Scientific Method and Theories
Critical Thinking Activity: Theories
Now that you have read and reviewed Chapter 1, take your learning a step further by testing your critical thinking skills on this scientific reasoning exercise.
Four major theories of human development are described, compared, and evaluated in Chapter 1. These are the psychoanalytic theories of Freud and Erikson; the behaviorism of Watson and Skinner and the social learning theory of Bandura; Piaget’s cognitive theory; and systems theories, including Bronfenbrenner’s ecological-systems approach and the dynamic-systems theory. Although each theory is too restricted to account solely for the tremendous diversity in human development, each has made an important contribution to developmental psychology.
To help clarify your understanding of the major developmental theories, this exercise asks you to focus on the similar, contradictory, and complementary aspects of the four theories.
1. Which of the major developmental theories are stage theories? Which are not?
Psychoanalytic and Cognitive are stages, though Behaviorism and Social are not .
2. Which theories emphasize individual conscious organization of experience? unconscious urges? observable behavior? the interaction of nature and nurture?
Psychoanalytic theory emphasizes conscious organization.
Behaviorism theory emphasizes unconscious urges. Developmental theory emphasizes observable behavior.
Dynamic theory emphasizes nature/nurture interaction.
3. Which theories emphasize the impact of early experience on development?
The cognitive theory as well as the laws of behavior affects the development of a child (conditioning, classical conditioning, operant conditioning, and reinforcement.)
4. How does each theory view the child?
Psychoanalytic Theory: Develop trust or mistrust for people, know to feed themselves by laws of nature.
Behaviorism theory: Holds the condition as crucial, early habits and patterns can be unlearned or
Now that you have read and reviewed Chapter 1, take your learning a step further by testing your critical thinking skills on this scientific reasoning exercise.
Four major theories of human development are described, compared, and evaluated in Chapter 1. These are the psychoanalytic theories of Freud and Erikson; the behaviorism of Watson and Skinner and the social learning theory of Bandura; Piaget’s cognitive theory; and systems theories, including Bronfenbrenner’s ecological-systems approach and the dynamic-systems theory. Although each theory is too restricted to account solely for the tremendous diversity in human development, each has made an important contribution to developmental psychology.
To help clarify your understanding of the major developmental theories, this exercise asks you to focus on the similar, contradictory, and complementary aspects of the four theories.
1. Which of the major developmental theories are stage theories? Which are not?
Psychoanalytic and Cognitive are stages, though Behaviorism and Social are not .
2. Which theories emphasize individual conscious organization of experience? unconscious urges? observable behavior? the interaction of nature and nurture?
Psychoanalytic theory emphasizes conscious organization.
Behaviorism theory emphasizes unconscious urges. Developmental theory emphasizes observable behavior.
Dynamic theory emphasizes nature/nurture interaction.
3. Which theories emphasize the impact of early experience on development?
The cognitive theory as well as the laws of behavior affects the development of a child (conditioning, classical conditioning, operant conditioning, and reinforcement.)
4. How does each theory view the child?
Psychoanalytic Theory: Develop trust or mistrust for people, know to feed themselves by laws of nature.
Behaviorism theory: Holds the condition as crucial, early habits and patterns can be unlearned or