What Theories Do

2. What Theories Do Developmental theory • Systematic statement of principles and generalizations • Framework for understanding how and why people change as they grow older

3. What Theories Do

4. Grand Theories of Development • Dominate but are not universally accepted 1) Psychoanalytic Theory (Freud, Erikson) 2) Behaviourism/Learning Theory (Watson, Pavlov, Skinner, Bandura) 3) Cognitive Theory (Piaget)

5. Review • Research Methods! • Ethics! • Grand Theories of Development

6. Psychoanalytic Theory • Proposes that irrational, unconscious drives and motives, often originating in childhood, underlie human behavior • Freud (1856–1939) • Proposes five psychosexual stages during which sensual satisfaction is linked to developmental needs and conflicts. • Suggests early conflict resolution determines personality patterns • Personality has three parts: Id, ego, and superego

7. Psychoanalytic Theory

8. Id, Ego and Superego

9. Grand Theories • Erik Erikson (1902–1994) • Described eight developmental stages, each characterized by a challenging developmental crisis • Proposed five psychosocial stages build on Freud's theory, but added three adult stages

10. Grand Theories • Erikson • Most famous of Erikson’s eight crises is the identity crisis, during adolescence. • These girls in Japan are among the millions of teenagers worldwide who display an identity unlike that of their parents. Who Are We?

12. Behaviourism/Learning Theory • Argued that scientists should examine only what they could observe and measure • Proposed anything can be learned with focus on behavior • No specific stages proposed • John Watson (1878-1958) • American psychologist • One of earliest proponent of behaviorism and learning theory

13. Behaviourism/Learning Theory Three types of learning Behaviorism is called learning theory because it emphasizes the learning process

14. Behavioursim/Learning Theory • Classical conditioning • Demonstrates that behaviors can be learned by making an association between an environmental stimulus and a naturally occurring stimulus • Also called respondent conditioning • Pavlov (1849-1936) • Received the Nobel Prize in 1904 for his digestive processes research. • Resulted in discovery of classical conditioning

15. Behaviourism/Learning Theory • Operant conditioning • Proposes that reinforcement or punishment may be used to either increase or decrease the probability that a behavior will occur again • Skinner (1904-1990) • Psychology should focus on the scientific study of behavior • Was best known for experiments animals B. F. Skinner

16. Behaviourism/Learning Theory Social learning theory • Extension of behaviorism that emphasizes that other people influence each person's behavior • Proposes that even without specific reinforcement, every individual learns many things through observation and imitation of other people (modeling) • Involves sense of self-efficacy

17. Psychoanalytic Theory vs. Behaviorism

18. Cognitive Theory • Proposes thoughts and expectations profoundly affect actions, attitudes, beliefs and assumption • Focuses on changes in how people think over time Jean Piaget (1896–1980) • Maintained that cognitive development occurs in four major age-related periods, or stages • Intellectual advancement occurs lifelong because humans seek cognitive equilibrium Would You Talk to This Man? Children loved talking to Jean Piaget, and he learned by listening carefully—especially to their incorrect explanations, which no one had paid much attention to before.

19. Review • Psychoanalytic Theories • Behaviourism/Learning Theories • Cognitive Theory

20. Piaget’s Periods of Cognitive Development

21. Newer Theories Sociocultural Theory (Vygotsky) and Universal Theories: Humanism (Maslow, Rogers) and Evolutionary Theory (Darwin) • Are multicultural • Are multidisciplinary (anthropology, political science, history etc.) • Are most closely tied to current view of science of human development

22. Sociocultural theory • All learning is social • Focuses on culture as integral to a person’s development Lev Vygotsky (1896-1934) • Describes interaction between culture and education • Developed concepts of apprenticeship in thinking and guided participation

23. Sociocultural Theory The intellectual excitement of that zone is the origin of the joy that both instruction and study can bring. • Zone of proximal development • Skills, knowledge, and concepts that learner is close to acquiring but cannot master without help • Process of joint construction • New knowledge obtained through mentoring

24. Humanism Hope and Laughter Maslow believed in the human spirit and that it could overcome oppression and reach self-actualization, where faith, hope, and humor abound. • Stresses the potential of all human beings for good and the belief that all people have the same basic needs, regardless of culture, gender • Abraham Maslow (1908–1970) • One of founders of humanism • Arranged shared human needs in hierarchy • Contended that everyone must satisfy each lower level before moving higher

26. Humanism • Unconditional positive regard • Children need their basic needs met in order to grow

27. Evolutionary theory • Suggests humans have two long-standing biologically based drives: survival and reproduction • Proposes concept of selective adaptation • Suggests genetic variations are particularly beneficial when the environment changes benefits humanity as a whole

28. What Theories Contribute • Psychoanalytic theories • Behaviorism • Cognitive theories • Sociocultural theories • Universal theories Can you identify the contributions of each of the above theories?

29. Five Perspectives on Human Development

30. What Theories Contribute Eclectic approach • Taken by most developmentalists • Occurs when aspects of each of the various theories of development are selectively applied, rather than adhering exclusively to one theory • Helps guard against bias and facilitates open-minded to alternative explanations for complexity of human life