L7 - Child - Theories of Social Development

Question 1

What is a Theory?

Answer 1

An orderly, integrated set of statements that rexplains or predicts behaviour.

• Something that helps us understand complex information.*
• Something that breaks things down in order for us to understand the world.*

Question 2

For theories to be accepted or maintained as knowledge, they need to be verified through…

Answer 2

Scientific Verification - A replication of results.

Question 3

Are theories entirely objective?

Answer 3

No, they are meant to make sense of the world and therefore are influenced by social and cultural contexts

Question 4

Has one theory explained all behaviour in regards to children?

Answer 4

No, children are complex and therefore we use a range of theories to explain behaviour.

Question 5

Piaget’s theory of cognitive development is a ____ based theory

Answer 5

Stage

Question 6

In regards to social development are stage based theories generally considered valid?

Answer 6

No, there are too many social and environmental factors and differences between individuals that influence social development in order to accurately describe it in stages.

Question 7

Do all children develop socially in a normalized way?

Yes/No and Why.

Answer 7

No

There is individual differences in development and it can be influenced by environmental factors.

Question 8

Describe Behaviourism as a learning theory.

Answer 8

Learning is based around stimulus-response

Focus is on External factors - All behaviour can be explained without the need to consider internal facors

Individual differences due to the mechanisms of change - Individual differences due to different histories of reinforcement

Question 9

John Watson was the founder of ____

Answer 9

Behaviourism

Question 10

John Watson believed that children’s development was influenced by their 1)______ ______ and that learning 2)______ ______ was the primary mechanism.

Answer 10

1) Social Environment
2) learning through conditioning

Question 11

Little Albert experiment was conducted by

Answer 11

John Watson

Question 12

What is the primary critique of behaviourism in terms of developmental psychology?

Answer 12

Too Simplistic; Exclusive focus on conditioning can be considered simplistic in terms of development and therefore can’t explain a lot of behaviour.

Question 13

Systematic desensitization for the ‘treatment’ of phobias is based off the principles of…

Answer 13

Behaviourism

Question 14

B.F. Skinner’s theory was based around the principles of…

Answer 14

Operant Conditioning

Question 15

What did Skinner find regarding child development while conducting his research of the nature and function of reinforcement?

Answer 15

1) That attention is a powerful reinforcer
2) Difficult to extinguish behaviour that has been intermittently reinforced.
* e.g. only sometimes reinforced - pokies*

Question 16

Operant Conditioning focuses on…

Answer 16

Antecedents and Responses

Rewards/Punishments

Question 17

How is operant conditioning applied in child psychology?

Answer 17

In behaviour modification therapies

Where reinforcements or responses are changed to encourage more adaptive behaviour.

Question 18

What are the two most powerful forms of reinforcement for kids that have studies shown in terms of operant conditioning?

Answer 18

Positive Reinforcement and Witholding Negative Reinforcement

Punishments are easier in the moment, but aren’t as effective as postitive reinforcement or negative reinforcement

Question 19

What type of learning theories developed following operant conditioning behaviour theory?

Answer 19

Social Learning Theory

Question 20

Who developed social learning theory?

Answer 20

Albert Bandura

Question 21

In Albert Bandura’s social learning theory, what did he argue regarding how people learn?

Answer 21

People learn from one another via observation, imitation and modelling.

Question 22

What experiment did Bandura development to study children and aggression?

Answer 22

Bobo dolls experiment

Question 23

What was the Bobo Dolls experiment?

Answer 23

A child would watch an adult do something to a Bobo doll in a video. Then they would be put in a room with a Bobo doll and experimenters monitored how they acted with the Bobo doll.

Question 24

In Bandura’s Bobo dolls experiment, what were the three groups of children shown?

Answer 24

1st group: Observed the model rewarded for aggressive behaviour

2nd group: Saw the model punished for aggressive behaviour

3rd group: Saw the model experience no consequences

Question 25

What were the 2 main findings of Bandura's Bobo Doll experiment?

Answer 25

1) Children quickly acquire new behaviours simply by observing others (imitation). 2) The tendency to reproduce behaviour depends on whether the person whos actions were observed were rewarded or punished - *more likely to reproduce if rewarded, however simply paying attention to the model was the best predictor of behaviour (attention is a powerful reinforcer)*

Question 26

Bandura's theory was influential because it explain how ____ \_\_\_\_ influences childrens behaviour.

Answer 26

Social Modelling *How much does what children see in their family and environment influence their behaviour.*

Question 27

Bandura can be described as a _____ \_\_\_\_\_ theorist.

Answer 27

Social Learning

Question 28

Over time Bandura started to focus more on the cognitive aspects of his theory. What 6 cognitive things did Bandura focus on?

Answer 28

Attention Encoding Storing Retrieving information Reproduction of behaviour Motivation - *especially concerning perceived rewards*

Question 29

Bandura's theory was influential in the transition between what two theories of psychology?

Answer 29

Behaviourism and Cognitive Psychology

Question 30

Explain the three parts of Bandura's **Reciprocal Determinism** in explaining how people behave.

Answer 30

Question 31

What are the three things called that influence each other and influence behaviour at each stage of our development according to Bandura's **Reciprocal Determinism?**

Answer 31

Internal personal/cognitive factors (e.g. liking high-risk activities) Environmental Factors (e.g. bungee-jumping friends) Behaviour (e.g. learning to bungee jump)

Question 32

What do **Socio-Cognitive Theories** of childhood development focus on?

Answer 32

Focus on children's ability to think and reason about their own and other people's thoughts, feelings, motives and behaviours - Recognition that children are active social thinkers

Question 33

The difference between behaviourist approaches and socio-cognitive theories of childhood development can be described as...

Answer 33

Behaviourist: Children are passive in cognitive processes and are more responsive to their environment Socio-Cognitive: Children can think and reason and are active social thinkers and are able to make choices.

Question 34

Selman was what type of theorist?

Answer 34

Socio-Cognitive Theorist

Question 35

What was Selman's focus on in child behaviour?

Answer 35

**Role Taking** - The ability to adopt the perspective of another

Question 36

Is Selman's Theory of childhood social development a 'stage' theory or not?

Answer 36

It is a stage theory

Question 37

How many stages are there in Selman's theory? *all information on these stages is important for exam*

Answer 37

4 stages

Question 38

What is **stage 1** of Selman's theory and how old are the children in this stage?

Answer 38

Appreciate that others have different perspecetive - assume person doesn't have the same information Age 6-8

Question 39

What is **stage 2** of Selman's theory and how old are the children in this stage?

Answer 39

Can also think about the other person's point of view Age: 8-10

Question 40

What is **stage 3** of Selman's theory and how old are the children in this stage?

Answer 40

Systematic comparison of views of self and one or two of others Age: 10-12

Question 41

What is **stage 4** of Selman's theory and how old are the children in this stage?

Answer 41

Attempt to understand others' perspective through comparison with 'generalised other' (abstract) Age: 12+

Question 42

What are the critiques of **social cognitive theorists?**

Answer 42

Incomplete account of behaviour as it has little focus on biological factors in development *i.e. adolescence biological change*

Question 43

What do **ecological perspectives** of social development focus on?

Answer 43

Take a broad view of the environment to look at child development

Question 44

What are the three **ecological 'perspectives'**?

Answer 44

Ethological Evolutionary Bio-ecological

Question 45

Which ecological perspective(s) relate childrens development to evolutionary history?

Answer 45

Ethological and Evolutionary

Question 46

Which ecological perspective(s) emphasize children's active role in selecting and influencing the environment?

Answer 46

Bio-ecological *Focus on childrens environment and what is happening around them and the influence they have on their environment*

Question 47

Which ecological perspective(s) central issue is **nature vs. nurture?**

Answer 47

Ethological and Evolutionary e.g. Evolution: Children have traits that have evolved to develop pro social behaviour

Question 48

Who developed the **bio-ecological model** of development?

Answer 48

Bronfenbrenner

Question 49

What is Bronfenbrenners bio-ecological model of development?

Answer 49

There is a set of nested structures. There is a child at the center of each with their own set of characteristics which interact with the environment at each level.

Question 50

Explain the layers of Bronfenbrenner's theory? *important for exam*

Answer 50

*Environmental influences on child development - Child in center: immediate things aroudn the child will have an influence when they are very young* **Chronosystem:** How time influences the systems **Macro system**: Ideologies, laws and culture that will have an influence on the childs development **Exo System:** Neighbourhood they live in, welfare services (influnced by culture but a step closer to the child) **Mesosystem -** How the microsystems interact **Micro system:** closest things to the child - family, doctors, school etc.

Question 51

Name the 5 'systems' in Bronfrenbremmers bio-ecological model?

Answer 51

Microsystem Mesosystem Exosystem Macrosystem Chronosystem

Question 52

What does the **microsystem** consist of in Bronfrenbremmer's bio-ecological model?

Answer 52

Immediate, bi-directional environment

Question 53

What does the **mesosystem** consist of in Bronfrenbremmer's bio-ecological model?

Answer 53

Connections between various microsystems

Question 54

What does the **exosystem** consist of in Bronfrenbremmer's bio-ecological model?

Answer 54

Environmental settings that the person does not directly experience but which can influence the child indirectly *e.g. media*

Question 55

What does the **macrosystem** consist of in Bronfrenbremmer's bio-ecological model?

Answer 55

Larger historical context

Question 56

What does the **chronosystem** consist of in Bronfrenbremmer's bio-ecological model?

Answer 56

Historical changes that influence other systems

Question 57

How would you use Bronfrenbremmer's model in psychological practice?

Answer 57

To understand childhood development, look at his model and look at what is happening at school, family environments, cultural environment etc. to see how that might be influencing their behaviour.