Theorists Flashcards
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs
Pyramid:
> Safety and Security - feelings physically secure, protected and out of danger.
> Social needs - friendship, love and attention.
> Self-esteem - the opportunity to be independent, gain approval and to achieve.
Once these needs have been met, then growth and fulfilment can begin with to take place.
> Cognitive - exploring, thinking and being stimulated.
> Aesthetic - enjoying beauty, creating patterns.
When these growth needs have been fulfilled, Maslow argued that we are able to realise our potential.
Chomsky’s Language Acquisition Device
> Chomsky proposed that humans have an innate sense of language and device that allows babies and young children to acquire language if they are sufficiently exposed to it.
> the LAD that allows babies to absorb and understand the rules of language they are being exposed to.
Piaget’s theory of cognitive development
stages of cognitive development
Stages:
1) sensorimotor (0-2 years)
> moving from physical reflexes to coordinated movements.
> development of objects permanence.
> development of the general symbolic function - children begins to use symbols.
2) pre-operational (2-7 years)
> child uses symbols in play and thought.
> egocentrism.
> Centration.
> Animsim.
> Inability to conserve.
3) concrete operations (7-11 years)
> Ability to conserve
> Children begin to solve mental problems using practical supports.
4) formal operations (11-15 years)
> ability to think and manipulate ideas abstractly.
> start of deductive logic.
Piaget’s theory of cognitive development
Schemes
Assimilation > the child constructs a theory or schema.
Equilibrium > the child’s experiences to date seem to fit the schema.
Disequilibrium > an experiences occurs that casts doubt on the effectiveness of the schema.
Accommodation > the child changes the original schema to fit the new experiences or piece of information.
Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development
He suggested that interaction with adults and older children plays an important part in children’s development.
Zone of actual/proximal development (ZAD/ZPD)
The zone of proximal development is the gap between what a child is currently able to do (ZAD) and what they might just be to achieve if an adult provides some support.
Vygotsky’s theory of language
Vygotsky saw that language was key to cognition. He suggested that there were two functions of language.
> social language or external speech used in front of others
inner speech, which we use for thinking.
Suggest that children began by using external speech but overtime developed inner speech.
Burner’s modes of cognitive representation
He suggest that children process information in different ways according to their age.
He also suggested that children learn though play and exploration, especially when adults play an active role in questioning or engaging with the child.
He used the term scaffolding to explain this process.
Burner’s 3 modes of cognitive representation
Modes:
1) enactive > learning and thought take place because of physical movements.
2) iconic > thoughts are developed as mental images.
3) symbolic > symbols including language are used in thinking.
Harter’s model of self-esteem
Self-esteem
Self-image ideal self
Her model suggests that our self-esteem is related to how close our self-image and ideal self are.
The closer our self-image and ideal self are to each other, the higher our self-esteem.
Bowlby’s theory of attachment.
Features of Bowbly’s theory of attachment:
1) monotropy - babies need to from one main attachment.
2) critical period - babies need to have developed their main attachment.
3) children need parenting.
4) children show distress when separated from their main attachment.
5) Internal working models.
Ainworth’s strange situation experiment
In experiment,
1) Parent and baby enter room.
2) Parent remains inactive, baby is free to explore room.
3) stranger join parent and infant.
4) parent leaves room.
5) parent returns settles baby and stranger leaves.
6) parent leaves and baby is alone in the room.
7) stranger returns and interacts with baby.
8) parent returns again and stranger leaves.
Bandura’s social learning theory
Bandura’s bobo doll experiment. In this experiment children saw a different variation of the behaviour of the adult.
> group a - saw the adult acting agressively towards the doll
> group b - saw the adult been aggressive then be rewarded.
> group c - saw the adult been aggressive then got told off.
Overall, group c children were the least aggressive towards the bobo doll.
Piaget’s theory of moral development
He suggest children gradually move away from the concept of morality and fairness being imposed by others to a state of understanding that we can be in control of our moral reasoning. Stages: Pre-moral > 0-4 years Moral realism > 4-7 years and 7-11 years Moral relativism > 11 years
Skinner’s operant conditioning theory
Skinner suggests that we learn language mainly because our first efforts at communicating as a baby are rewarded or reinforced.
Athey’s play schemes
Athey developed Piaget's theory on schematic. Play schemas: >transporting >enveloping > enclosing/containing > trajectory > rotation > transforming > connecting > positioning > orientations
