Child Development Theorists

Child Development Theories

Research has shown that early childhood may be the most important life stage for brain development.A babys brain is about one quarter the size of an adults.Scientists have found that babies brains develop in response to stimulation.Arouses senses such as sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell.Babies who are stimulated develop more quickly and have a more secure self-image.

What is a theory?

A theory should allow us to predict and explain human behaviorIt should be stated in such a way that it can be shown to be falseIt must be open to scientific investigation

Although researches dont always agree, scientific researchers have agreed upon the five following general rules.Development is similar for each individualDevelopment builds upon earlier learning.Development proceeds at an individual rate.The different areas of development are interrelated.Development is a lifelong process.

Psychoanalytic Theories:Freuds Psychosexual TheoryPersonality has 3 partsThere are 5 stages of psychosexual developmentOedipus complex allows child to identify with same-sex parentFixation is an unresolved conflict during a stage of development

Phallic Stage

Childs pleasure focuses on genitals

Figure 2.1

Latency Stage

Child represses sexual interest and developssocial andintellectualskills

Anal Stage

Childs pleasure focuses on anus

Genital Stage

A time of sexualreawakening; source ofsexual pleasurebecomes someoneoutside of thefamilyOral Stage

Infants pleasure centers on mouth

Freudian Stages6 yrs to pubertyBirth to 1 yrs1 to 3 yrsPuberty onward3 to 6 years

Eriksons Psychosocial Theory:There are 8 stages of psychosocial developmentEach has a unique developmental taskDevelopmental change occurs throughout life span

Key points of psychoanalytic theories:Early experiences and family relationships are very important to developmentUnconscious aspects of the mind are consideredPersonality is best seen as a developmental process

Figure 2.2Eriksons Eight Life-Span Stages

Eriksons StagesDevelopmental PeriodTrust vs MistrustInfancy (first year)Autonomy vs shame & doubtInfancy (1 to 3 years)Initiative vs guiltEarly childhood (3 to 5 years)Industry vs inferiorityMiddle and late childhood Identity vs identity confusionAdolescence (10 to 20 years)Intimacy vs isolationEarly adulthood (20s, 30s)Generativity vs stagnationMiddle adulthood (40s, 50s)Integrity vs despairLate adulthood (60s onward)

Cognitive theories:

Piagets cognitive developmental theoryStresses conscious mental processesCognitive processes are influenced by biological maturation Four stages of cognitive development in childrenAssimilation and accommodation underlie how children understand the world, adapt to it, and organize their experiences

Preoperational Stage:

The child begins to represent the world with words and images. These words and images reflect increased symbolic thinking and go beyond the connection of sensory information and physical action.Formal Operational Stage

The adolescent reasons in more abstract idealistic and logical ways. Sensorimotor Stage:

The infant constructs an understanding of the world by coordinating sensory experiences with physical actions: progressing from reflexive, instinctual action at birth to the beginning of symbolic thought toward end of the stage.Concrete Operational Stage:

The child can now reason logically about concrete events and classify objects into different sets.Figure 2.31115 years of age through adulthoodBirth to 2 years of age2 to 7 years of age7 to 11 years of agePiagets Four Stages of Cognitive Development

Vygotskys sociocultural cognitive theoryChildren actively construct their knowledgeSocial interaction and culture guide cognitive developmentLearning is based upon inventions of societyKnowledge is created through interactions with other people and objects in the cultureLess skilled persons learn from the more skilled

Information-processing theoryCompares computers to the human mindThinking is information processing

Information is taken into brainInformation gets processed, analyzed, and stored until useOUTPUTINPUTInformation is used as basis of behaviors and interactionsInformation-Processing Theorymathhistoryreligiongeographyscienceliterature

EnvironmentPerson(cognitive)Behavior

Banduras Social Cognitive ModelFigure 2.4

Banduras Modeling/ImitationChildobserves someone admiredChild imitates behaviorthat seems rewarded

Urie Bronfenbrenners ecological theory:Environmental factors influence development5 environmental systems affect life-span development

Eclectic theoretical orientation:Selects features from other theoriesNo one theory has all the answersEach theory can make a contribution to understanding life-span development

ExosystemMesosystemsMacrosystemFigure 2.5Bronfenbrenners Ecological Theory of Development

Other factors, such as genetic tendencies, poverty, and sociohistorical circumstancesChildrens lack of self-controlPermissive parentingChildrens lack of self-controlPermissive parentingPermissive parentingChildrens lack of self-controlandcausesbothcausecausesObserved correlation: as permissive parenting increases, childrens self-control decreasesFigure 2.9Possible Explanations for Correlational Data

Group 2Time playing video games:6 hourseach dayMoreaggressive and antisocialMoreplayful and sociableTime playing video games: 2 hourseach dayGroup 1

HeredityBlood type, eye color, and hair colorEnvironmentChildren also learn attitudes and beliefs from their environments