PSY 211 Project Two Template PDF

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PSY 211 Project Two Template Use this template to complete your life-span theory exploration paper. Answer each question with a minimum of 3 to 5 sentences. Support your answers with credible sources when appropriate. Complete this template by replacing the bracketed text with the relevant information. 1. Identify a theorist, summarize their theory, and explain the aspects of that theory that relate to the biological perspective. Jean Piaget’s theory describes cognitive development in four stages, and it involves biological maturation and interaction with the environment (McLeod, 2020). He believed that as a child’s body and brain mature as they age, so does their capacity to learn new things. Piaget’s four stages of cognitive development are as follows: The sensorimotor stage occuring from birth to 18-24 months where infants learn object permanence, preoperational stage from 2 to 7 years where children learn symbolic thought, the concrete operations stage happens from age 7-11 years where children learn logical thought, and the last stage is formal operations which takes place during adolescence to adulthood and scientific reasoning develops (McLeod, 2020). Piaget emphasizes the importance of the biological perspective in his theory, especially when learning of his stages, which he claims happen in order and within the same age groups. 2. Provide an example of how this biological perspective of life-span development applies to your lived experience. I have seen how biological maturation and cognitive growth work together watching my children from infancy to the ages they are now. As infants they are learning about their bodies and how each part functions and as they get older, they are capable of learning how to perform new tasks and think more logically. I agree that as a child’s brain matures, and they gain experience through their environment they are able to learn more which is explained in Piaget’s theory. I also believe that there are other things that play into what they learn and how quickly they learn it.

3. Identify a theorist, summarize their theory, and explain the aspects of that theory that relate to the psychological perspective. Mary Ainsworth conducted an experimental procedure called “The Strange Situation”, where she observed the reactions of babies when they were separated and then reunited with their mothers (Cherry, 2019). The results of this procedure led her to create a theory on attachments which explain why there are differences among attachments and how each one affects behavior. Ainsworth describes three main styles of attachment: secure attachment, ambivalent-insecure attachment, and avoidant-insecure attachment. These attachments are formed early on in life by the child based on the relationship and interactions they have with their mother/caregiver. She goes on to explain that the quality of these first attachments help shape the relationships we have with others throughout life (Sigelman & Rider, 2018). 4. Provide an example of how this psychological perspective of life-span development applies to your lived experience. My father was an alcoholic and addict and was in and out of my life until I was five years old, which was the last time I saw him. Because of this I was a very quiet and shy child. I was also diagnosed with A.D.D. in kindergarten and placed on medication. I look back at my childhood

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and can remember having trouble making friends and was very insecure. I can see how Mary Ainsworth’s theory on attachment relates to my childhood and I am sure many others like me. 5. Identify a theorist, summarize their theory, and explain the aspects of that theory that relate to the social perspective. Albert Bandura’s social learning theory suggests that we learn social behavior by observing and imitating the behavior of others (Sutton, 2021). His theory explains that environment and cognition combined influence learning and behavior. Bandura describes that learning not only takes place by watching others but also how they react to positive and negative situations and their consequences. By watching other’s reactions and determining if the outcome was positive or negative it teaches the observer whether or not the behavior is acceptable. Bandura agreed with behaviorist learning theorists on classical and operant conditioning but added “mediating processes take place between the stimuli and the response”, and that “behavior is learned through observation of the environment” (Sutton, 2021). His theory weighs heavily on a person’s peers and social environment and their crucial role in learning behavior. 6. Provide an example of how this social perspective of life-span development applies to your lived experience. When I was in middle school I seen how the popular girls dressed and that they wore make up and shaved their legs. I believed that those things gave them their popular status, so I of course went home and started asking my mom to buy me those brands of clothing. I also shaved my legs which I got in trouble for, and I asked for makeup, but my mom would only allow me to wear powder and mascara. This is a prime example of how my social environment caused me to try and imitate others believing it would gain me popularity. 7. Describe why analyzing the life span from a combined biological, psychological, and social perspective is important. All perspectives play a part into an individual’s development. Each of us are born with biological aspects that contribute to our physical, mental, and emotional growth. Genetics in the human body affect the way we react to certain situations (The Albert Team, 2020). Our psychological development can come from many different things such as our parents, our relationships whether negative or positive and the environments that we are raised in. All of these things can be very different from one individual to the next, so it is very important that we look at all the things that contribute to each person’s psychological state. The social perspective is equally important because it helps to explain behavior and attachment to society as a whole (Knowledge Merger, 2017). All these perspectives combined help to explain an individual’s development and in many cases one perspective can influence or affect the others.

References

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Cherry, Kendra (2019, July 17). What Is Attachment Theory? (Verywell Mind). Retrieved from: https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-attachment-theory-2795337 Knowledge Merger (2017, November 22). Perspectives of Sociology : 3 Sociological Perspectives Explained. Retrieved from: http://knowledgemerger.com/perspectives-ofsociology/#:~:text=Social%20perspective%20is%20a%20perspective%20on%20human %20behavior,Here%E2%80%99s%20the%20sociological%20perspective%20definition %20according%20to%20Wikipedia%3A McLeod, Saul (2020, December 07). Piaget's Theory and Stages of Cognitive Development. (Simply Psychology). Retrieved from: https://www.simplypsychology.org/piaget.html Sigelman, C. K. & Rider, E. A. (2018). Life span human development (9th ed.) Boston: Cengage Learning Sutton, Jeremy (2021, May 17). What Is Bandura’s Social Learning Theory? 3 Examples. (Positive Psychology). Retrieved from: https://positivepsychology.com/social-learning-theory-bandura/ The Albert Team (2020, July 23). Neuroscience/Biological Perspective: AP® Psychology Crash Course. (Albert). Retrieved from: https://www.albert.io/blog/neurosciencebiological-perspective-appsychology-crash-course/

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