Theories of Development

Fill-in-the-blank practice flashcards covering Chapter 2: Theories of Development.

A good theory begins with __________ and leads to hypotheses.

facts

Sigmund Freud, the founder of psychoanalytic theory, proposed four psychosexual stages: oral, anal, __________, and genital.

phallic

Psychodynamic theory suggests that adult personality and values originate from early, often __________, childhood experiences.

unconscious

Erik Erikson proposed __________ developmental stages, each involving a challenging developmental crisis.

eight

Unlike Sigmund Freud's focus on sexual urges, Erik Erikson emphasized __________ and culture in human development.

family

Behaviorism is also called __________ theory because it emphasizes the learning process.

learning

In classical conditioning, learning occurs when a meaningful stimulus is connected with a __________ stimulus.

neutral

Ivan Pavlov was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1904 for his research on __________ processes.

digestive

In the United States, __________ argued that scientists should examine only what they could observe and measure.

John Watson

Operant conditioning is also known as __________ conditioning.

instrumental

B. F. Skinner was best known for his operant conditioning experiments with rats, pigeons, and his __________.

daughter

Behaviorists focus on the effect of a consequence on future behavior, not whether it is intended to be a __________ or a punishment.

reward

Social learning theory is an extension of behaviorism that emphasizes the influence that __________ have over a person's behavior.

other people

According to the Three Types of Learning summary table, social learning occurs through __________ what others do.

modeling

Jean Piaget proposed that cognitive development occurs in __________ major age-related periods or stages.

four

During Piaget's sensorimotor stage (birth to age 2), infants learn object __________, realizing objects still exist when out of sight.

permanence

In Piaget's preoperational period, children think symbolically with language, yet are __________, perceiving from their own perspective.

egocentric

According to Piaget's periods of cognitive development, the concrete operational stage occurs during school age, which spans __________ years.

6–11

According to Piaget's chart shown, adolescents and adults in the formal operational stage can think logically about __________ ideas.

abstract

Information processing theory represents the contribution of neuroscience to human development by comparing human thinking to __________ systems.

computer

Lev Vygotsky proposed sociocultural theory, emphasizing that development results from the dynamic interaction between persons and their surrounding __________.

society

In Vygotsky's theory, the __________ of proximal development includes skills, knowledge, and concepts that a learner is close to acquiring but cannot master without help.

zone

According to Vygotsky, __________ mediates between mentor and mentee during guided participation.

language

While universal developmental principles state that children learn from more knowledgeable others, specific content varies by __________.

culture

In the class demonstration of Vygotsky's theory, solving the calculus problem $1 + \int_2^7 2x^2 \cos(x) + 4 + 3e^{x+2}\,dx$ independently fell into the __________ zone for the unassisted learner.

TOO HARD

Evolutionary theory seeks to understand contemporary children and families by examining emotions, instincts, and habits needed by homo sapiens over the past __________ years.

200,000

In evolutionary theory, __________ adaptation explains how beneficial genetic variations help humanity as a whole when the environment changes.

selective

An __________ perspective is adopted by most developmentalists when aspects of various theories are selectively applied rather than adhering exclusively to one theory.

eclectic

When comparing five perspectives on human development, Behaviorism places a relative emphasis on __________ rather than nature.

nurture

When comparing five perspectives on human development, Cognitive theory places a relative emphasis on __________ because mental activity and motivation are key.

nature