Module 1 Key Terms/Theorists Flashcards
Behaviourism
a theory suggesting that environment shapes human behavior. Behavioral psychology is the study and analysis of observable behavior.
Tabula Rasa (Blank Slate)
refers to the idea that people are born without any innate mental content. Relates to Nurture in the Nature vs Nurture debate.
Constructivism
describes how people construct knowledge through their experiences and interactions with the world
Nature Theorists
Biological maturationimpact of genes
Nurture theorists
We are born a blank slate and shaped by the environment
Ivan Pavlov
Created Classical conditioning: US, UR, CS, CR. Classical Conditioning responses are fixed/reflexive
B.F. Skinner
Created Operant conditioning in which humans select behaviours in response to consequences
Jean Piaget
Constructivism: Children construct learning through interaction with the environment
Piaget’s Stages of Development
Sensorimotor stage (0-2)
Pre-operational stage (2-6)
Concrete operational stage (7-12)
Formal operational stage (12+)
Criticisms of Piaget
Development is continuous and there is overlap between stages. Underestimated the abilities of many children. Environmental and cultural differences. Eg: 3 month old infant will track an object that goes behind a barrier, object permanence may be memory.
Lev Vygotsky
Cognitive abilities are socially constructed. Language creates shared meaning. Vygotsky believed language is necessary for thought. Explicit memories may be linked to language development
Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory
Culture brings shared tools, language and socially constructed meaning. Each baby is born with pre-set abilities but more potential can be unlocked by environment/culture. Behaviour develops meaning rhough social interaction
Schemas
Mental frameworks for acquiring knowledge
Assimilation
Adding to existing schema
Accomodation
Modifying a schema or creating a new one. Eg: learning that the emergency button was not a light switch.
Vygotsky- Zone of Proximal Development
The gap between what a child can do independently versus with Caregiver assistance. Scaffolding (support) reduces the gap and the child becomes more independent in task. Eg: gradually reducing assistance when a child is learning to walk or training wheels on a bike.
Albert Bandura
Interested in the impact of imitation on development. Reciprocal determinism: Interaction between environment and individual determines learning outcomes.
Sigmund Freud
Psychoanalytic theorist: Interactions with caregivers during early years determine children’s personalities. First psychologist to dive into the unconscious mind and thoughts
Freud Development
Oral stage
Anal stage
Phallic stage
Latency stage
Genital stage
Criticisms of Freud
Difficult to test scientifically. Childhood experiences do not entirely determine adult personality. Overly focused on sexual development
Erik Erikson
Revised freudian theories. Focused on childhood experiences and relationships. Psychosocial crisis at each stage of life. Less of a sexual focus than freud. Considered the father of developmental psychology.
Freud: id
the impulsive, pleasure-seeking part of the personality that operates on the pleasure principle and is largely unconscious.
Freud:ego
The conscious part of the personality that operates on the reality principle and mediates between the id and the superego. The ego strives to balance reality with the demands of the id and the superego.
Freud: superego
The judgmental, morally correct part of the personality that operates on the morality principle. The superego is established through identification with parental figures or social groups.
