Theory
What is a
Theory?
 Theories lead to predictions that we can test in research;
in the process, the theory is supported or not. When
results of research match the predictions, this supports
the theory. When results differ from the predictions, this
shows that the theory is incorrect and needs to be revised.
 Perhaps now you see why theories are essential for child
development research: They are the source of predictions
for research, which often lead to changes in the theories.
These revised theories then provide the basis for new
predictions, which lead to new research, and the cycle
continues
Five Major Theoretical Perspectives
Biological
Psychodynamic
Learning
Cognitive-developmental
Ecological
Biological Perspective
 According to the biological perspective, intellectual
and personality development, as well as physical and
motor development, proceed according to a biological
plan. One of the first biological theories, maturational
theory, was proposed by Arnold Gesell (1880 – 1961).
 According to maturational theory, child
development reflects a specific and
prearranged scheme or plan within the
body. In Gesell’s view, development is
simply a natural unfolding of a biological
plan; experience matters little.
 How do you feel about that theory? Do you
agree with the maturational theory? If yes
or no, explain why.
 Other biological theories give greater weight
to experience. Ethological theory views
development from an evolutionary
perspective. In this theory, many behaviors
are adaptive –they have survival value.
Ethological theorists assume that people
inherit many of these adaptive behaviors.
Psychodynamic Perspectives
This is the oldest scientific
perspective on child development,
tracing its roots to Sigmund Freud’s
(1856 – 1939) work in the late 19th and
early 20th centuries. Freud was a
physician who specialized in diseases
of the nervous system. Many of his
patients were adults who suffered
from ailments that seemed to have no
obvious biological cause. Using his
patients’ case histories, Freud created
the first psychodynamic theory in
which development is largely
determined by how well people
resolve conflicts they face at different
ages.
 Two aspects of Freud’s theorizing have influenced child
development research. The first was his theory of
personality. Freud proposed that personality includes
three primary components that emerge at distinct ages.
1. Id – is a reservoir of primitive instincts and drives
2. Ego – is the practical, rational component of
personality
3. Superego – emerges during the preschool years as
children begin to internalize adult standards of right and
wrong.
 Freud believed that development proceeds best when
children’s needs at each stage are met but not exceeded. If
children’s needs are not met adequately, they are frustrated
and reluctant to move to other, more mature forms of
stimulation.

Learning theorists champion John Locke’s view the infant’s
mind is a blank slate on which experience writes. John
Watson (1878-1958) was the first theorist to apply this
approach to child development. Watson argued that
learning determines what children will be. He assumed
that with the correct techniques anything, could be learned
by almost anyone.

Watson did little research to support his claims; B.F.
Skinner (1904-1990), filled the gap. Skinner studied
operant conditioning in which the consequences of a
behavior determine whether a behavior is repeated in the
future. Skinner showed that two kinds of consequences
were especially influential. Reinforcement is a
consequence that increases the future likelihood of the
behavior that it follows.

Name a positive reinforcement you may give a child for
cleaning his or her room.

A punishment is a consequence that decreases the future
likelihood of the behavior that it follows.

Give an example of when a punishment would be issued
and for what type of behavior.
LEARNING
ECOLOGICAL
 Most developmentalists agree that the environment is an
important force in development. However, only ecological
theories have focused on the complexities of environments
and their links to development. For ecological theory,
which gets its name from the branch of biology dealing
with the relation of living things to their environment and
to one another, child development is inseparable from the
environmental contexts in which a child develops. In other
words, all aspects of development are interconnected,
much like the threads of a spider’s web are all intertwined.
Interconnectedness means that no aspect of development
can be isolated from others and understood independently.
Erik Erikson’s
Eight Stages
 . Birth to 12 to 18 months Trust vs. Mistrust
 18 months
to 3years Autonomy vs. Shame/Doubt
 3 to 6 years Initiative vs. Guilt
 6 to 12 years Industry vs. Inferiority
 12 to 18 years Identity vs. Role Confusion
 19 to 40 years Intimacy vs.
Isolation
 40 to 65 years Generativity vs. Stagnation
 65 to death Ego Integrity vs. Despair
 We will now view a YouTube Video called, “Erik
Erikson’s Psychosocial Development 8 stages by Paul
Glazer 6:04
JEAN PIAGET, LEADING PROPONENT OF
COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENTAL THEORY
Piaget’s Cognitive Developmental
Theory
Sensorimotor 0-2
Preoperational thought 2-6
 Concrete operational thought
7-11
 Formal operational thought
Adolescence
Sensorimotor
 Infant’s knowledge of the world is
based on senses and motor skills. By
the end of the period, infants uses
mental representations
Preoperational
Child learns how to use symbols
such as words and numbers to
represent aspects of the world, but
relates to the world only through
his or her
perspective.
Concrete Operational
Child understands and
applies logical operations to
experiences, provided they
are focused on the here and
now
Formal Operational
Adolescent or adult thinks
abstractly, speculates and beyond
on hypothetical situations, and
reasons
deductively about what may be
possible
Now we will watch a YouTube video called: Piaget’
Developmental Theory: Overview 4:57
Write a one paragraph summary of the video
References
 www.youtube.com “Piaget’s Developmental Theory
and Overview” by Davidson
 www.youtube.com “Erik Erikson’s Psychosocial
Development 8 stages by Paul Glazer
 http://webCortland.edu/andersmd/erik/sum.HTML