DEVELOPMENTAL THEORIES

1. Jean Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development

 Our cognition develops because of maturation.

Basic Concepts:

a. Schema - refers to the cognitive structure by which an individual

intellectually adapt and organize their environment. It is an
individual’s way to understand or create meaning about a thing or
experience.
b. Assimilation – process of fitting a new experience to an existing or
previously created cognitive structure or schema.
c. Accommodation – process of creating a new schema.
d. Equilibration – As children progress through the stages of
cognitive development, it is important to maintain a balance
between applying previous knowledge (assimilation) and
changing behavior to account for new knowledge.

Stages of Cognitive Development

STAGES AGE CHARACTERISTICS

Stage 1 Sensorimoto Birth- o Differentiates self from objects
r Stage infancy-2 o Recognizes self as agent of action
years old and begins to act intentionally. e.g.
pulls a string to set mobile in
motion or shakes a rattle to make
a noise.
o Achieves object permanence –
realizes that things continue to
exist even when no longer present
to the sense.

Stage 2 Pre- 2-7 years o Learns to use language and to

operational old represent objects by images and
Stage words.
o Thinking is still egocentric has
difficulty taking the viewpoint of
others.
o Animism is the ability to focus on
one feature or characteristic: e.g.
groups together all the red blocks
regardless of shape or all the
square blocks regardless of color.
Stage 3 Concrete 7-11 years o Can think logically about objects
 Operations old and events.
o Achieves conservation- the ability
to classify objects according to
several features and can order
them in series along a single
dimension such as size.
o Can classify, seriate, order things
Stage 4 Formal 11-15 o Can think logically about abstract
Operations years old proposition and test hypotheses
Stage and above systemically.
o Becomes concerned with the
hypothetical, the future, and
ideological problems.

2. Lev Vygotsky’s Social-cultural Theory

 Our cognition develops because of social interaction.

Central Factors

1. Social Interactions
2. Language – serves as a social function but it also helps the learner
regulate and reflect on his own thinking.
3. Zone of Actual Development – the child perform at a certain level of
competency.
4. Zone of Proximal Development – the difference what the child can
accomplish on his own and what he can accomplish with the guidance
of another.
5. Scaffolding – the support/ assistance that lets the child accomplish a
task he cannot accomplish independently.

3. Erikson’s Stages of Psychosocial Development

 How other people deal with us

BASIC IMPORTANT OUTCOME

STAGE
CONFLICT EVENTS
Children develop a sense of trust
Infancy (birth Trust vs when caregivers provide reliability,
Feeding
to 18 months) Mistrust care, and affection. A lack of this will
lead to mistrust.
Children need to develop a sense of
Early personal control over physical skills
Autonomy
childhood (2 and a sense of independence.
vs Shame Toilet Training
to 3 years Success leads to feelings of
and Doubt
old) autonomy, failure results in feelings of
shame and doubt.
 Children need to begin asserting
control and power over the
Preschool (3 environment. Success in this stage
Initiative vs
to 5 years) Exploration leads to a sense of purpose. Children
Guilt
who try to exert too much power
experience disapproval, resulting in a
sense of guilt.
Children need to cope with new social
School Age and academic demands. Success
Industry vs
(6 to 11 School leads to a sense of competence, while
Inferiority
years) failure results in feelings of inferiority.

Teens need to develop a sense of self

Adolescence Identity vs and personal identity. Success leads
Social
(12 to 18 Role to an ability to stay true to yourself,
Relationships
years) Confusion while failure leads to role confusion
and a weak sense of self.
Young adults need to form intimate,
Young loving relationships with other people.
Adulthood Intimacy vs Success leads to strong relationships,
Relationships
(19 to 40 Isolation while failure results in loneliness and
years) isolation.

Adults need to create or nurture

things that will outlast them, often by
Middle
having children or creating a positive
Adulthood Generativity
Work and change that benefits other people.
(40 to 65 vs
Parenthood Success leads to feelings of
years) Stagnation
usefulness and accomplishment, while
failure results in shallow involvement
in the world.
Older adults need to look back on life
Maturity and feel a sense of fulfillment.
Ego
Reflection on Success at this stage leads to feelings
Integrity vs
(65 to death) life of wisdom, while failure results in
Despair
regret, bitterness, and despair.

4. Lawrence Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral Development

LEVEL STAGE DESCRIPTION

Pre-conventional Level –
moral reasoning is based on
the consequences/result of
the act.
You benefit from someone
One is motivated by fear of
punishment. He will act in order to
1
avoid punishment.
2 Actions are based largely on satisfying
 one own needs.
Conventional Level-moral Good boy-Nice Girl
reasoning is based on the The person acts because he values
3
conventions or norms of how he will appear to others.
society.
Law and Order
4 One is motivated to act in order to
uphold the law and order.
Post-conventional Level Social Contract Interaction
5 One will act based on social justice
and the common good.
Universal Ethical Principle Orientation
This is associated with the
development of one’s conscience.
6 Having a set of standards that drives
one to process moral responsibility to
make societal changes regardless of
consequences to oneself.