AP Psychology Development Psychology

Jean Piaget

Developed the theory of cognitive development, outlining four key stages

• Ex. Sensorimotor, Pre-operational, Concrete Operational, Formal Operational

Sensorimotor

Infants learn about the world through sensory experiences and motor actions.

Pre-operational

Children develop language, symbolic thinking, and imagination but struggle with logical reasoning and understanding others' perspectives.

Concrete Operational

Children develop logical thinking about concrete objects and understand concepts like conservation and reversibility.

Formal Operational

individuals develop the ability to think abstractly, solve hypothetical problems, and use deductive reasoning.

Lev Vygotsky

Developed the theory suggests that children learn best through social interactions

Zone of Proximal Learning

the range between what a learner can do independently and what they can achieve with guidance, emphasizing the importance of social interaction in learning

Harlow

showed that the infant bonds with surrogate mother because of contact comfort (physical closeness with caregiver) and not because of nourishment

Mary Ainsworth

found that attachment happens through a complex set of interactions between mothers and infants. Designed the strange situation experiment. Child is observed on four aspects: play behavior, reactions to mother’s departure and return, and behavior when the stranger is aroun

Erik Erikson

came up with the states of psychosocial development

James Marcia

came up with four Identity Statuses of psychological identity development. The main idea is that one’s sense of identity is determined largely by the choices and commitments made

Identity diffusion

no exploration no commitment

Identity Foreclosure

commitment; no exploration

Identity Moratorium

Exploration; no commitment

Identity Achievement

Exploration + commitment

Bronfenbrenner

suggested that the child’s environment is a nested arrangement of structures, each contained within the next. He organized them in order of how much of an impact they have on a child