viewed as being a tabula rasa at birth. This perspective has its roots in the work of Ivan Pavlov, John Watson, & B.F.Skinner.
Behaviorist perspective
This is the term in Pavlov’s classical condirioning theory for the motor response part of a reflex.
Unconditioned Response (UCR)
The behavioral psychologist who created the classical conditioning theory.
Ivan Pavlov