Themes and Theories of Human Development
I.
What is a developmental theory?
A. Scientific theory
B. Characteristics of a good theory
1. Parsimony
2. Falsifiability
3. Heuristic Value
II. Questions and controversies in human development
A. Assumptions about human nature
1. Original sin
2. Innate purity
B. Nature versus nurture
C. Activity versus passivity
D. Continuity versus discontinuity
1. Stages of development
2. Qualitative/quantitative
3. Connectedness of development
III. Theories of human development
A. Psychoanalytic theory
1. Components of personality
2. Psychosexual development
B. Learning theory
1. Processes of learning
2. Social learning theory
C. Cognitive developmental theory
D. Ethological theory
E. Ecological theory
1. The importance of the natural environment
2. Environmental layers
What is a theory
What is a theory in general?
• A set of concepts or propositions that
describe and explain some aspect of
experience.
What is a scientific theory?
• A public pronouncement indicating what a
scientist believes about his or her area
specific area of investigation
What are the characteristics of a good theory?
• Parsimony
• Concise, yet able to explain a wide
range of phenomena
• Falsifiability
• Capable of making explicit predictions
• Heuristic value
• Can be applied to unknown situations
and cases
Question and controversies about
human development
• Assumptions about human nature
• Innate purity versus original sin
• Tabula rasa
• Nature versus nurture
• Activity versus passivity
• Continuity of development
• Stages of development
• Quantitative versus qualitative change
• Quantitative – changes in degree
• Qualitative – changes in kind
• Connectedness of development
• Similarity versus differences
Continuous versus Discontinuous
Development
Mature
Immature
Developmental Attribute
Continuous Development
Infant
Adult
AGE
Continuous versus Discontinuous
Development
Mature
Immature
Developmental Attribute
Discontinuous Development
Infant
Adult
AGE
Question and controversies about
human development
• Assumptions about human nature
• Innate purity versus original sin
• Tabula rasa
• Nature versus nurture
• Activity versus passivity
• Continuity of development
• Stages of development
• Quantitative versus qualitative change
• Quantitative – changes in degree
• Qualitative – changes in kind
• Connectedness of development
• Similarity versus differences
Theories of child development
Psychoanalytic viewpoint
Sigmund Freud’s theory of psychosexual
development
Components of the personality
• The Id – legislator of the personality
• The Ego – executive of the personality
• The Superego – judicial branch of the
personality
The theory of psychosexual development
• The oral stage (birth – 1 year)
• The anal stage (1 – 3 years)
• The phallic stage (3 – 6 years)
• The Oedipus complex
• Latency period (6 – 12 years)
• The genital stage (12 years on)
Evaluation of theory
Theories of child development
Learning theory (Behaviorism)
John B. Watson (1878-1958)
• Classical conditioning
•
•
Association of a neutral stimulus with a
non-neutral stimulus
Little Albert
B. F. Skinner (1904-1990)
• Operant conditioning
•
•
Reinforcers
Punishment
Theories of child development
Learning theory (Behaviorism)
Albert Bandura (1925- )
• Modeling and observation learning
• Socio-cognitive theory
•
Personal standards and self-efficacy
• Evaluation of learning theories
•
•
Positive:
• Major impact on practices with child
• Behavior modification
Negative
• Downplays importance of biological factors
• Too narrow view of environmental factors
• Underestimates children’s contributions to
develop
Theories of child development
Cognitive theories
Jean Piaget (1896-1980)
• Cognitive Developmental Theory
• Children as constructivists
• Organismic theorist
• Development occurred in
stages
• Information-Processing Theory
• Concern with rigor and precision
• Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience
• Brings together psychology, biology,
•
•
neuroscience, and medicine
New methods for analyzing brain activity
Importance of brain plasticity
Theories of child development
Ethological and evolutionary theory
Niko Timbergen
(1907 - 1988)
Konrad Lorenz
(1903 - 1989)
• Ethological Theory
• Imprinting
• Critical and sensitive periods
• Evolutionary Developmental Psychology
• Adaptive value of cognitive, social, and
emotional competencies
• Interest in genetic, biological, and learning
Theories of child development
Vygotsky & Bronfenbrenner
Lev Vygosky (1896-1934)
• Sociocultural theory
• Social interaction and
cooperative dialogues
• Emphasis on culture and
social experience
Urie Bronfenbrenner (1917-2005)
• Ecological systems theory
• Bioecological model
• Environmental layers
Ecological theory
Environmental Layers