THEORIES OF CHILD DEVELOPMENT Chapter 3

CHILD DEVELOPMENT THEORIES A belief system about why kids think, behave, and feel the way they do based on observation and research Crucial for developing ways of thinking about and interacting with children

MATURATIONIST THEORY Gesell,Hall Primacy of genetic predetermination Kids reveal themselves like a flower Downplays importance of home/school environments.May cause inaction Supported by twin studies

BEHAVIORIST THEORY Watson, Skinner, Bandura Primacy of experiences Child starts out a “blank slate” Conditioning (Pavlov) Reward success; ignore failure Imitation and modeling Break new tasks into small, sequenced steps

PSYCHOANALYTIC THEORY Freud, Erikson Concerns personality development Emotional health stems from ability to resolve key conflicts between internal impulses and external demands

ERIKSON’S STAGES OF EMOTIONAL DEV. 8 life stages (through old age) 1. Trust V mistrust 2. Autonomy V shame, and doubt 3. Initiative V. guilt

COGNITIVE-DEV THEORY Piaget Focuses on learning Constructivism: knowledge is constructed through interaction with the environment Assimilation and accommodation

PIAGET’S STAGES OF COGNITIVE DEV Sensorimotor Preoperational Concrete operational Formal operational

SOCIOCULTURAL THEORY Vygotsky Knowledge is constructed through interaction with objects, and is assisted by language and social interaction Scaffolding Zone of proximal development

ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS THEORY Bronfenbrenner Institutions that surround us affect how children develop Microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, macrosystem