Theoretical Perspectives (Psych 2117)

Psychoanalytic Theories

Development driven by inner drives and unconscious conflicts

Behaviorist and Social Learning Theories

Observable behaviors are driven by experiences in social and physical environments

Cognitive Theories

Focuses on changes in thinking and reasoning which drive behavior

Contextual Theories

Emphasizes the role of sociocultural context and its effects

Ethology and Evolutionary

Development and behavior driven by our biological programming and adaptation

Freud’s Psychosexual Theory

Development driven by unconscious impulses / Divides development into several stages based on psychosexual drives / Emphasized the role of parent-child relationship

Erikson’s Psychosocial Theory

Development occurs as result of social interaction, not just inner conflict/sexual urges / Development spans entire life / Developmental stages based on conflicts/crises that must be resolved

Piaget’s Cognitive Developmental Theory

Children and adults as active explorers of their world, driven to learn by interacting with the world around them and organizing what they learn into cognitive schemas, or concepts (Accomodation & Assimilation)

Accomodation

These are mental blueprints or organized patterns of knowledge used to understand the world (Dad said that furry thing with four legs is not a cat, but a dog, so there must be two categories of furry four-legged things – cats and dogs)

Assimilation

The cognitive process of incorporating new information or experiences into your existing mental frameworks, known as schemas, without changing those core beliefs (Cats are furry and have four legs, so everything furry with four legs is a cat)

Vygotsky's Sociocultural Theory

Children participate in their development by engaging with the world around them / Development depends on interactions with peers, adults, members of their culture / Zones of Proximal Development - Scaffolding

Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory

Developmental is a result of the ongoing interactions among biological, cognitive, and socioemotional changes within individuals and their changing contexts

Dynamic Systems Theory

Framework describing motor skills resulting from ongoing interactions among physical, cognitive, and social-emotional influences and environmental support / New skills enable further exploration and access to new experiences, which in turn promote additional skills / New skills enable further exploration and access to new experiences, which in turn promote additional skills

Evolutionary Developmental Theory

Genetic factors and biological predispositions interact with the physical and social environment / Genes and context interact in ever changing ways