A child development theorist is a professional who attempts to
explain and interpret a child's behavior. A developmental theorist tries
to make sense of facts that are accumulated about children through
various forms of research, and organize this knowledge in a systematic
way.
Developmental theories are used to explain past events and predict future events, and help us speculate about the probable behavior of a child who is in a certain circumstance.
A development theorist may follow one of the four general categories of theories of child development. Environmental theories try and explain behavior based on a child's learning, their past behavior and their external environment. Epigenetic theories focus on the interactions between a child's outside environment and their inherited characteristics. Both learning theories and cognitive theories emphasize the development of a child's ability to learn or think.
Each child development theorist who follows their own theory of development provides a different set of explanations for behavior, so there is not a single theory that is best or most useful. It is generally most productive to examine child development from both the environmental and epigenetic perspectives.
Gesell was a development theorist who developed a sequence of behavior, in which he concluded that a child's maturation and change in behavior was cause by the development of their nervous system. Gsell felt that in order for a child to learn something new they had to be biologically ready to learn it, and that practice or training had little effect if a child was not ready to learn a particular skill.
Piaget was a child development theorist who described a series of orderly changes that take place in the way children think and solve problems. Piaget felt that children develop ways to think and solve problems as they mature, because their brains become better able to process and retain information.
Piaget's theory of cognitive development is organized into four stages. The sensorimotor stage covers infancy. The preoperational stage focuses on children 2 to 7 years old. Concrete operations focus on children 7 to 11 years old, and Formal Operations focuses on the cognitive abilities of adolescents.
Sigmund Freud was an environmental child development theorist who concentrated on early childhood conflict. Freud was one of the first to suspect that many emotional problems lay in the mind and not in the body. He emphasized how our unconscious motives influenced our behavior. Through psychoanalysis Freud attempted to identify a person's unconscious desires so that they could resolve conflicts from bad childhood experiences.
John B. Watson was a child development theorist who developed a Learning Theory of child growth and development. This theory states that behavior is not inborn but is learned.
A development theorist of a child who specializes in a social learning theory believes that children learn new responses by watching and imitating others, especially if they are rewarded.
Although the beliefs of various child development theorists differ, there are many aspects of each theory that can help explain a child's behavior and can add to our knowledge child development.
Developmental theories are used to explain past events and predict future events, and help us speculate about the probable behavior of a child who is in a certain circumstance.
A development theorist may follow one of the four general categories of theories of child development. Environmental theories try and explain behavior based on a child's learning, their past behavior and their external environment. Epigenetic theories focus on the interactions between a child's outside environment and their inherited characteristics. Both learning theories and cognitive theories emphasize the development of a child's ability to learn or think.
Each child development theorist who follows their own theory of development provides a different set of explanations for behavior, so there is not a single theory that is best or most useful. It is generally most productive to examine child development from both the environmental and epigenetic perspectives.
Gesell was a development theorist who developed a sequence of behavior, in which he concluded that a child's maturation and change in behavior was cause by the development of their nervous system. Gsell felt that in order for a child to learn something new they had to be biologically ready to learn it, and that practice or training had little effect if a child was not ready to learn a particular skill.
Piaget was a child development theorist who described a series of orderly changes that take place in the way children think and solve problems. Piaget felt that children develop ways to think and solve problems as they mature, because their brains become better able to process and retain information.
Piaget's theory of cognitive development is organized into four stages. The sensorimotor stage covers infancy. The preoperational stage focuses on children 2 to 7 years old. Concrete operations focus on children 7 to 11 years old, and Formal Operations focuses on the cognitive abilities of adolescents.
Sigmund Freud was an environmental child development theorist who concentrated on early childhood conflict. Freud was one of the first to suspect that many emotional problems lay in the mind and not in the body. He emphasized how our unconscious motives influenced our behavior. Through psychoanalysis Freud attempted to identify a person's unconscious desires so that they could resolve conflicts from bad childhood experiences.
John B. Watson was a child development theorist who developed a Learning Theory of child growth and development. This theory states that behavior is not inborn but is learned.
A development theorist of a child who specializes in a social learning theory believes that children learn new responses by watching and imitating others, especially if they are rewarded.
Although the beliefs of various child development theorists differ, there are many aspects of each theory that can help explain a child's behavior and can add to our knowledge child development.
Mary Boakyewaa is publisher and co-owner of
[http://www.child-development-guide.com] -- a website for the
development of children from birth to teens offering helpful tips and
advice for parents, early year's professionals, and students.
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