Theorist research
Megan Ng & Ashlyn Seeley
Sociocultural
 This theory stresses the interaction between
developing people and the culture in which
they live.
 Lev S. Vygotksy, a psychologist in Russia who
began his work following the Russian
Revolution of 1917, is most closely identified
with sociocultural theory. Vygotsky, argued:
“The social dimension of consciousness is
primary in time and in fact. The individual
dimension of consciousness is derivative and
secondary”
 According to Vygotsky, "Every function in the
child's cultural development appears twice
 first, on the social level, and later, on the
individual level; first, between people and then
inside the child
Cognitive

Cognitive theory is a learning theory of psychology that attempts to explain human
behavior by understanding the thought processes.

humans are logical beings that make the choices that make the most sense to them

Social cognitive theory is a subset of cognitive theory. Focused on the ways in which
we learn to model the behavior of others.

Stages of Development:
 sensorimotor,
 preoperational,
 concrete operational,
 formal operational

How Piaget’s theory differ from others
 It is concerned with children, rather than all learners.
 It focuses on development, rather than learning per se, so it does not address
learning of information or specific behaviors.
 It proposes discrete stages of development, marked by qualitative differences,
rather than a gradual increase in number and complexity of behaviors, concepts,
ideas, etc.
Behaviorist
 Learning occurs when an organism interacts with
the environment.
 Through experience behavior can be modified or
changed.
Three types of learning
 Observational learning or Modeling
 Whenever there are more than one person it can be
considered social. Therefore there is learning and
modeling.
 Operant conditioning:
 Focuses on response rather than stimulus
 Classical conditioning:
 A dos salivates at the sight of food. When the sound
of a bell is paired with the sight of food, the dog
learns salivate weather there is food or not.
Humanistic
 One who is concerned with the
interests and welfare of humans.
 Humanist thinkers felt that both
psychoanalysis and behaviorism
were too pessimistic, either
focusing on the most tragic of
emotions or failing to take into
account the role of personal
choice.
 Humanistic psychology was
instead focused on each
individual's potential and
stressed the importance of
growth and self-actualization.
 In the 1950s, humanistic
psychology began as a reaction
to psychoanalysis and
behaviorism.
•
Basic needs are
• Whose absence breeds
illness
• Whose presence prevents
illness
• Whose restoration cures
illness
• Preferred by the deprived
person over other
satisfaction, under certain
conditions
• Found to be inactive, at low
ebb, or functionally absent in
the healthy person.
Maturation
 Maturation, is the process of physical and mental growth
that is determined by heredity.
 Maturation and growth are interrelated and occur together.
 Studies show that the maturation sequence is the same for
all children.
 Maturation theory has helped parents, teachers, and
physicians alike determine weather a child's growth is with
in the norm.
 There are two vital points to remember
 Although maturation determines the sequence of development,
the age is approximate.
 Growth is uneven, there is usually a growth spurt at puberty.
Multiple intelligences

Proposed by Howard gardener in
1983

Gardner argues that the concept of
intelligence as traditionally defined in
psychometrics (IQ tests) does not
sufficiently describe the wide variety
of cognitive abilities humans display


This theory suggests that traditional
psychometric views of intelligence
are too limited.
The nine intelligences are
1.
Spatial
2.
Linguistic
3.
Logical-mathematical
4.
Bodily-kinesthetic
5.
Musical
6.
Interpersonal
7.
Intrapersonal
8.
Naturalistic
9.
Existential
Criteria:
1.Potential for brain isolation by
brain damage
2.Place in evolutionary history
3.Presence of core operations
4.Susceptibility to encoding
(symbolic expression)
5.A distinct developmental
progression
6.The existence of savants,
prodigies and other exceptional
people
7.Support from experimental
psychology and psychometric
findings
Ecological
Ecological theory shows how the
many influences in a Childs life
can affect development.
Bronfenbrenner shows
four systems that
influence human
development
With the child in the
center, these four are the
settings in which a child
spends most of their
time. Activity in one part
effects the other parts.
Bibliography
 http://psychology.about.com/od/historyofpsychology/a/h
ist_humanistic.htm
 http://psychology.about.com/od/educationalpsychology/
ss/multiple-intell.htm
 http://psychology.about.com/od/developmentecourse/f/
sociocultural-theory.htm
 http://phobias.about.com/od/glossary/g/cognitivethedef.
htm
 http://www.simplypsychology.org/piaget.html
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Behaviorism#Definition
Psychodynamic
 emphasizes systematic
study of the psychological
forces that underlie human
behavior, feelings and
emotions and how they
might relate to early
experience.
 It is about personality
development and emotional
problems
 This theory was approached
by Sigmund Freud and his
followers.