Questions and Answers
What is a theory in the context of child development?
A systematic scientific observation that enables us to develop ideas or concepts about what children can do or learn at different points
What is the main purpose of a theory in child development?
To understand and explain children's behavior
What are the principles of a theory?
It must be logical, testable, evidence-based, and a set of ideas
What is the definition of antecedent in the context of child development?
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What is the main approach to understanding child development?
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What is the relationship between theories in child development?
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What is the purpose of evaluating theories in child development?
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What is the result of applying reliable and valid observations to other children?
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What is the primary focus of Bowlby's evolutionary theory of attachment?
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According to Bowlby's research, what is the characteristic of an infant with an anxious-resistant attachment style?
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Which theorist is associated with the psychosexual theory of development?
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What do antecedents explain in behavior?
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What is the primary goal of psychoanalysis, according to Freud?
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What is a critical period, according to John Bowlby?
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What is the main purpose of attachment, according to Bowlby's evolutionary theory?
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Which of the following is a key assumption of the psychodynamic approach?
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What is the characteristic of an infant with an avoidant attachment style?
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What type of need do children have, according to Bowlby's theory?
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What is the primary focus of Erik Erikson's theory of personality development?
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Who are the primary individuals that influence a child's development, according to the text?
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According to Bowlby's research, what is the characteristic of an infant with a secure attachment style?
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What do children tend to express when separated from their parents or caregivers?
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What is an example of an antecedent of walking behavior?
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What is the term for a child's primary attachment figure?
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What is the main idea behind Chomsky's theory of language acquisition?
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Which theory is associated with the idea that children construct knowledge through active interaction with the environment?
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Who is associated with the theory that humans can only be understood within their social context?
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What is the name of the theory that suggests language acquisition is based on reinforcement and imitation?
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Which theory is associated with the idea that development progresses in stages?
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What is the main difference between Nativism and Constructivism?
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Who is associated with the theory that infants develop new social and cognitive skills through interactions with older individuals?
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What is the name of the theory that suggests children have an inborn faculty for language acquisition?
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What is the primary goal of psychoanalysis therapy?
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According to Erikson, what is the primary factor that influences personality development?
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What is the age range during which biological, cognitive, language, emotional, and social development occur, according to the text?
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What type of behavior, according to Skinner, is exhibited when a person pulls their hand away from a hot stove?
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What is the sequence of events in Skinner's theory of learning?
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What is the purpose of taking away privileges from a child as punishment for talking back to their parents, according to Skinner's theory?
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What is the primary factor that influences operant behavior, according to Skinner?
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What is the core idea of Skinner's theory of learning?
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Study Notes
Modern Theories of Child Development
- A theory is an attempt to discover order, showing lawful relations between events, and connects concepts to explain and predict behavior.
What is a Theory?
- A theory must be logical, testable, evidence-based, and a set of ideas.
- Principles of theory apply to children's development, referring to systematic scientific observations that enable us to develop ideas about what children can do or learn at different points.
Main Theoretical Approaches
- Biological theory
- Psychodynamic theories
- Learning theories:
- Behaviourism
- Nativism
- Cognitive theories:
- Constructivism
- Social constructivism
- Ecological theory
Theories and Child Development
- Child development is based on observation of what children do and what happens in childhood (phenomena).
- Patterns of behavior are systematically observed, including antecedent (what comes before), behavior (actual action), and consequences (what happens as a result).
Antecedent > Behavior > Consequence
- Antecedents are events, circumstances, or actions that happen immediately before a behavior, providing explanations for changes in behavior.
- Examples of antecedents of walking behavior: creeping, crawling, stepping, pulling up, and cruising.
Biological Approach
- John Bowlby's evolutionary theory of attachment suggests that children are biologically pre-programmed to form attachments with others for survival.
- A child has an innate need to attach to one main attachment figure, usually their mother.
- Research on Bowlby's theory showed that infants react in one of three ways upon reunion with parents:
- Secure attachment: showing distress upon separation but seeking comfort and being easily comforted when parents return.
- Anxious-resistant attachment: experiencing greater levels of distress and seeking comfort while also attempting to "punish" parents for leaving.
- Avoidant attachment: showing no stress or minimal stress upon separation and either ignoring or actively avoiding parents upon reuniting.
Psychodynamic Approach
- Sigmund Freud's psychosexual theory and Erik Erikson's psychosocial theory focus on the role of unconscious thoughts and experiences in shaping personality.
- Key assumptions:
- 3 levels of consciousness
- The unconscious mind plays a role in understanding behavior
- Instincts enable us to survive
- Early childhood experiences shape adult personality
Learning Theories
- Skinner's theory of learning: a person is exposed to a stimulus, which elicits a response, and the response is then reinforced (stimulus, response, reinforcement).
- Two types of behavior according to Skinner:
- Respondent behavior: automatic and reflexive responses
- Operant behavior: requires conscious control and is influenced by consequences
Cognitive Theories
- Constructivism: Piaget's theory of cognitive development suggests that children actively interact with their environment to construct knowledge through creating and modifying mental structures or schemas.
- Development progresses in stages.
- Social constructivism: Vygotsky's theory suggests that humans can only be understood within their social context, and social interactions drive development and independence.
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