Key Theorists of Child Development

Sigmund Freud 1856-1939 Believed personality develops through a series of stages Experiences in childhood will affect adult life Why are his findings important? Childhood is more important than previously thought Effects of childhood are long lasting

Arnold Gesell 1880-1961 Psychologist and Pediatrician Identified developmental milestones for children Children will reach certain developmental milestones at certain ages Studied and realized the importance of nature vs. nuture

Jean Piaget 1896-1980 First to study children scientifically Focused on how children learn Children go through 4 stages of learning Children must be given learning tasks appropriate to their level of development

Maria Montessori 1870-1952 Believed children should be seen as individuals who will develop knowledge at their own pace Child individualizes instruction based on what is developmentally appropriate for themselves Founded the Montessori School

Lev Vygotsky 1896-1934 Biological development and cultural experience influence children’s ability to learn Social contact is essential to intellectual development Children should be given the opportunity for frequent social interaction

Erik Erikson 1902-1994 Personality develops in stages Each stage includes a unique psychological crisis. If the crisis is met in a positive way, the individual develops normally Parents/caregivers need to be sensitive to children’s needs at each stage of development and support them through crises.

B. F. Skinner 1904-1990 Argued that when a child’s actions have positive results, they will be repeated Negative results will make the actions stop Parents and other caregivers can affect a child’s behavior through the use of positive and negative feedback

Albert Bandura b. 1925 Children learn by imitating others Although environment shapes behavior, behavior also affects environment Caregivers must provide good examples for children to follow

Urie Bronfenbrenner 1917-2005 Outlined layers of environment that affect a child’s development (such as biology, family, community, environment, and society) Child’s primary relationship with caregiver needs to be stable, loving, and lasting