Theoretical Perspectives on Human Development PDF

Theoretical Perspectives on Human Development Week 1, Lecture 2 January 10, 2024 Chapter 1 – Understanding Human Development: Approaches and Theories Recap: What is Human development? Characterizes the way we change or stay the same across the lifespan multidimensional, multidirectional, plastic, in...

Theoretical Perspectives on Human Development Week 1, Lecture 2 January 10, 2024 Chapter 1 – Understanding Human Development: Approaches and Theories Recap: What is Human development? Characterizes the way we change or stay the same across the lifespan multidimensional, multidirectional, plastic, influenced by many contexts, and multidisciplinary Today’s outline Developmental psychology is multidisciplinary and influenced by multiple contexts. Key issues in developmental psychology Theories of human development: Psychoanalytical Behavioural & Social Learning Cognitive Sociocultural Evolutionary 4. Development Is Influenced by Multiple Contexts Context: where and when a person develops Age-graded Influences History-graded Influences Cohort: generation of people born at the same time Non-normative life influences What historical event(s) influence a cohort? 4 5. Developmental Science Is Multidisciplinary Contributions of many disciplines are needed to understand how people grow, think, and interact with the world. Key Issues in Human Development 1. Do people remain largely the same over time or do they change dramatically? 2. What role do people play in their own development? 3. To what extent is development a function of inborn genetic endowments, as compared with the environment in which individuals live? 6 1. Continuities and Discontinuities in Development Continuous: slow and gradual change Discontinuous: abrupt change Siegler, 2021 7 2. Individuals are active in development People are active contributors to their own development. 8 3. Nature and Nurture Influence Development Nature: genetic endowments or heredity, maturational processes, and evolution Nurture: physical and social environment Interaction of nature and nurture Siegler, 2021 9 Development is complex What is a theory? way of organizing set of observations or facts into a comprehensive explanation of how something works Hypotheses: proposed explanations for a given phenomenon 11 1. Psychoanalytic Theories Development and behavior are result of interplay of inner drives, memories, and conflicts we are unaware of and cannot control. Two major psychoanalytic theories: Freud’s Psychosexual Theory Erikson’s Psychosocial Theory 12 1. Psychoanalytic Theories Freud’s Psychosexual Theory Behavior driven by unconscious impulses Psychosexual stages (Table 1.2) Sigmund Freud (1856 – 1939) Oral Anal Phallic Latency (0-18m) (18m – 3y) (3y – 6y) (6y – puberty) Genital (puberty – adulthood) 13 1. Psychoanalytic Theories Erikson’s Psychosocial Theory Role of social world, society, and culture in shaping development Eight stages of psychosocial development Kuther, 2023; Lally & Valentine-French, 2019 14 2. Behaviourist & Social Learning Theories Behaviourism: examines only observable behaviour and believes all behaviour is influenced by physical and social environment Two forms of behaviourist learning: Classical conditioning Operant conditioning 15 2. Behaviourist & Social Learning Theories Classical Conditioning Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936) 2. Behaviourist & Social Learning Theories Classical Conditioning