Child Development Theories:

Birth to Age 12
Early Childhood Education I
Objective 6.03
 What are some of the major child
development theories?
• Psychosocial Theory of Human
Development- Erik Erikson
• Theory of Cognitive Development- Jean
Piaget
• Theory of Behaviorism-B.F. Skinner
• Sociocultural Theory- Lev Vygotsky
• Theory of Multiple Intelligences – Howard
Gardner
• Motivation Theory – Abraham Maslow
 Erik Erikson
Psychosocial Theory of Development
• Life occurs in series
of stages.
• Each invidual must
pass through each
stage.
• Way people handle
stages affects
person’s identity and
self-concept.
 Stages of Psychosocial Theory of
Development
• Trust vs. Mistrust
• Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt
• Initiative vs. Guilt
• Industry vs. Inferiority
• Identity vs. Identity Confusion
• Intimacy vs. Isolation
• Generativity vs. Stagnation
• Integrity vs. Despair
 Trust vs. Mistrust
• Birth to 18 months
– Basic needs being met
– Primary caretaker
– Fear of abandonment
– Need consistency in care
– Mistrust (does not securely attach, inability to
bond)
 Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt
• 18 months to 3 years
• Shame when comparing self with “competent
giants”
• Opposition-test limits, “no”
• Offer them safe easy choices
• Potty Training
 Initiative vs. Guilt
• 3-5 years
• Desire to copy caregivers
• Take initiative to create play
experiences
– Make up stories
– Play telephone
– Play out roles
• Most significant relationship
is with family.
 Industry vs. Inferiority
• 5-12 years
• “my way”
• Capable of learning, creating, accomplishing
new skills (industry)
• Very social stage—can lead to self-esteem
issues if we have unresolved feelings of
inadequacy (inferiority)
Identity vs. Identity Confusion
• 12-18 years (adolescence)
• Attempt to find own identity
– Figure out who we are
separate from our family
• Struggle with social
interactions
• Moral issues
• Unsuccessful will lead to
role confusion
Intimacy vs. Isolation
• 18-35 years
• Seek one or more
companions (love)
• successful = intimacy
• Unsuccessful = isolation
(withdraw from others)
• Relationship is with
marital partner or friends
most important.
 Generativity vs. Stagnation
• 35-55 or 65 years old
• Focus on career and
family
• Significant
relationships with
workplace,
community and family
 Integrity vs. Despair
• 55 or 65 to death
• Look back on life and feel content and happy
know we have made contribution (integrity)
• Accept death
• See life as failure, fear death, struggle to find
purpose (despair)
 Theory of Cognitive Development
Jean Piaget
• Behavior and thinking
can only be explained
by interaction of
nature (intrinsic) and
nurture (extrinsic
environment)
• Children pass through
specific stages
 Cognitive Development Stages
• Sensorimotor (birth-2) – learn through
senses and develop intellect
• Preoperational (2-6 years) – children begin
to think symbolically and imaginatively
• Concrete Operational (6-12) – children
learn to think logically
• Formal Operational (12 yrs – adulthood) –
adults develop critical thinking skills
Theory of Behaviorism
B.F. Skinner
• Based on Tabula Rasa
(“clean slate” idea)
• Children start as “empty
organism” – waiting to be
filled through learning
experiences
• Behavior can be changed
through positive and
negative reinforcement
• Based on cause and effect
relationships
Major elements of Behaviorism:
• Positive and negative reinforcement
• Use of stimulus and response
• Modeling
• Conditioning
 Check out this video on
Behaviorism!
• http://www.teachertube.com/view_video.p
hp?viewkey=bcbddb2b6d60038ad98b
 Sociocultural Theory
Lev Vygotsky
• Culture and way children
interact with people influences
intellectual development
• Cultural environment-children
learn values, beliefs, skills,
and traditions they will pass to
own children
• Cooperative play-children
learn to behave according to
rules of culture
• Learning is constructed
Zone of Proximal Development

•the child follows the

adult's example and
gradually develops
the ability to do
certain tasks without
help or assistance.
•the difference
between what a child
can do with help and
what he or she can do
without guidance
• http://video.google.com/videosearch?hl=e
n&q=sociocultural%20theory%20of%20de
velopment%20lev%20vygotsky&um=1&ie
=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wv#
 Howard Gardner
Theory of Multiple of Intelligences
• Viewed as the ability to solve problems
and create products in a specific situation
• Many kinds of intelligence exist
• IQ Tests tend to focus on only one or two
of these intelligences
• May be exceptionally well developed in
individuals due to well-developed parts of
brain or cultural conditions
 Multiple Intelligences
• Linguistic
• Logical-Mathematical
• Spatial
• Bodily-Kinesthetic
• Intrapersonal
• Interpersonal
• Musical
• Naturalistic
Linguistic
• Has to do with words,
spoken or written
• Typically good at reading,
writing, and telling stories
• Learn foreign languages
easily
• Good speakers and good
at explaining
• Writers, lawyers, poets,
journalists, politicians
 Logical-Mathematical
• Analyze problems
logically
• Carry out mathematic
operations
• Investigate issues
scientifically
• Detect patterns
 Spatial
• Picture smart
• Visual learners
• Sharp eye for detail and
colors
• Good hand-eye
coordination
• Tend to be artistically
inclined
• Need visual support like
pictures, charts, and
other images
 Bodily-Kinesthetic
• Learn best by moving
and using their body
parts
• Highly coordinated
• Enjoy working with
hands
• Enjoy taking things
apart and putting
them back together
• Doing and trying vs.
watching and hearing
Intrapersonal
• Self smart
• ‘march to the beat of their
own drum’
• Have high self esteem and
confidence
• Tend to be perfectionists
• In tune with their emotions,
abilities, and goals
• Introverted and play on
their own
• Do not seek approval of
peers nor their companions
Interpersonal
• People smart
• Have lots of friends
• Able to create long meaningful
relationships
• Empathetic and sensitive to
others feelings, moods, and
temperaments
• Enjoy socializing and working
together
• Able to lead and be led
• Have strong communication
skills
• Learn best by working with
others through discussion and
debate
 Musical
• Music smart
• High sensitivity to sounds,
tones, and music
• Sharp hearing allows them to
follow lecture without visual aid
• Rhyming, singing, playing an
instrument, and composing
music comes easily
• Sing or hum while doing other
activities
• Use rhyming and songs to help
memorize information
• Work while playing music in
background
• http://www.preschools4all.com/multiple-
intelligence-theory.html
Motivation Theory
Abraham Maslow
• People are motivated by
set of basic human needs
• Organized in
hierarchy/pyramid
• Most critical needs at
bottom
• Once most critical needs
met, you can move on to
higher needs on pyramid
such as love, respect,
self-actualization
Hierarchy of
Needs