Developmental Psychology Essay example - 2012 Words

Developmental psychology is the study of mental structures and learning through experience. This is the interest between characteristics, the individual’s behaviour and environmental factors including social context and their impact on developments Piaget and Vygotsky had many similarities in their ideas they both looked at children’s cognitive development of knowledge and had the theory that there are things beyond a Childs understanding but their approaches to these ideas were different. They believed that it was important for children to participate in their learning and they also both looked at social factors concerning children’s cognitive development However Piaget had many ideas and thoughts’ that differed from Vygotsky.†¦show more content†¦In future years because of his experiences, Piaget changed the way he conducted his research to include more importance on child activity. In comparison Vygotsky didn’t rely upon time he believed that children’s learning should be taken further by looking at their actual capabilities and then seeing how much more potential they have, this was called the ZPD (zone of proximal development). He stated that teaching is only good when it ‘awakens and rouses to life those functions which are in a stage of maturing which lie in the ZPD’ (Dunphy Dunphy 2003, p49). Vygotsky also believed in social interactions for development with the emphasis upon communications, language (the inner voice) and the role of experts. He believed that when a child is challenged and is helped with these challenges it will obtain new knowledge and skills. A criticism of Vygotsky’s could be that he really didn’t have any research to back up his theories, and he was constantly changing his ideas. Perhaps changing his ideas was his way of taking on board any criticisms and updating his thinking to improve upon his work. Vygotsky, however, did realise that Piaget’s theories were quite important and he built his theories upon the information obtained by him. My evaluation of Piaget and Vygotsky is that although Piaget’s studiesShow MoreRelatedDevelopmental Psychology3823 Words   |  16 PagesDevelopmental Psychology There are three main theories of development that I shall discuss in this assignment, Cognitive, the main theorist being, Piaget, (1896 - 1980), The, Psychosocial Theory, Erikson, (1902 - 1994), and, The Psychosexual, of, Freud, (1856 - 1939). Cognitive Psychology draws the comparison between the human mind and a computer, suggesting that we like the computer process the information we acquire from around us and then react accordingly. Hearnshaw, (1987)Read MoreDevelopmental Psychology : An Introduction2958 Words   |  12 PagesDevelopmental Psychology: An introduction Psychology is a field that is broken down into many subfields, each field distinctive in their nature. One of the most studied fields is developmental psychology. Before I explain the field in depth, it is important to understand what developmental psychology is, and how it came to be. Developmental psychology is mainly a scientific approach, which aims to explain how children and adults change overtime (Lerner, Lewin-Bizan, Warren, 2011). Most uniquelyRead MoreDevelopmental Psychology : Understanding The Developmental Process978 Words   |  4 PagesDevelopmental Psychology has widened my perspective and knowledge of the nature of development from humans’ infancy to adolescence and emerging adulthood. Although I have learned about biological, cognitive, and socioemotional processes and periods of development, I am especially interested in socioemotional development in infancy because it is the foundation for a child’s future development. 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One of the fields of Psychology that has influencedRead MoreDevelopmental Psychology And The Life Of Anne Frank1068 Words   |  5 Pages DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY AND THE LIFE OF ANNE FRANK Name: Professor: Course: Date: Introduction Developmental psychology is rapidly becoming an inalienable branch of the subject of psychology. Developmental psychology can be defined as the scientific study concerned with how and why human beings develop over the course of their life. Although connected with infants and children, the scope of developmental psychology has expanded over the years. It also describes the concepts of adolescenceRead MoreDevelopmental Psychology : The Biological Examination Of Changes951 Words   |  4 PagesPSYCHOLOGY ESSAY: Introduction Developmental psychology is the the biological examination of changes that happens to human beings during the course of their life time. During the course of a life time of a human being ,certain biological changes happens. The development stages are divided into different stages. According to Erikson ,†the eight ages of development and the major life crisis are significant in terms of individual growth and development.†(Care human development,Student support SessionRead MoreDevelopmental Psychology Essay1110 Words   |  5 PagesDevelopment Psychology Development psychology refers to the scientific study of the systematic psychological changes that normally occur to human beings throughout their growth period from birth to old age. It was originally concerned with children and infants, but it has since expanded to include the entire life span of mankind including adolescence and adulthood. Development psychology covers the extent to which human development occurs through gradual accumulation of knowledge, and the extentRead MoreThe Theory Of Developmental Psychology1336 Words   |  6 PagesDevelopmental psychology is viewed as different approaches which aims to look at how children and adults develop. Theories such as Bowlby s attachment theory can explain how a child s development can be altered by their attachment, thus leading to the ideology of the nature vs nurture debate, nature referring to the process of biological maturation while nurture is referring to the impact of the environment or surroundings, which involves the idea that a person learns through experiences. (McLeod