The Theories Of Child Development

The Theories Of Child Development
From the day they are born, children are immersed in a social world. Rapid learning takes place and is supported not only by parents, siblings,
teachers and friends but also the important values and beliefs within their culture. All of this provides the foundations for cognitive development. As
trainee teachers, it is fundamental that we have a deeper understanding of how children learn and how we can support learning. In order to do this we
must first look at some of the theories of learning.
Theories
Prior to the early 20th century little interest was paid to how a child developed; indeed most early research appears to be based on abnormal
childhood behaviour (Oates et al. 2005). However, over time researchers began to acknowledge that both genetics and environment factors impacted on
the way a child developed. Although there are many theories of child development, in particular constructivism, behaviourism, social constructivism
and social learning have influenced developmental psychology enormously (Oates et al. 2005).
Many theorists and researchers have debated (and continue to debate) whether cognitive development is a continuous or discontinuous processUntitled
(Crowley, 2014). Do cognitive processes advance with age (continuous) or is a child required to reach one stage of development before they can
advance to the next (discontinuous)?
Piaget (1952) based his theory on his belief that cognitive development occurred in four specific stages; sensori–motor stage,
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Theories of Child Development Essay
Theories abound around how people develop emotionally, intellectually, socially and spiritually. This essay will examine the theories of five leaders on
the subject of development. Jean Piaget believed in four stages of development that were fairly concrete in description (Atherton, 2010). 1.Sensorimotor
stage (birth – 2 years old) – Children begin to make sense of the world around them based on their interaction with their physical environment. Reality
begins to be defined. 2.Preoperational stage (ages 2–7) – Concrete physical stimuli are needed in order for a child to develop new concepts. 3.Concrete
operations (ages 7–11) – As a child accumulates experience with the physical world, he/she begins to conceptualize to explain...show more content...
"An essential feature of learning is that it awakens a variety of internal developmental processes that are able to operate only when the child is in
the action of interacting with people in his environment and in cooperation with his peers" (2004). Erik Erikson like Piaget had distinct stages of
development assigned to specific ages. However Erikson ascribed development even into old age. Eight stages beginning with birth to old age
described a conflict that had to be resolved by the person before moving on to the next, termed the epigenetic principle (Boeree, 2006). As each
conflict is resolved a person gains strength to move on to a more complex battle. These struggles are inner conflicts revolving around Freud's theories
of ego, i.e. the first stage, birth to age one, trust vs mistrust is the conflict or stage eight, age 50 and beyond, integrity vs despair. As a situation arises a
person has two ways of resolution, adaptive or maladaptive (Cramer, Flynn, & LaFave, 1997). This conflict must be mastered before progressing.
Lawrence Kohlberg's theory of the development of moral reasoning is laid out in seven stages, within three levels, preconventional, conventional and
principled morality. The first stage being primitive reasoning (fear of punishment) moving to stage seven transcendental morality, one that uses religion
to judge

Introduction to development psychology
From the beginning of the history, child development was not given an importance but now majority of people have understood its importance.
Attachment theory is one of the major theories of child development. According to Bowlby, attachment is characterized by specific behaviours in
children, such as seeking proximity with the attachment figure when upset or threatened. There were number of issues that have been debated
throughout the history of developmental psychology. One of them was nature–nurture debate. Philosophers such as Plato and Descartes supported the
idea that some ideas are inborn whereas thinkers such as John Locke believed that experience helps us to gain the knowledge and our minds are blank
at birth.
Psychodynamic theory that was developed by Sigmund Freud and his followers emphasises systematic study of the psychological forces that underlie
human behaviour, feelings, and emotions and how they might relate to early experience. John B. Watson founded behavioural theory. Inborn traits are
not responsible for behavioural theories of leadership but instead they look at what readers do. Jean Piaget, a cognitive thinker, proposed an idea:
Children think differently than adults. Cognitive theory is concerned with the development of a person's thought processes and explains how these
thought processes influence how we understand and interact with the world. Erik Erikson's theory of psychosocial development is another famous

This assignment will discuss the main theories of child development and discuss the main principles across all area of development. The assignment
will also evaluate an observation conducted on a child and link their behaviour to relevant child development theories. The assignment will firstly
highlight some child development theories from behaviourists such as Bandura, humanists such as Maslow and constructivists such as Piaget. Secondly
the child's observation will be discussed and evaluated here relevant link to development theories will be made. Lastly the assignment will finish off
with a reflection. Jennie Lindon defines development as" the sequence of physical and psychological changes experienced by human beings, which
start with conception and continue throughout life."(Jennie Lindon 2012:5) the early year's foundation stage (EYTS) framework states that there are
seven areas of learning and development however they view some are more important these are called the prime areas of development. There are three
prime areas of development these are: communication and language, physical development, personal social and emotional development. The EYFS
also states that "children develop in different ways at different times" (Statutory framework for the early years foundation stage 2014) which is why the
development matters promote the message that every child is unique and has their own way of learning. (Development matters in the Early years
Foundation Stage (EYFS) 2012)

Child Development Theorist Research Paper
Child Development Theorists Child development theories focus on explaining how children change and grow over the course of childhood. Such
theories focus on various aspects of development including social, emotional and cognitive growth. The study of child development is varied subject.
We all have our own development experiences that may be different than others. Some well knownchild development theories are Freud's Psychosexual
Developmental Theory, Erikson's Psychosocial Developmental Theory, and Piaget's Cognitive Developmental Theory.
Through his clinical work with patients suffering from mental illnesses, Freud came to believe that childhood experiences and unconscious desires are
influenced by behavior. This theory is known as Freud's

Psychology : Child Development Theories
Psychology: Child Development Theories
According to Merriam–Webster, psychology is "the study of the human mind and its functions". With psychology, we are able to understand and
predict human behavior and overall understand how we think and process the world around us. In this research paper we will be discussing the most
known theories of a specific branch of psychology, child development, then I will explain which theory of all I believe is right and why.Developmental
psychology is the scientific study how and why human beings change over the course of their life. We will be discussing the following theories:
Developmental Milestone, Cognitive Stages, Psychosocial Stages, and Psychosexual Stages, and Moral stages. Before we dive in we...show more
content...
His theory was based on the ideal that children should be raised closer to nature. Treated like animals until 16 and then let them develop into in an
adult. This was the first time children would be seen from a developmental point of view. From then on Charles Darwin made great contributions to
psychology. 1877 he wrote the "Biographical Sketch of an Infant" based on study he performed on his own child. It was the first English child study
and inspired others in England to study children. Lastly came James Mark Baldwin who based his theory on the mental aspect and growth of infants. It
became a huge influence to Jean Piaget's theory of Cognitive Development.
Piaget's Cognitive Stage Theory: This theory tells us how a child constructs a mental model of the world. It is split up into 4 Stages: The Sensorimotor
Stage, The Preoperational Stage, The concrete Operational Stage, and The Formal Operational Stage as well as 4 fundamental concepts. The first one
is called Schemas. Schemas are categories of knowledge that help us interpret and understand the world around us. The second concept is called
Assimilation. Assimilation is the process of taking in new information into our already existing schemas. The third concept is called accommodation
which is another part of adaptation which involves changing or altering our existing schemas in light of new information or new experiences. The last
concept is called equilibration which is the balance

Child Development And Behavioral Theory
Child development theories provide various explanations of how children progress, and some also provide answers as to why certain outcomes or
behaviors occur as a child grows. Two theories provide the best perspective regarding development when the two processes are used collectively:
behavioral theory and cognitive developmental theory. Behavioral theory focuses on environmental influences and learned behavior through
reinforcement, both positive and negative, punishment, and modeling. This a simple and logical concept and is expressed throughout not only
humans, but in other species as well. A common example of behavioral theory at work is demonstrated when a young child touches a hot stove top for
the first time. The child touches the hot

Child Development Theory
Child development theories are currently being taught in colleges and universities around the world. It is therefore imperative that individuals wanting
to work with children in a counseling compacity learn how to interview, observe, report, and utilize teachings from prevailing theorists to determine if
an individual is in the "normative" range of development. Drawing on learned knowledge and theoretical instruction, as well as other documentary
sources, this paper examines the interview processes of a child and the popular theories surrounding cognition, language, and morality development. A
review of the text, Life Span, theories by Piaget, Brown, and Kohlberg, and intentional observation and interviewing brings a better understanding to
...show more content...
Along with these primary aspects. other constructs that include research into the effects of internal workings of the mind, memory, self–regulation,
temperament, emotional maturity. and how these concepts are engaged in moral functioning are creating new movements and unique considerations of
morality (Lapsley & Carlo, 2014). Therefore, Sally's statement that seems like a social relation perspective of a thirteen–year–old, may be generated
through a cultural pinning in a Latinx community, encouraged by authoritative caregivers, supported by parochial school culture, and/ or related to a
feminist cultural teachings by parents may demonstrate cause for research to move away from universal points of view and focus on cultural–specific
mechanisms that influence and shape moral

The purpose of this assignment is to closely observe the development of a child through an interview and apply the theories and concept of child
development in his particular cultural and educational context. I selected the child who lives in my neighborhood for the interview and began with
seeking the permission from his parents. The child's name is 'Abdullah' and he is seven years old. He lives with his family in Terre Haute and his
family consists of parents and two sisters. Abdullah goes to Sugar Grove Elementary School in the Terre Haute city along with his two sisters and he
is in grade 2. The interview was conducted at his home and I ensured his convenience. He was cooperative and provided insightful responses to the
questions and he provided significant detail in the interview. I was able to track his development stages and connect it to different theories of
Developmental Psychology including psychoanalytical perspectives and Piaget's stages of development. In the following paragraphs, I will explain my
observations about Abdullah's development in the light of developmental theories with special focus on cognitive, social, linguistic, and emotional
development followed by making connections between his socioeconomic and cultural background and development. Lastly, I will conclude paper by
highlighting that the observations during the interview can facilitate my future practice as a teacher. The interview started with questions about family
members, parents and

Grand Theories Of Child Development Essay
Child development theories focus on describing how children change and also grow throughout childhood. Such theories fixate different aspects of
development consisting of social, emotional and cognitive development. The study of human development is a rich as well as differed subject. All of
us have personal experience with development, however this is sometimes difficult to understand how and why people grow, discover, and act as they
do. Why do children act in specific ways? Is their behavior pertaining to their age, relationship, or individual temperament? Developmental
psychologists aim to answer such questions in addition to understand, describe, and predict behaviors which occur all throughout the life–span. So as to
understand human...show more content...
Various other are called mini–theories; they rather focus just on a relatively limited aspect of development like cognitive or social growth. The
following are just a few of the many child development theories which have been suggested by theorists and researchers. Much more current theories
describe the developmental stages of children and identify the typical ages at which these growth milestones occur. Freud's Psychosexual
Developmental Theory The psychoanalytic theory comes from along with the work of Sigmund Freud. Through his clinical work with patients
struggling with mental disorder, Freud concerned believes that childhood experiences and unconscious desires influenced behavior. Inning accordance
with Freud, problems that occur during each of these stages may have a lifetime influence on personality and behavior. Freud proposed one of the
best–known grand theories of child development. As explaining by Freud's psychosexual theory, child development occurs in a series of stages
concentrated on various pleasure areas of the body. Throughout each stage, the child faces conflicts that play a considerable role throughout

Essay on Child Development
The cognitive process of child development and learning has influenced theorists such as Piaget, Vygtosky, Montessori, Bruner and Dewey to develop
learning theories which highlight how the cognitive operation of learning occurs and how it is best achieved. The work of these theorists has become
the foundation for much research and insight into how children develop on their journey towards learning.
To understand how and when children begin to learn, it is important to look at why we value the process of learning, as Peller (1946) expresses, "The
function of early education is to initiate, support and accelerate developmental processes, leading from child to adulthood."
It is also important to consider the environment that learning...show more content...
Montessori believed a child friendly environment which is accessible and understandable to children, is the best setting for cognitive development and
the learning process to begin.
The two main psychological theories which we can observe to study the process of learning are Cognitive Development theories, and Social
Constructivism theories.
Cognitive development theory refers to knowledge generated through learner's active exploration of the world and environment. It focuses on
developmental stages children pass through, and how learning expands with maturity. This psychological theory is most commonly associated with the
work of epistemologist, Jean Piaget. The basis of Piaget's theory underpinned how children arrive at what they know (Mooney, 2000). The two main
stages associated with early year's education are the Sensorimotor and Preoperational stages. Piaget proposed children arrive at rational thought when
they pass through these two cognitive developmental stages.
From infancy, babies show signs of a strong urge to adapt to their environment. Piaget noted that children's thought journey was a process of adaptation,
assimilation and accommodation (Morse et al, 1962). He observed this adaptation as a child adjusting their behavior to

Child Development Theories
Child Developmental Theories Ashford University PSY 104 Child and Adolescent Psychology June 29, 2009 Child Developmental Theories While
theorists have different ideas and perspectives, insight on child and adolescent development can assist teachers and parents in helping children reach
their full developmental and learning potential. Having knowledge about the development of a child and adolescent provides clues in understanding
behavior and what is "normal," or typical, in growth and development in the early months and years of life. Three developmental theories are broken
down to understand the...show more content...
Conventional morality is the second level, reached after age 10. Maintaining mutual relations and getting approval of others, wanting to please and help
others happens at stage three. In stage four, an individual begins social concern and having a conscience, and understanding the principles of authority.
In level three, post–conventional morality, development is in early adolescence, young adulthood–or never. Stage five of level three describes a person
developing, or understanding morality of contract, individual rights, and democratically accepting the law. In this stage, people are aware of
principles and think rational deciding between human need and the law. Morality of universal ethical principles is the concept of stage six. Piaget's
Cognitive Development Stage Theory Piaget's view Jean Piaget's theory focused on cognitive development as mental operations mature based on
"simple sensory and motor activity to logical, abstract thought" (Papalia, et al., 2006). Piaget's view was that growth occurs as a child matures and
interacts with his or her surroundings; he looks at the human mind as a focal point and base for everything around it (Heffner, 2004). Cognitive
development occurs in three interrelated processes, according to Piaget. The interrelated processes are organization, adaptation, and

Psychology is the scientific study of behaviour and the mind" (Holt, 2012). There are numerous areas in psychology such as child development
psychology. Child development began in the 20th century with the intention of focusing on abnormal behaviour. It is important for us to beware of and
understand cognitive, physical and emotional growth that children go through. Psychologists such as Sigmund Freud and Jean Piaget studied various
stages of child development and in turn this has helped the way we look at children's abilities today. In the essay, I will discuss Freud and Piaget's
contribution to child development psychology and how their theories will contribute to my understanding of adult behaviour when working with clients.
Sigmund Freud is a psychologist who studied various stages within child development and is known for his study of the development of personality.
Freud explained that child development was a sequence of psychosexual stages. "In "Three Essays on Sexuality" (1915), Freud outlined these stages as
oral, anal, phallic, latency and genital" (Cherry, 2014). He thought that child development began at birth and their personality devolved throughout their
life focusing on specific needs and demands. "Freud believed that personality developed through a series of childhood stages in which the...show more
content...
Although these are different theories they have many similarities and differences between them. These two theories both have clearly defined stages
that a person will make progress through. They help us to get a clear understanding of how a child develops. Along with any two theories there are
always some differences. Freud focused on erogenous zones and how children got stimulation and pleasure from these zones. Whereas Piaget focused
his work more on mental development and how children solved problems and came to

Child Developmental Theories Essay
Child Developmental Theories
When an infant arrives in the world they are helpless tiny humans who depend on adults for every need from love, to feeding them. It is amazing how
these tiny babies grow into adults able to make decisions and become self–dependent. There are many theories about how children develop and what
roles the environment plays, what people affect their lives and how events can shape their personalities. Some of these children have and easy life and
some have a harder time making that journey to adulthood.
Child development was largely ignored throughout most of human history and refers to that which occurs from birth to adulthood. Infants and children
were mostly viewed as a smaller version of...show more content...
Cognitive development is the way a child sees, thinks and gains understanding of the world through interaction, influence, learned and genetic factors.
There are four areas of intelligence and child brain development. They are: biological approaches to intelligence, cognitive succession of stages,
knowledge, and intellectual ability.
Many child development centers, preschools, and school programs are passed on Jean Piaget's cognitive development theory. When you combine the
theory with teachers challenging a child's ability without introducing concepts beyond their understand, hands on learning, field trips, art crafts, and
games you have the perfect learning program for children.
The environment and object in the environment play a large role in cognitive development around seven months old. What an infant learns to do
naturally is just as important such as like learning to roll over or eat solid foods. Later in toddlerhood children learn symbols and language in
pre–operational cognitive development stage which shows intelligence abilities.
As children get older egocentric thinking will begin to dominate in a non–logical and non–reversible way, and this will give a more developed
imagination and will improve memory. The child grows into adolescents and the operational stage of cognitive development with the use of symbols
and abstract concepts grows and shows more

Child Development Theories
Child Development: An Examination of Three Theories There are a lot of theories regarding child development. Three of these theories are
Bioecological Theory, Social–Cognitive Theory and Information–Processing Theory. This paper will discuss these theories by comparing and
contrasting them. The first theory is the Bioecological Theory developed by Urie Bronfenbrenner. This theory is based on the nature vs. nurture idea.
Bronfenbrenner believed development of a child was determined by the relationships among the environment or environmental systems around them.
Within this environment there are five distinct systems which are related to a child's relationship with the school environment, family environment and
their...show more content...
With the inclusion of these three theories among others, into the mental health care field one can see the similarities of these theories. All three of these
theories deal with the environment of a child, the learning process by which the child was exposed, the development of the cognitive ability of the
child and by the social development of the child. All three theories believe the environment plays an important part in the cognitive development of
children. They each believe it has an impact on how the child learns and develops. They all agree when there is a disruption of the process such as the
child being subjected to mental or physical neglect or abuse the child can grow to be developmentally challenged or develop a mental illness as a
result. What may be harder to determine is the differences in these three theories. The outcome of each would seem to be the same. Each theory is
based on cognitive development and the relationship the environment has on that development. What we may need to look at is how these three
theories seem to think this development is attained. With Brofenbrenner's theory of Bioecological development, he believed a child goes through five
distinct systems and learns their cognitive ability within each system while being exposed to the environment which

Developmental Theories Of Child Development
Developmental theory, with Piaget as the most prominent theorist, presents the idea that children actively construct knowledge as they manipulate and
explore the world around them. Development is seen to take place in broad stages from birth through to adulthood, with each stage characterized by
qualitatively distinct ways of thinking. However, some developmental theorists, in contrast to Piaget, place more emphasis on personal, social and
emotional development rather than cognitive development and prefer to delay 'academic' experiences until later, for instance after the age of seven
years in Steiner's theory. A further distinction between developmental theorists sees some as holding a discontinuous theory of development that is
believing that stages are discrete and distinct, with children moving from one to the other in a clear cut fashion, whereas others believe that the stages
are continuous and overlap, with the child moving to and fro across distinctions. 'Developmental theories recognize both consistency and variability in
child development' (DEEWR, 2010: 2). The focus for early childhood educators is clearly on understanding each child's development and then planning
to facilitate the identified developmental needs. This will determine what should be the nucleus of the curriculum. Developmental theories in practice If
you incorporate a developmental perspective in your work with young children you would: believe that young children need time to mature and

Child development theories explain how children grow and change in their childhood. These theories center around various aspects of child
development such as cognitive growth, social and emotional aspects.
In the past, child development from birth to adulthood had been overlooked. Generally, children were viewed simply as little versions of adults and not
much attention was given to understand and research on physical growth and development of cognitive abilities and development of languages skills
and abilities which happen as a child in childhood to an

Developmental Theories Of Childhood
Each developmental theory has many differences but they share common ground in areas such as lacking the capacity of being indepdent alongside
taking on responsibilities. Becoming psychologically, emotionally, dependant and vulnerable together with being 'needy' for new oppportunies and
experiences which if not provided will undermine proper development for the child (Stainton Rogers, 2009). In the findings childhood is viewed as a
voyage towards adulthood, being criticised for representing children as incompetent with attention on experiences which have been viewed as
insignificant such as the importance of play (Smith, 2013). Psychologoists such as Piaget, Freud and Erickson viewed children as 'human becoming '
rather than 'human beings'

Developmental Theories Essay
Reaction Paper Number One
Theories of Development There are many types of developmental theories. First being the Psychoanalytic Theory, and the Cognitive Theory. Within
these two types of theories there are several psychologists that have their own theory of development. After exploring these different theories I will
then share my opinion on which theory I believe to be more accurate.
By definition the Psychoanalytic Theory describes development as a primarily unconscious and heavily colored by emotion. Behavior is merely a
surface characteristic, and the symbolic workings of the mind have to be analyzed to understand behavior (Santrock).
Sigmund Freud took the psychoanalytic approach with his Psychosexual Theory, Freud...show more content...
For example during the anal stage the primary focus is learning to control the bladder and bowel movements, thus giving a child a since of
independence. Although if a child is not rewarded properly or ridiculed for having accidents a child may have a negative out come later in life as a
result (Cherry).
Erikson also took the psychoanalytic approach with his Psychosocial Theory. Erikson believed that people developed socially and where motivated by
the desire to affiliate with other people. He also believed that people continued to develop through their entire life span with equal importance. There are
eight stages in Erikson's theory starting from the Oral Stage, where a person develops trust versus mistrust, and continues to the Integrity versus Despair
Stage accruing into the late 60's and onward. Like Freud, Erikson believed that if any one stage is not successfully accomplished negative effects could
result later in life. Although because Erikson believed that people continue to develop throughout life if any one stage is not successfully achieved at
the recommended time, a person could still accomplish the level thus resulting in a positive outcome.
Cognitive Theories focus on conscious thoughts, remembering, problem solving and decision making. Cognitive development refers to how a person
understands the world through interaction. Piaget, and Vygotsky both took the Cognitive approach to development. Vygotsky claimed that social
development was far more

The Theories Of Child Development

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The Theories Of Child Development