developmental theories Flashcards
what do dev theories do
provide a framework for understanding how and why people change as they develop
- help organize observations about human behavior
- aid in hypothesis generation
- help interpret evidence that links ideas to findings
what are the grand theories
psychoanalytic, behaviorism, cognitive
what are the newer theories
sociocultural, biological perspectives - evolutionary, ethological, epigenetic
psychodynamic (analytic) theory definition
behavior is motivated by inner forces that a person has little consciousness or control of
- rooted in childhood
- development involves mastery of developmental challenges
freud’s psychosexual theory
unconscious, inner forces act to determine personality and behavior; stages focused on specific body parts; emphasizes early experience (first 6 yrs happen in 3 of 5 stages); under/over-gratification = fixation
erikson’s psychosocial theory
8 fixed universal stages that each present conflicts related to social experiences and how well they’re resolved affects behavior later on; no crisis ever fully resolved and growth is lifelong; focuses on the ego
infancy 0-1.5 F vs E
F - oral: sucking, feeding; needs not always met
E - trust (satisfying basic needs) vs mistrust
toddlerhood (1.5-3) F vs E
F - anal: toilet training, balancing pleasure and control
E - autonomy (self-sufficiency) vs shame & doubt
early childhood (3-6) F vs E
F - phallic: genital stimulation (boys), envy for girls; adjustment for gender roles
E - initiative (trying adult-like activities) vs guilt
middle childhood (6-12) F vs E
F - latency: sexual urges quiet, focus on school, friends etc
E - industry (practicing & mastering skills) vs inferiority
adolescence (12+) F vs E
F - genital: sexual stimulation, stage continues through adulthood
E - identity vs role confusion
behavioral theory definition
development affected by observable behavior and outside stimuli in environment, NO universal stages, development happens gradually (quantitative), lifelong learning process
Watson & Skinner
john b watson’s classical conditioning
behavior result of continuing exposure to specific environmental factors; little albert experiment called ‘behaviorism”
classical conditioning def
organism responds in particular way to a neutral stimulus that normally doesn’t bring out that type of response (Pavlov)
lead people in behavioral perspective
watson , skinner, bandura
lead people in psychoanalytic/dynamic perspective
freud and erikson
b.f. skinner - operant conditioning def
voluntary response is strengthened or weakened by association with negative or positive consequences
reinforcement
stimuli that increases likelihood of behavior
punishment
stimuli that decreases behavior
extinction
behavior stops when it receives no responses from the environment
skinner’s air crib
raised daughter in it for 2 years, safe and baby happy but received misinformed negative press and declined in popularity
factors influencing effectiveness of operant conditioning
age - adolescents more sensitive to certain types of reward and punishment
value of rewards - may vary by individual
delay - immediate pun/rew better
albert bandura - social (cognitive) learning theory
behavior learned through observation and imitation of a model’s behavior
four steps of bandura’s theory and example
- must attend/perceive behavior
- must recall
- must accurately reproduce
- must be motivated to carry behavior
ex: fearless peter, bobo doll
imitation more likely to occur when
model is admirable, nurturing, powerful, similar to observer
cognitive theories def
focus on how and what people think to understand what they do
cognitive theory people
Piaget
jean piaget - stages of cognitive development
made observations and interpreted responses of children - what they said and did as they solved problems
stages of cognitive dev (piaget)
sensorimotor stage, pre operational, concrete operational, formal operation
sensorimotor stage
birth - 2yrs, uses their senses to learn
pre operational
2 - 6yrs, uses language but not logic
concrete operational
6- 11 yrs, uses simple logic, facts, skills
formal operational
12 - adulthood, uses abstract thinking
how is human thinking arranged according to piaget
arranged into schemes - organized mental patterns that represent behaviors and actions
humans seek cognitive equilibrium through
improving understanding of world through assimilation and accommodation
assimilation def
understanding an experience in terms of what is already known
accommodation def
changes in thinking occur in response to new stimuli
information processing theory (part of cognitive)
development of thinking and understanding by describing how a person pays attention, remembers, and reactions to world; life experiences play roles in cognitive and shapes strategies
computer analogy to the process of thinking (IPT)
inputs > processing > storage & retrieval > outputs;
can use brain imaging to understand what happens btwn input and output ; quantitative approach - processing speed and efficiency gradually improve with age
sociocultural theories
human development = reciprocal interactions btwn developing people and surroundings, most beliefs are social constructs not natural laws, culture integral to person’s development
people in sociocultural
vygotsky
vygotsky’s sociocultural theory
development = reciprocal transaction btwn people in child’s environ. and child; as children play/cooperate with others they understand what is important in their society; cultural artifacts used to teach
zone of proximal development (ZPD - vygotsky)
concepts that a learner is close to acquiring but cannot master without help
apprentice in thinking (ZPD)
children guided by capable adult/peer
guided participation (ZPD)
process of teaching skills, values, habits
scaffolding (ZPD)
degree of assistance provided to children in ZPD, should decrease with increased competency
biological perspectives def
psychological and behavioral develop. begin w/ roots in our brain, genes, and innate instincts
theories in biological perspectives
evolutionary, ethological, epigenetic
evolutionary theory
darwin’s natural selection, (<outcome =) selective adaptation, genetic variations occur and genes selected if increase chance of environ. adjustment
ethological theory/ethology def
examines ways in which biological makeup affects behavior
- human behaviors are universal, innate, gene-based
- critical/sensitive periods for behaviors
ex of ethological theory
Konrad Lorenz - imprinting of duck/goslings
epigenetic theory
environment shapes how genes are expressed; physical inborn genetic characteristics changed by environ/experiences
genetic characteristic changes
genetic expression takes multiple pathways - complex, bidirectional interactions; some changes occur more easily than others
what is the right approach
none, each have own premises focusing on different aspects of development
