Child Development, Theories, and Educational Psychology Concepts

Child Development

Study of physical, cognitive, social, and emotional changes from birth to adolescence.

Freud — Psychosexual Theory Personality develops through pleasure

focused stages; unresolved conflicts cause fixation. Oral (0-1): mouth; Anal (1-3): control; Phallic (3-6): genitals; Latency (6-puberty): learning focus; Genital (puberty+): mature sexuality.

Skinner

Operant Conditioning Behavior is shaped by consequences.

Positive reinforcement

add pleasant → ↑ behavior.

Negative reinforcement

remove unpleasant → ↑ behavior.

Positive punishment

add unpleasant → ↓ behavior.

Negative punishment

remove pleasant → ↓ behavior.

Engel — BioPsychoSocial Model

Health and behavior result from interactions among biological, psychological, and social factors.

Dynamic Systems Theory Development

emerges from ongoing, nonlinear interactions among multiple systems.

Three Types of Standards Content

what students should learn; Performance: how well they must show mastery; Operating: conditions/resources for learning.

Benchmark

Measurable checkpoint showing progress toward a standard.

Course of Study / Curriculum Course of study

planned sequence of topics; Curriculum: materials, instruction, and assessments to teach them.

Harkness — Parental Ethnotheories

Parents' culturally shaped beliefs about how children should develop and behave.

Bronfenbrenner

Bioecological Model Development occurs within nested systems:

Microsystem

(direct),

Mesosystem

(connections),

Exosystem

(indirect),

Macrosystem

(culture),

Chronosystem

(time).

Search Institute

40 Developmental Assets Framework of 40 internal/external strengths that help youth thrive and build resilience.

CASEL — Social Emotional Learning (SEL)

Process of building social and emotional skills: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, responsible decision-making.

Executive Functioning Skills

Brain-based skills for self-control and goal pursuit:

Working memory

(hold info),

Inhibitory control

(resist impulses),

Cognitive flexibility

(adapt).

Deficit Ideology

Belief that student failure stems from personal flaws, not systemic inequities.

Structural Ideology

View that inequalities are produced by structural and institutional barriers.

Bandura Social Cognitive Theory

Learning occurs through observing others. Key ideas: observational learning (attention → retention → reproduction → motivation), reciprocal determinism, self-efficacy, self-regulation.

Piaget — Cognitive Development

Children actively construct knowledge in stages: Sensorimotor (0-2): senses; Preoperational (2-7): symbolic; Concrete operational (7-11): logical; Formal operational (12+): abstract.

Piaget Terms Schema

mental framework;

Assimilation

fit new info into schema;

Accommodation

adjust schema;

Equilibration

balance of both.

Vygotsky — Sociocultural Theory Cognitive

growth through social interaction. ZPD (tasks doable with help); Scaffolding (temporary support); Private speech (self-guidance); Cultural tools (language, symbols).

Neurodiversity / Neurodivergent

Natural variations in brain functioning (e.g., ADHD, dyslexia, autism); requires inclusive, flexible teaching.

21st Century Skills Skills for modern life/work

critical thinking, collaboration, creativity, communication, adaptability, self-regulation, global awareness, digital literacy.

Memory Processes for encoding, storing, and retrieving info.

Sensory → Working → Long-term memory. Declarative (facts), Procedural (skills), Conditional (when/how).

Gardner — Multiple Intelligences People have multiple intelligences

linguistic, logical-mathematical, musical, bodily-kinesthetic, spatial, interpersonal, intrapersonal, naturalist (and sometimes existential).

Metacognition Awareness

control of one's own thinking.

Includes metamemory

(knowing memory),

self

monitoring - (checking understanding),

self

regulation -(planning and adjusting).