Theories of development

1
Theories of development

• Review major theories of development
• Focus on Ecological Approach
• Bradley article

2
Nature versus nature debate

• Scientific controversy regarding whether the
  primary source of developmental change rests is
  biological (nature) factors or in environmental
  and experiential (nurture) factors

3
Continuity versus discontinuity

• Scientific controversy regarding whether
  development is constant and connected
  (continuous) or uneven and disconnected
  (discontinuous)

4
Normative versus idiographic development

• Question of whether research should focus on
  identifying commonalities in human development
  (normative development) or on the causes of
  individual differences (idiographic development)
• Big issue in cross-cultural research

5
Cognitive-developmental theories

• Development of human intelligence (or cognition)
  is a continual struggle of a complex organism to
  adapt to complex environment
• Functions
• Organization
• Adaptation
• Accomodation

6
Two models of cognitive development

• Information-processing models
• Social models of cognition
• Social cognition
• Sociocultural models

7
Environmental/learning theories

• Learning- a relatively permanent change in
  behavior that results from practice or experience
• Social-learning theory

8
Ethology theories

• Study of devleopment from an evolutionary
  perspective

9
The ecological systems theory

• Development always occurs in context
• Context influences development
• To understand development completely, we must
  understand how the unique characteristics of the
  child interact with the childs surroundings
• Children simultaneously change their environment
  and are changed by it

10
Bronfenbrenners Ecological Systems theory

• Looks at childs development within context of
  the systems of relationships that form his or her
  environment
• Defines complex layers of environment which
  affect childs development
• Interactions between childs maturing biology,
  his immediate family/community, and the social
  landscape steers development

11
Bronfenbrenners Ecological Systems model
Attitudes and ideologies of the culture
Macrosystem
Community
Government
Mass media
Mesosystem
Exosystem
Family
School
Microsystem
Church group
Individual
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Layers defined

• Microsystem- the physical characteristics and
  relationships that immediately surround the child
• Mesosystem- system of relationships among the
  childs microsystems
• Exosystem- social settings that can affect the
  child but in which the child does not participate
  directly
• Macrosystem- involves the culture and subculture
  in which the child lives
• Chronosystem- the passage of time

13
Family
14
School
15
Ecological systems theory applied

• Focuses on interaction between children and their
  environments
• Environments will vary in terms of what they can
  provide children
• Bradley article

16
Bradley article

• Title
• Abstract

17
Intro/ lit review

• Why was this study conducted?
• Why did the authors consider it important

18
Methods

• What were the primary methods used in this study?

19
Results

• What were the major findings?

20
Discussion

• What are the broader implications for this study?

21
For Thursday

• Read Bradley et al. The home environments of
  children in the US - Part 2