Theories of Human Development.ppt

Theories of Human Development Psychology 117 Theories Parsimonious Internally Consistent Falsifiable Heuristic Supported Key Themes in Developmental Psychology Nature/Nurture Organismic (active)/Mechanistic (passive) Continuity/Discontinuity Quantitative vs. Qualitative Key Themes in Developmental Psychology Universality/Context-Specificity Assignment The purpose of this assignment is to introduce the various theoretical perspectives and to allow you to realize how much you already know. Get into small groups (3-4 students) and come up with terms, ideas, and “great psychologists” associated with each of the following theoretical perspectives: Psychoanalytic Learning/Social-Learning Cognitive Biological/Ethological Ecological Psychoanalytic Perspective Freud’s Psychosexual Theory Unconscious motives are repressed Development is a conflictual process Three Components of Personality Id Ego Superego Psychoanalytic Perspective Freud’s Psychosexual Theory Contributions and Criticisms Little evidence Contributions Unconscious motivation Impact of early experiences Emotional side of development Psychoanalytic Perspective Erickson’s Theory of Psychosocial Development Comparing Erickson with Freud Children are active explorers, not passive slaves to biological urges Emphasis on cultural influences, less on sexual urges Eight Life Crises (Psychosocial Stages) Emerge at a time dictated by biological maturation and social demands Must be resolved successfully for satisfactory resolution at next stage Extend throughout life Psychoanalytic Perspective Erickson’s Psychosocial Theory Contributions and Criticisms Rational, adaptive Social conflicts Vague about causes Descriptive Psychoanalytic Perspective Psychoanalytic Theory Today Largely rejected Necessitates the clinical method Learning Viewpoint Watson’s Behaviorism Observations of overt behavior Continuous Habits develop from learning experiences Depends on environment Learning Viewpoint Skinner’s Operant Learning Theory