MT 2
Types of Development
Theories of Development
Objectives
• Distinguish between growth
and development.
• Identify the main types of
human development.
• Develop examples that
illustrate principles of
development.
• Define a developmental
theory.
• Apply developmental theories
to
real-life situations.
• Analyze how developmental
theories impact teaching.
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Understanding Human
Development
• Growth refers to physical changes
• Stages of development are similar for
almost everyone
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Physical Development
• Physical development includes
– gross-motor skills, such as walking and throwing;
involves large muscles
– fine-motor skills, such as picking up objects and eating
with a spoon; involves the use of small muscles
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Cognitive Development
• Cognition involves
–
–
–
–
knowing
memorizing
sensing
organizing
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continued
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Cognitive Development
• Cognitive development is
also called intellectual
development
• Skills increase gradually over
time
• Connections between brain
nerve cells is key to cognitive
development
• Brain connections strengthen
with experiences starting in
infancy
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Social-Emotional Development
• Social-emotional
development
includes
–
–
–
–
relationships
feelings
social skills
self-confidence and
self-esteem
– self-control
continued
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Social-Emotional Development
• Challenges increase as development
progresses
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Principles of Human
Development
•
•
•
•
Development is relatively orderly
Developing is a gradual, continual process
Development is interrelated
Development varies among individuals
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Development Is Relatively
Orderly
• Development occurs in a sequence of steps
• Predictable steps consistently follow one after
another
• Teachers use this knowledge to design
appropriate learning strategies for their students’
age
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For Discussion
• Give examples of how
development occurs in
predictable steps.
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Development Is a Gradual,
Continuous Process
• Developmental changes
happen gradually
• They become apparent
over time
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Development Is Interrelated
• Acquiring new skills requires gains in
several areas
–
–
–
–
Physical development
Cognitive development
Social development
Emotional development
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For Reflection
• As a teen, in what ways have you developed
physically? cognitively? socially? emotionally?
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Development Varies Among
Individuals
• Many factors affect development
• Each person’s progress is unique
– Different rates
– Slightly different time schedules
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Theories of Development
continued
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Theories of Development
• How are developmental theories created?
–
–
–
–
analyzing behavior and development
observing people
performing experiments
considering earlier research studies
continued
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Theories of Development
• Developmental theories
help teachers
– understand what
students are capable of
and why
– get a broader picture
than limited experiences
and observations provide
• Many developmental
theories exist
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Heredity Versus Environment
• Nature (heredity) versus
nurture (environment)
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continued
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Behaviorist Theories
• Behaviorism: behavior determined by forces in
the environment beyond individuals’ control
• People’s thoughts, feeling, and actions depend
on experience rather than genetics
or free will
• Infants are “blank screens”
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Pavlov’s Classical
Conditioning
• Classical conditioning—behaviors are associated
with responses
– Pavlov rang bell when feeding dog
– Eventually when Pavlov rang bell, dog salivated even if
no food was given
• Classical conditioning may occur without training
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Skinner’s Operant
Conditioning
• Operant conditioning—people repeat behaviors
that have positive results
• Reinforcement should be removed gradually in
unpredictable patterns
• Negative reinforcement (punishment) reduces
unwanted behaviors
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Bandura’s Social Cognitive
Theory
• People of all ages observe and
imitate others’ behavior
• Reactions to rewards and
punishments are filtered by
perceptions, thoughts, and
motivation
• Each person’s response is based
on personal reactions and the
way the individual processes
information
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continued
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Piaget’s Cognitive Theory
• Four stages of cognitive development
• At each stage, individuals incorporate
what they learn into skills developed in previous
stages
• Children base their thinking on what they learn
through their senses
continued
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Vygotsky’s Sociocultural
Theory
• Children are social beings
• Develop through interactions with parents,
teachers, other students
• Social interaction is critical to cognitive
development
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Erikson’s Psychosocial
Theory
• Eight stages
• At each stage, people face
and must successfully
resolve a psychological or
social conflict
• Unsuccessful resolution
affects future stages of
development
continued
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For Reflection
• Which of Erikson’s stages have you already
successfully completed? How do you know?
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Kohlberg’s Theory of Moral
Development
• Everyone follows the same
progression
• Not everyone attains the highest
level
• Preconventional morality—depends
on whether behavior will be
punished
or rewarded
• Conventional morality—motivated by
society’s laws and rules
• Postconventional morality—
decisions based on principles and
motivated by integrity
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continued
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Which Theory Is Correct?
• Each theory is valid to some extent
• Some theories may be more sound than others
• Conflict between theories leads to more
valid insights
• Teachers can benefit from understanding several
approaches and applying them in
the classroom
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For Discussion
• Which theory
discussed do you
think would be most
valuable to you as a
teacher? Why?
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Key Points
• Principles of development help in
understanding how people change
throughout life
• Researchers form developmental theories
based on their observations and experiments
• Teachers use these theories to help promote
their students’ development
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Review
• ____-____ skills depend on the development
of small muscles.
Fine-motor
• Name four basic principles of human
development.
Development is relatively orderly; is a gradual,
continual process; is interrelated; varies among
individuals
continued
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Review
• Which behaviorist developed a theory of
operant conditioning?
B.F. Skinner
• What are the four stages of Piaget’s cognitive
theory?
sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational,
formal operational
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