HDFS 311 Theoretical Perspectives

Biological

considers evolutionary and biological bases of social behavior

Psychoanalytic

focuses on unconscious emotions and drives

Learning

studies observable behavior

Cognitive

analyzes thought processes

Contextual

emphasizes influence of historical, social, and cultural contexts

Who are the main biological theorists?

charles darwin, arnold gesell, konrad lorenz

What did charles darwin introduce?

evolutionary theory in 1859

What was arnold gesell theory?

maturation theory

What is maturation theory?

developmental stages are not necessarily linked to age universal stages but individual differences

What did konrad lorenz do?

applied ideas to development of behavior→ theory of imprinting, critical periods

What is the main idea of biological theories?

development and behavior are shaped by genetics, heredity, and evolution

What were the two debates over for biological theories?

nature vs nurture and ethical concerns

Nature vs nurture

relative influence of genetics (nature) vs. environment (nurture) on development

Ethical concerns

determinism, potential misuse of biological theories in justifying social hierarchies 

What kinds of measurements do biological theorists use?

brain imaging, hormones, genetic testing, heart rate, physiological responses

Assumption of psychoanalytic theories: mind influenced by ____ between biological drives and societal expectations

conflicts

What emphasizes the unconscious mind? 

philosophy 

Who founded psychosexual theory?

Freud

Who founded psychosocial theory?

Erikson

What are Freud’s psychosexual stages?

oral, anal, phallic, latency, genital

Description, ages, and problems/fixations of the oral stage

ages- 0-1; description- focus on oral activities-sucking, tasting; problems/fixations- addiction to smoking or eating 

Description, ages, and problems/fixations of anal stage

ages- 1-3; description- focus on controlling bowels/bladder (toilet training); problems/fixations- anal retentive or anal expulsive 

Description, ages, and problems/fixations of the phallic stage

ages- 3-6; description- focus on genitals and differences between sexes; problems/fixations- vanity, envy, passivity, confused identity 

Description, ages, and problems/fixations of the latent stage

ages- 6-puberty; description- peer/social relationships and gender roles; problems/fications- critical stage to develop social skills and confidence 

Description, ages, and problems/fixations of the genital stage

ages- puberty-adult; description- sexual desires and urges directed toward others; problems/fixations- transfer of fixations from earlier stages 

What are Erikson’s 8 psychosocial stages?

early childhood, preschool, school age, adolescence, young adulthood, middle adulthood, maturity, infancy 

People that studied classical conditioning

Ivan pavlov, john watson

Person that studied operant conditioning

B.F. skinner

Person that studied social learning

albert bandura

What is classical conditioning? 

learning by association of a neutral stimulus with a natural response

What is operant conditioning?

learning through reinforcement and punishment

What did B.F. skinner say?

behavior is a consequence of environmental histories of reinforcement

What is observational learning?

occurs through observation and imitation of others (Bandura’s bobo doll)

What did B.F skinner say

behavior is a consequence of environmental histories of reinforcement

What did Albert Bandura say

behavior is learned through observation and modeling

What did John Watson do

applied Pavlov’s discovery of conditioning to humans

Give an example of operant conditioning in real life

positive reinforcement: praise, stickers; Negative reinforcement: no chose; Positive punishment: detention, extra chores; Negative punishment: grounding, no screen time

Who is the key theorist behind observational learning?

Albert bandura- bobo doll experiment

What 3 factors interact in social cognitive theory?

environment, behavior, and person

How does social cognitive theory differ from behaviorism?

behaviorism= input → output. social cognitive= child is an active participant in learning and development 

Which two major theories fall under social cognitive approaches?

piaget’s cognitive development and sociocultural theory (vygotsky)

What was Piaget’s constructivist theory of development?

children actively construct knowledge through nature-nurture interaction

Constructivist theory of development: development achieved through adaptation and assimilation to achieve

equilibrium 

Constructivist theory of development: schema

organized ways of making sense of experiences

Constructivist theory of development: assimilation

learning via existing structures

Constructivist theory of development: accommodation

new schema are created and/or schema are adjusted to better fit environment

What is equilibrium?

temporary balance between old and new knowledge

What are Piaget’s 4 stages of development?

sensorimotor (0-2), preoperational (2-6), concrete operations (7-11), formal operations (11+)

Sensorimotor stage

learn through 5 sense, direct contact with world

Preoperational stage

learn through objections and symbols, pretend play

Concrete operations

more complex, able to plan; reasoning still limited to concrete things

Formal operations 

abstract, systematic thinking, hypothetico-deductive reasoning 

Piaget nature vs nurture

focus primarily on nature (environment)

Piaget universality vs specificity

stages of cognitive development are relatively universal

Piaget continuity vs discontinuity

four qualitatively distinct stages

What is the central idea of Vygotsky’s theory?

learning occurs through interactions with more experienced others

What is the primary tool for learning in Vygotsky’s theory?

language

What is the zone of proximal development?

the gap between what a child can do independently and what they can do with guidance 

What is scaffolding? 

adult support that helps children perform tasks, gradually reduced as they become competent 

How do piaget and vygotsky differ on continuity/discontinuity?

piaget: distinct stages; Vygotsky: gradual, continuous change

How do piaget and vygotsky differ on universality/specificity?

piaget: stages are universal. vygotsky: ability depend on cultural context

Levels of Bronfenbrenner’s ecological model

individual, microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, macrosystem, chronosystem