Theories Flashcards
John Locke’s idea’s on human perception of the world
VS
Rationalist philosophers’ views such as Leibniz & Descartes
He believed that humans are born Tabula Rasa (a blank slate), having developed no understanding of the outside world whilst in the womb - only able to learn from experience. Similar to early psychologists Empiricist View.
Rationalist philosophers of the time believed that your perception of the world is more predetermined by genetics. Similiar to the Nativist View.
Behaviourism
A prominent school of thought in Psychology in the early 20th century, emphasising the role of learning in human behaviour. Agreeing with the Empiricist, Tabula Rasa idea that behaviours are learned.
John Watson / Ivan Pavlov / Edward Thorndike / B.F. Skinner
Classical Conditioning
Pavlov’s dog
Discovered first by Pavlov in the early 20th century - Classical Conditioning is a type of learning in which 2 stimuli (1 familiar and 1 not) are presented together until both stimuli trigger the same behavioural response
Operant Conditioning
A way of learning in which the behaviour is controlled by a manipulation of the consequences of the behaviour.
- Behaviour that is rewarded will be more likely to recur
- Behaviour that is punished will decrease the likelihood
Maturationism
The major opposition to Behaviourism in the early 20thC, explaining infant development in terms of Maturational Timetables, predetermined by genetics.
This idea that the emergence of children’s abilities being largely determined by genetic inheritance comes from the finding that in children, motor control is learned first in the neck and torso, and then the arms and hands. And in a twin study - increased motor stimulation did not increase motor skill development
Psychodynamic Theory of Development
Proposed by Freud in the early 20thC
States that development occurs in discrete stages that are largely driven by biological drives that form personality on interaction with the environment
Also states that the human personality is made of three components - Id, Ego, and Superego
- Id is the first to develop, it is a person’s instinctual drives, operating on the pleasure principle, gratifying needs without question
- The Ego is the rational aspect that develops next and gradually controls the Id, attempting to gratify needs based on socially acceptable behaviours
- The Superego emerges when a child begins to internalise and comprehend social morals and values. Enabling them to develop a conscience and the ability to apply moral values to their own behaviours
Psychodynamic stages of development
As proposed by Freud, these are the discrete developmental stages throughout life
Oral (0-1)
- Focus on using the mouth for eating, sucking, crying
Anal (1-3)
- Focus on toilet training. First experience with authority and discipline
Phallic (3-6)
- Sexual urges emerge and arouse curiosity. Children observe gender differences and critically, develop their sexuality
Latency (6-20)
- Sexual urges are repressed. Emphasis on learning and beginnings of concern for others
Genital (20-65)
- Altruistic love meets selfish love and a need for reproduction emerges and causes adoption of adult responsibilities
Psychosocial Theory of Development
Proposed by Freud’s colleague Erik Erikson and sees children developing in a series of stages, largely through accomplishing tasks that involve interaction with their social environment
Stages, purpose & risk if not completed:
Infancy (0-1)
- Developing basic trust in oneself and others
- Risk of mistrust of others and a lack of self-confidence
Early Childhood (1-3)
- Learn about self-control and establish autonomy
- Risk of shame and doubt of one’s own capabilities
Play Age (3-6)
- Develop initiative in mastering the environment
- Risk of feelings of guilt over aggressiveness and daring
School Age (6-12)
- Develop a work-oriented mentality
- Risk of feelings of inferioirity over real or imagined failure to master tasks
Adolescence (12-20)
- Achieve a sense of personal identity
- Risk of role confusion over who and what the individual wants to be
Young Adulthood (20-30)
- Achieve intimacy with others
- Risk (due to shaky identity) of avoidance of others and isolation
Adulthood (30-65)
- Express oneself through generativity (reproduction)
- Risk of stagnation of ideas and development if there is an inability to create children
Mature Age (65+)
- Achieve a sense of contentedness
- Risk of despair due to self-doubt and unfulfilled desires
Ethological Theory
Contests the Psychodynamic and Psychosocial ideas that identity development is staged and strictly sequential. The ethological theory is influenced by Darwin’s evolutionary theory and proposes that behaviour must be viewed as occurring in a particular context and has survival value
Imprinting
Coined by Konrad Lorenz, the term imprinting refers to a sudden, biologically primed form of attachment.
Imprinting occurs in some bird species and a few mammals and involves a Critical Period, after which imprinting cannot occur.
In mallard ducklings, this Critical Period is between 1 and 3 days of hatching.
Imprinting in ducklings is shown as following the mother, they can, however, be imprinted to follow any animal
Bowlby’s Maternal Deprivation Hypothesis
States that attachments between infant and mother in the early stages of development are vital for proper socioemotional development
Social Learning Theory
Stresses that new behaviours are learned by observation and imitation, whilst mediated by a cognitive process
This imitation does not occur blindly or automatically there are four processes that govern how well a child will learn a new behaviour
Attention - Retention - Reproduction - Motivation
(Bandura’s Model of observational learning
Attention
- The child must see the behaviour
Retention
- They must be able to retain the observed behaviour in their memory
Reproduction
- They must be physically capable of reproducing the behaviour
Motivation
- They must have a reason for reproducing the behaviour
Piagetian Theory
A theory of cognitive development that sees the child as actively seeking new information
Sociocultural Theory
Proposed by Lev Vygotsky, the theory sees development as emerging from interactions with more skilled people and the institutions provided by their culture. Taking into account more of the child’s environment
Evolutionary Psychology
Inspired by Darwin’s Evolutionary Theory - Evolutionary Psychology proposes that psychological traits such as memory, perception and language are functional products of natural selection
Some evolutionary developmental theories are strongly influenced by Fodor’s ‘Modularity of the Mind’, in which he proposes that many of the cognitive human functions that we possess are coded for within ‘modules’ - a specialised system for learning or operating that we have developed through natural selection. Such as language learning
