Psy 280 Human Development Paper

Human Development
PSY/280
December 4, 2013
Taedra Rutlin

Human Development
According to Berger (2010), a developmental theory is a systematic statement of principles and generalizations that provide a framework for understanding how and why people change as they get older. After many years of observations, theorists have tried to use their findings to construct a sort of map of the human path from an infant through childhood and finally through adulthood. Psychoanalytic theory, behaviorism, and cognitive theory are three theories that focus on human development.
The psychoanalytic theory is probably the most known or famous theory. Sigmund Freud, an Austrian physician, originated this theory. Motives and inner drives are
Watson argued that if psychology was going to be recognized as a science, and then only what could be seen and measured is what should be examined. Watson argued that if the focus was on behavior, then psychologists would realize that almost anything can be learned. So this theory is known as behaviorism. Watson was not alone in this theory; there were many other psychologists, including the United States that agreed with this theory. The reason for this new theory is that these psychologists believed the motives and unconscious drives that Freud focused on were almost impossible to examine or verify with the scientific method. Some of the notable areas of disagreements are: the unconscious, observable behavior, importance of childhood, and scientific status. The overall science of human development has greatly benefited from the behaviorism theory. Before the behaviorism theory, many psychologists and researchers believed that many actions that humans would act out were a result of some kind of deep rooted emotional issue or that it was even due to genetics. After behaviorism, researchers are learning that a lot of actions are learned. Additionally, from behaviorism we have learned that many behaviors that are learned are not permanent. They can also be unlearned. Even well into old age a person can
The theory that mainly focuses on these two factors is known as the cognitive theory. Cognitive theorists believe that a person’s expectations and thoughts greatly affect their actions. The most well-known cognitive theorist was a Swiss scientist by the name of Jean Piaget. What made him different from other theorists of his time is that he noticed that babies were very curious and had many thoughts. He started studying his own three babies and in his later years started studying older children. Piaget created the central thesis for the cognitive theory. That theory stated that how people think changes through time and through experiences. Piaget believed that cognitive development happened in four main stages. Birth to two years of age is known as sensorimotor. At this time infants use their motor abilities and different senses to try and understand the world. The second age group is known as preoperational. At this stage children start thinking more poetically and magically. They begin using their language skills to interpret their surroundings. The third age group, from six to eleven, is known as concrete operational. Children at this stage have a much stronger grasp on reality. Logical operations are much more understandable and easier to apply. They can approach a situation in a more rational manner at this stage. Their thinking however, is strictly limited to what they can physically experience. If