theories Flashcards
piagets theory
suggests that children move through four different stages of mental development. His theory focuses not only on understanding how children acquire knowledge, but also on understanding the nature of intelligence.
what is a schema
a schema is both the category of knowledge as well as the process of acquiring that knowledge.
piagets schemas
assimilation
equilibrium
disequilibrium
accommodation
assimilation
fully understanding information or ideas.
set schema about something
equilibrium
experiences that schema
fits the understanding
disequilibrium
a new experience disturbs that childs schema and confuses them
accommodation
childs understanding changes to take account of new experience
develop new schema
piagets stages
sensorimotor 0-2
pre-operational 2-7
concrete operational 7-11
formal operational 11-18
sensorimotor stage 0-2
learn about environment and create schemas using all senses to physically explore world
pre-operational stage 2-7
begin to control their environment using symbolic behaviour - includes representational words, drawings and pretend play
but cant think logically
concrete operational 7-11
use practical resources to help them understand the world e.g counters for maths
they classify, categorise and use logic to understand things they see
formal operational 11-18
have capacity for abstract thought, rational thought and problem solving
who critics piaget
vygotsky
bandura
bruner
what are piagets critics
vygotsky- support of parents, caregivers, peers and the wider society and culture plays a crucial role in the development
Bruner- Say that adults play a role is assisting a child learning and Cognitive development can be sped up
piaget underestimated childrens development and with support can be moved onto next stage
too fixed
conservation
refers to children’s understanding that the amount remains the same even when the containers shape has changed
used tests with solids, weighs, numbers.
egocentrism
believed that until the age of 7, children only see things from their own perspective/point of view.
think people feel the same way as them
what did piagets conservation test show
- children under 7 cant conserve cause they cant think about more than 1 aspect of a situation at 1 time
- by the operational stage at 7, they can think logically so understand that the quantity of water is same in a different container
chomskys theory
believed all people are pre-programmed to learn language and have an LAD that allows them to produce and acquire language.
main points of chomskys theory
- born with a structure in brain to acquire language
- all follow same pattern of language development
- have an innate understanding of structure of language that is the basis for all languages
critics of chomsky
- lack of scientific evidence of LAD existing
- didn’t take into account social interaction or children with learning diabilities/difficulties
- put emphasis on grammar rather than meaning
who critics chomsky and why ?
skinner - says language is learned and not innate/born with
bowlbys attachment theory
infants are biologically pre-programmed to form attachments - will help them survive.
positive attachment is essential for future development
infancy is a crucial period for attachment to form.
bowlbys maternal deprivation hypothesis :
suggests continual disruption of attachment between infants and primary care giver could result in long term cognitive, emotional and social difficulties.
who critics bowlby
rutter
rutters critic against bowlby :
- bowlby oversimplifies his theory
- argues that its much more damaging to have never built attachments (privation) than to have built attachments and have them taken away (deprivation)
critics of bowlby:
Just mother?
Studies of children who never had bonding with mother but still formed successful attachments and well in future
failure to recognise the profound influences of social class, gender, ethnicity, and culture on personality development
who backs up bowlby
mary ainsworth
- attachment theorist
what was ainsworths study
the strange situation
what is the strange situation
puts baby in a room with a stranger and the mother leaves then returns to see the baby’s reaction
discovered different reactions for attachment styles
- result of early interaction with mother
ainsworths 3 attachment styles
- secure
- insecure avoidant
- insecure ambivalent/resistant
- disorganised was later discovered