Theoretical Perspectives on Human Development PDF

Theoretical Perspectives on Human Development Week 1, Lecture 3 January 12, 2022 Chapter 1 – Understanding Human Development: Approaches and Theories Recap from Wednesday: Two truths and a lie Freud’s psychosexual theory suggests that behaviour stems from inner unconscious drives. Freud’s theory of...

Theoretical Perspectives on Human Development Week 1, Lecture 3 January 12, 2022 Chapter 1 – Understanding Human Development: Approaches and Theories Recap from Wednesday: Two truths and a lie Freud’s psychosexual theory suggests that behaviour stems from inner unconscious drives. Freud’s theory of development is falsifiable meaning that his hypotheses about development can be tested and observed. Erikson proposed the psychosocial theory of development – which states that individuals' need to successfully navigate psychosocial crises on conflicts to achieve healthy development Recap from Wednesday: Two truths and a lie Behaviourism focuses on internal thought processes In Classical conditioning, a neutral stimulus becomes associated with a specific response through repeated pairings. Most developmental scientists agree that individuals play an active role in their own development. Recap from Wednesday: Two truths and a lie Discontinuous patterns of development are characterized by stages of growth (or decline) or rapid transformations. Babies influence their own environment. Development arises solely from genetic and maturational factors Today: Theories of Development Social Learning Cognitive Theories Sociocultural Theories Evolutionary Theories Research methods Research designs Methods of data collection 2. Behaviourist & Social Learning Theories Classical Conditioning Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936) 2. Behaviourist & Social Learning Theories Operant Conditioning Probability of repeating behavior associated with consequences Reinforcement: behavior followed by pleasant outcome Punishment: behavior followed by unpleasant outcome B.F. Skinner (1904-1990) 2. Behaviourist & Social Learning Theories Social Learning Theory: learn by watching others Major Ideas From Social Learning Theory: Observational learning: People learn through observing and imitating models Reciprocal determinism: Individuals and environment interact and influence each other 8 3. Cognitive Theories Examine the role of thought on behaviour and how our mental processes change over time. Two Major Cognitive Theories: Piaget’s Cognitive-Developmental Theory Information Processing Theory 9 3. Cognitive Theories Piaget’s Cognitive-Developmental Theory active explorers of their world. Cognitive schemas: concepts, ideas, and ways of interacting in world Stages of cognitive development 10 3. Cognitive Theories Information Processing Theory Views thinking as information processing Information enters and is manipulated, stored, recalled, and used to solve problems. 11 4. Sociocultural Systems Theory Emphasizes role of sociocultural context in development People are inseparable from the cultural beliefs and societal, neighborhood, and familial contexts in which they live. Two Major Sociocultural Systems Theories: Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory Bronfenbrenner’s Bioecological Systems Theory 12 4. Sociocultural Systems Theory Vygotsky Sociocultural Theory Examines how culture is transmitted from one generation to the next through social interaction Emphasizes role of cultural context influencing development 13 4. Sociocultural Systems Theory Bronfenbrenner’s Bioecological Systems Theory Development is result of interactions among biological, cognitive, and psychological changes within person and their changing context. Individuals are embedded in, or surrounded by, series of contexts. 14 5. Ethology & Evolutionary Developmental Theory Applies principles of evolution and scientific knowledge about interactive influence of genetic and environmental mechanisms to understand development. Genetics and biology interact with physical and social environment to influence development. Darwinian natural selection determines what genes are traits are passed on to next generation. 15 Take home messages This week, we discussed different theoretical perspectives of human development: Psychoanalysis, Behavioral, Cognitive, Sociocultural, and Evolutionary theories. You might find it helpful study guide to create a table for each of the theories, compare and contrast their assumptions. Brain storm the assumptions made by each theory regarding key issues discussed in the first part of the lecture (e.g. do they assume a continuous vs. discontinuous development or do we play active or passive roles in our development?) Developmental Psychology Research Methods What is the scientific method? process of posing & answering questions by making careful and systematic observations and gathering information Basic steps: 1. Identify research question to be studied and formulate hypotheses. 2. Gather information. 3. Summarize information and determine whether hypothesis is refuted. 4. Interpret summarized information, consider findings in light of other research studies, and share findings. 18 Research Designs 1. Descriptive Research Describe a population or event Case Study: in-depth examination of a single person (or small group of individuals) 20 2. Correlational Research examines relations among measured characteristics, behaviors, and events 3. Experimental Research procedure that uses control to determine causal relationships among variables Two variables: Dependent variable: behavior under study Independent variable: factor proposed to change the behavior under study Two groups: Experimental group: group whose experiences are manipulated by varying independent variable Control group: treated just like experimental group but do not receive independent variable 22 Design a research study Select a research design to test the whether there is an association between spatial processing & arithmetic What is your hypothesis Describe the advantages & disadvantages to the selected design