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Developmental
Psychology
Developmental Theorie

Mrs. Aprilyn D. Ditablan

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 Overview of Child Development
CHILD DEVELOPMENT
Definition: Change in the child that occurs over time. Changes follow an
orderly pattern that moves toward greater complexity and enhances
survival.
Periods of Development:
Prenatal period: from conception to birth Middle childhood: 6-12 years old
Infancy and toddlerhood: birth to 2 years Adolescence: 12-19 years old
Early childhood: 2-6 years old
Domains of Development
Development is described in three domains, but growth in one domain
influences the other domains.
Physical Domain

Social/Emotional
Cognitive Domain Domain
Domains of Development
 Social/Emotional Domain:
 Physical Domain:  self-knowledge (self-esteem, metacognition,
 body size, body proportions, appearance, sexual identity, ethnic identity), moral
brain development, motor development, reasoning, understanding and expression of
perception capacities, physical health. emotions, self-regulation, temperament,
understanding others, interpersonal skills,
 Cognitive Domain: and friendships.
 thought processes and intellectual abilities
including attention, memory, problem solving,
imagination, creativity, academic and everyday
knowledge, metacognition, and language.
 THEORIES
What is a theory?
Orderly set of ideas which describe,
explain, and predict behavior.

Why are theories important?

To give meaning to what we observe.
As a basis for action -- finding ways to improve
the lives and education of children.
Origins of Child
Development
Theories
 6th - 15th
centuries
Medieval Period
• Preformationism : children seen as little adults.
• Childhood is not a unique phase.
• Children were cared for until they could begin caring
for themselves, around 7 years old.
• Children treated as adults (e.g. their clothing, worked
at adult jobs, could be married, were made into kings,
were imprisoned or hanged as adults.)
16th Century
Reformation
Period
• Puritan religion influenced how children were
viewed.
• Children were born evil, and must be civilized.
• A goal emerged to raise children effectively.
• Special books were designed for children.
 17th Century
Age of
Enlightenment
• John Locke believed in tabula rasa
• Children develop in response to nurturing.
• Forerunner of behaviorism
 18th Century
Age of Reason
• Jean-Jacques Rousseau
- children were noble savages, born with
an innate sense of morality; the timing of
growth should not be interfered with.
• Rousseau used the idea of stages of
development.
• Forerunner of maturationist beliefs
 19th Century
Industrial
Revolution
Charles Darwin
• theories of natural selection and survival
of the fittest
• Darwin made parallels between human
prenatal growth and other animals.
• Forerunner of ethology
 20th Century
• Theories about children's development expanded around the world.
• Childhood was seen as worthy of special attention.
• Laws were passed to protect children,
Developmenta
l
Theories
 Psychoanalytica
l
Beliefs focus on the formation of personality.
According to Theories
this approach, children move
through various stages, confronting conflicts
between biological drives and social
expectations.
 Sigmund Freud
Psychosexual Theory
 Was based on his therapy with
troubled adults.
 He emphasized that a child's
personality is formed by the ways
which his parents managed his sexual
and aggressive drives.
 Identified 8 stages:

Erik o Basic trust vs mistrust (birth - 1

year)
Autonomy vs shame and doubt
Erikson
o
(ages 1-3)
o Initiative vs guilt (ages 3-6)
o Industry vs inferiority (ages 6-11)
Psychosocial Theory o Identity vs Identity confusion
 (adolescence)
Expanded on Freud's theories.
 Believed that development o isIntimacy vs isolation (young
life-long.
 adulthood)
Emphasized that at each stage, the child acquires
Generativity
o from
attitudes and skills resulting vs stagnation (middle
the successful
adulthood)
negotiation of the psychological conflict.
o Integrity vs despair (the elderly)
 Behavioral and Social
Learning Theories
Beliefs that describe the importance of the
environment and nurturing in the growth of a
child.
Behaviorism
 Developed as a response to
psychoanalytical theories.

 Behaviorism became the dominant

view from the 1920's to 1960's.
 Early 20th century, "Father of
American Behaviorist theory.”
John Watson
 Based his work on Pavlov’s
experiments on the digestive system
of dogs.
 Little Albert Experiment
 Researched classical conditioning
 Children are passive beings who can
be molded by controlling the stimulus-
response associations.

Little Albert Experiment (Vi

B. F. Skinner
 Proposed that children "operate"
on their environment, operational
conditioning
 Believed that learning could be
broken down into smaller tasks,
and that offering immediate
rewards for accomplishments
would stimulate further learning.
Humanistic
Theory
 Humanistic approach is a system in which human
values and interests are the primary importance. This
approach of personality is part of the humanistic
movement which waved during the 1960s and 1970s.
Humanistic psychologist including Abraham Maslow
and Carl Rogers, criticized Freud and other
psychologist because they focused on emotionally
disturbed side of the human personality. The
psychologist of this era decided to study the positive
human characteristics such as our strength and virtues.
 Abraham Maslow
 He developed a theory about human
motivation based on what he called a
‘hierarchy’ of needs. All of us, he said,
have a variety of needs. Some of
these relate to basic survival instinct,
(ie. we all need food, warmth and
shelter)
Early Needs
The toddler or preschooler
who cuddles in your lap for
comfort has developed
beyond the basic needs he
had when you brought him
home from the hospital.
These included the needs
to breathe, drink, eat,
sleep, stay warm, get rid of
bodily waste and avoid
pain. Once these basic
"physiological" needs
are satisfied, says Maslow,
your child starts to crave
safety and security. The
hugs you give are just as
important as food in
helping your child grow.
Though people criticized Maslow’s theory for lacking rigor, his big idea continues to
guide parents: a child who is cherished will always stand the best chance in life.
Belonging Needs Higher Needs Fixating
When your toddler tugs at Maslow's ideas confirm All those hugs add up.
your hand or demands, what moms and dads When you praise her new
"Look at me, look at me!" always knew: there's more drawing or spend time
for the hundredth time, to the job than just keeping watching him dance, you
you'll be glad to know it's the kids fed, clean and help build a firm
a positive sign. She's warm. Give your little ones foundation for your child.
developing right on security, love and Young children face huge
schedule. In the first two attention, too and they will setbacks if their early
years of life, says blossom. For Maslow, only needs are not met,
Maslow, children feel children whose Maslow argues. They
powerful, "belonging physiological, safety, "fixate" on what they lack,
needs" and make belonging and esteem maybe for the rest of their
growing demands for love needs have all been met lives. Children who often
and attention. Around the will be in a position to endure hunger will obsess
age of 2 years, they also achieve their full potential about food, even as
develop "esteem in later life. Only then they adults. The same holds
needs," craving will be free to study, think true, Maslow suggests, of
recognition of their own clearly, be creative and their needs for security,
importance in the world. form healthy relationships. affection and self-esteem.
Carl Rogers
 He developed the idea that the “core of
human nature is positive”(Pesittelli, 1996)
which influenced his theory of personality
 There are three parts to Rogers’
Development of the self: positive regard,
conditions of worth, and incongruence.
 According to Rogers, during the positive regard stage of development,
children seek for love, approval and acceptance from others especially their
mothers. Rogers believe that when the positive regard is unconditional, mothers
love and approval are freely granted not conditional on the child’s behavior.
However, when it is conditional, we receive love and approval for our positive
behavior. Once we receive it from others, we form positive regards for ourselves.
Rogers’ stage of conditions of worth is similar to Freud’s idea of super-ego.
During this stage, we see ourselves as worthy only under the conditions that are
acceptable to our parents. We avoid behaviors or conditions that are not
acceptable to our parents. Last but not least, incongruence is the last stage in
which incongruence is developed between the self-concept and behavior which
threatens our self-image.
Cognitive Theories
Beliefs that describe how children
learn; concerned with the
development of a person's
thought processes.
  Children "construct" their understanding of
the world through their active involvement
and interactions.
 Piaget proposed an idea that seems
obvious now that “Children think differently
than adults.”
 Studied his 3 children to focus not on what
they knew but how they knew it.
Jean Piaget
 Described children’s understanding as their
"schemas” and how they use:
o assimilation
o accommodation
  Sensori-motor
 Ages birth - 2: the infant uses his senses and motor
Piaget’s abilities to understand the world
 Pre-operation
Cognitive
 Ages 2-7: the child uses metal representations of
objects and is able to use symbolic thought and
Developmenlanguage

t Stages Concrete operations

 Ages 7-11; the child uses logical operations or
principles when solving problems
 Formal operations
 Ages 12 up; the use of logical operations
Socio-Cultural Theory
 Vygotsky believed that children learnLev Vygotsky
actively
and through hands-on experiences
 His socio-cultural theory also suggested
that parents, caregivers, peers and the
culture at large were responsible for
developing higher order functions.
 Learning is an inherently social process.
Through interacting with others, learning
becomes integrated into an individual's
understanding of the world.
Socio-Cultural Theory
 Cultural values and customs dictate what is important
to learn.
 Children learn from more expert members of the
society.
 Vygotsky described the "zone of proximal
development",
where learning occurs.
“Zone of Proximal Development”, which is the gap
between what a person can do with help and what they
can do on their own. It is with the help of more
knowledgeable others that people are able to progressively
learn and increase their skills and scope of understanding
Piaget vs. Vygotsky: Key Differences
So how does Vygotsky's sociocultural theory differ from Piaget's theory
of cognitive development?
First, Vygotsky placed a greater emphasis on how social factors
influence development. While Piaget's theory stressed how a child's
interactions and explorations influenced development, Vygotsky
stressed the essential role that social interactions play in cognitive
development
Another important difference between the two theories was that
while Piaget's theory suggests that development is largely universal,
Vygotsky suggested that cognitive development can differ between
different cultures. The course of development in a Western culture, for
example, might be different than it is in an Eastern culture
Information Processing Theory
 George Armitage Miller - was an American
psychologist who was one of the founders of
the cognitive psychology field. He also contributed
to the birth of psycholinguistics and cognitive
science in general
 Uses the model of the computer to describe how the
brain works.
IP Theory
 Focuses on how information is perceived, how
information is stored in memory, how memories are
retrieved and then used to solve problems.
Evolutionary
Adaptation
Theory
 Kurt Lewin was a German-
American psychologist, known as one of the
modern pioneers of social, organizational,
and applied psychology in the United
States.[2] Exiled from the land of his birth,
Lewin (/ləˈviːn/ lə-VEEN) made a new life for
himself, in which he defined himself and his
contributions within three lenses of analysis:
applied research, action research, and group
communication were his major offerings to the
field of communication.
 In Lewin’s equation, person refers to the characteristics of the individual
human being. People are born with skills that allow them to successfully
interact with others in their social world. Newborns are able to recognize
faces and to respond to human voices, young children learn language and
develop friendships with other children, adolescents become interested in
sex and are destined to fall in love, most adults marry and have children, and
most people usually get along with others.
People have these particular characteristics because we have all been
similarly shaped through human evolution. The genetic code that defines
human beings has provided us with specialized social skills that are
important to survival.
 The assumption that human nature, including much of our social behavior, is
determined largely by our evolutionary past is known as evolutionary
adaptation (Buss & Kenrick, 1998; Workman & Reader, 2008). In evolutionary
theory, fitness refers to the extent to which having a given characteristic helps the
individual organism to survive and to reproduce at a higher rate than do other members
of the species who do not have the characteristic. Fitter organisms pass on their genes
more successfully to later generations, making the characteristics that produce fitness
more likely to become part of the organisms’ nature than are characteristics that do not
produce fitness. For example, it has been argued that the emotion of jealousy has
survived over time in men because men who experience jealousy are more fit than
men who do not. According to this idea, the experience of jealousy leads men to
protect their mates and guard against rivals, which increases their reproductive
success (Buss, 2000).
 Although our biological makeup prepares us to be human beings, it is important
to remember that our genes do not really determine who we are. Rather, genes
provide us with our human characteristics, and these characteristics give us the
tendency to behave in a “human” way. And yet each human being is different from
every other human being.

Evolutionary adaption has provided us with two fundamental motivations that

guide us and help us lead productive and effective lives. One of these motivations
relates to the self—the motivation to protect and enhance the self and the people
who are psychologically close to us; the other relates to the social situation—
the motivation to affiliate with, accept, and be accepted by others. We will refer to
these two motivations as self-concern and other-concern, respectively.
Other Interesting
Theories About
Developmental
Theories
 Developmental
Systems Theory
The belief that development can't be
explained by a single concept, but rather by a
complex system.
  Both the environment and biology
influence the child's development.
Ecological Systems Theory or
bioecological theory
 The varied systems of the
environment and the interrelationships
among the systems shape a child’s
development.
Urie  The environment affects the child
Bronfenbrenner and the child influences the
environment.
 Bronfenbrenner’s Bio-Ecological Model
 The microsystem - activities and
interactions in the child's immediate  The exosystem - social institutions which
surroundings: parents, school, affect children indirectly: the parents' work
friends, etc. settings and policies, extended family
 The mesosystem – relationships networks, mass media, community resources
among the entities involved in the  The macrosystem - broader cultural
child's microsystem: parents’ values, laws and governmental resources
interactions with teachers, a school’s  The chronosystem - changes which
interactions with the daycare provider occur during a child's life, both personally, like
. the birth of a sibling and culturally, like the
Iraqi war
Social Learning Theory
 Albert Bandura
 Stressed how children learn
by observation and imitation
(modeling).
 Believed that children
gradually become more
selective in what they
imitate.
 He believed that by observing the actions of others,
including parents and peers, children develop new skills
and acquire new information
 Bandura's theory suggests that observation plays a
critical role in learning, but this observation does not
necessarily need to take the form of watching a live
model. Instead, people can also learn by listening to
verbal instructions about how to perform a behavior as
well as through observing either real or fictional
characters display behaviors in books or films.
 Biological Theories
Belief that heredity and innate biological
processes govern growth.
 Maturationism
G. Stanley
Hall Arnold Gesell
Believed there is Proponents of the
a predetermined normative approach to
biological timetable. child study: using age
averages to define what
is normal.
 Ethology
 Examines how behavior is determined by a
species' need for survival.
 Has its roots in Charles Darwin's research.
 Describes a "critical period" or "sensitive period,”
for learning
 Study behaviours specific to a species that help
them adapt and develop during critical periods
Konrad Lorenz
 Ethologist, known for
his research on
imprinting.
 Attachment Theory
 John Bowlby applied
ethological principles to his
theory of attachment.
 Attachment between an
infant and her caregiver can
John Bowlbyinsure the infant’s survival.
 Bowlby believed that early relationships with
caregivers play a major role in child development
and continue to influence social relationships
throughout life
 Theory suggested that children are born with an
innate need to form attachments; Children who
receive consistent support and care are more likely
to develop a secure attachment style, while those
who receive less reliable care may develop an
ambivalent, avoidant, or disorganized style.
Theoretical
Controversy
 Issues in
Developmental
Psychology
Some of the Big Questions About How People Develop
Something to ponder…
 REFERENCES:
• Evolutionary Developmental Psychology
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evolutionary_developmental_psychology#Evolutionary_perspectives_in_developmental
_psychology
• Issues in DevPsych
 https://www.verywellmind.com/issues-in-developmental-psychology-2795069
 https://www.cliffsnotes.com/study-guides/psychology/development-psychology/introduction-to-developmental-
psychology/issues-in-developmental-psychology
• Child Developmental Theories
 https://www.verywellmind.com/child-development-theories-2795068
• Evolutionary Adaptation Theory
 http://www.opentextbooks.org.hk/ditatopic/15582
• Maslow’s Child Development Theory
 https://howtoadult.com/maslows-child-development-theory-perspective-45778.html