Feb 1, 2018 - Lecture notes 1 PDF

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Themes in Child Development ...

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Themes in Child development 1.Continuity of development a. Are we constantly changing across development? Or do we make big shifts to qualitatively new behavior? b. Discontinuous: Do we make big shifts to qualitatively new behavior? c. Continuous: Are we constantly changing across development? 2. Nature and nurture a. Nature: biological endowment b. Nurture: influence of the environment; physical and social 3. The "active" child a. Active/passive child: to what degree do children influence their own development b. Passive: children are at the mercy of their environment c. Active: children are participating in their own development Link between themes is trying to connect and see what makes you, you? 5 foundational theories of child development 1. Biological perspective 2. Learning perspective 3. Psychodynamic perspective 4. Cognitive development 5. Contextual Biological Perspective ● Key assumption: Development is rooted in biology Famous theories Maturational theory: child development reflects a specific nad prearranged scheme or plan within the body. - Dr. Arnold Gesell ● fails to consider any major environmental factors. Ethological theory: views development from an evolutionary perspective ● Behaviors are adaptive; we develop in a certain way because it aids in our survival Critical period: the time in development when a specific type of learning can take place; before or after the critical period, the same learning is difficult or even impossible. E.g., Konrad Lorenz & Imprinting.

Learning Perspective ● Key assumption: development is determined largely by a child’s environment Skinner's operant conditioning: consequence of behavior determine whether behavior is repeated. ● Reinforcement: increases likelihood of the behavior that it follows ● punishment : decreases the likelihood of the behavior that it follows. Social Cognitive Theory: behaviors develop as children observe a combination of reward, punishment and other’s behaviors. ● Monkey see monkey do Psychodynamic Perspective: ● Key assumption: development unfolds according to the resolution/lack of resolution of conflicts at different stages. Psychodynamic theory: Freudian Theory, early experiences establish patterns that endure throughout a person’s life. ● Conflict: ○ Id (primitive instinct) ○ Ego (rational/practical aspect) ○ Superego (moral agent) Psychosocial Theory: development consist of a sequence of stages, each defined by a key crisis/challenge. Cognitive-Developmental Perspective ● Key assumption: development reflets children trying to make sense of the world. Piaget’s Theory: different stages of stages of thinking that develop through children’s shifting competencies and changing theories of the world.

Contextual Perspective: ● Key assumption: development is driven by the interaction of a child’s immediate and distant environments (all nurture, but includes both direct and indirect influences) Sociocultural Theory: emphasizes the roles “experts” in conveying cultural

expectations and knowledge to the next generation....