It demonstrates the effect that discipline and parenting styles can have on a child. Social Learning Theory recognises children as being more engaged in their leaning and stresses the importance of role models, stating that children can learn by simply observing others. Constructivism somewhat downplays the role of social experiences in favour of biological influences and suggests that children are independent agents of their own learning, not overly influenced by parents and teachers. Finally, Social Constructivism argues that the key to learning and development lies in the social interaction with peer groups, rather than merely observing others. Behaviourists believe that the environment in which a
A lot of resources will refer to intellect as the ability to learn or reason. Piaget was particularly interested in this area in relation to the cognitive development of the child. In the history of psychology, as it progressed throughout the 18th century, various 'schools of psychology' developed. Two examples of the schools are Behaviourism and Structuralism. Constructivism is another school of psychology, and focuses directly on how people learn; specifically how knowledge is acquired and how it is transformed into learning.
(Malerstein 1) Piaget believed that a child’s intellectual development is not solely on the fact of experience or maturational unfolding. Instead, he theorized that new mental processes are constructed when boys or girls interact with the environment. He based his terminology on schemas which are, “organized ways of interacting with objects in the world.” An example of this would be an infant having a grasping schema or a sucking schema. As the infant gradually age’s new schemas are added and they adapt their old ones through the processes of accommodation and assimilation. (Flavell 9) When a child observes that animals move on their own they may believe that the moon and sun are alive because they appear to move on their own as well.
Piaget, Vygotsky, and Erikson offer different views of how a child’s mental abilities progress throughout their education. Piaget believed that children, at certain stages in their lives, regardless of intelligence, were not able to understand things in particular ways, simply because they were not old enough. He thought that development had to precede learning. Vygotsky, on the other hand, theorized that children acquire their level of intelligence by the culture they live in and that children learning different things helped them to develop intellectually. Erikson felt as if the environment played a major role in a child’s development and that every person goes through specific stages in their lives.
‘Human behavior and performance are the result of multiple influences.’ Examine and assess this assertion, drawing on examples from Chapters 1, 6 and 7 of Discovering Psychology. How a human behaves and performs is influenced by a variety of internal and external influences. This essay will outline and assess influences that are related to the formation of language, personality and friendship. This will be achieved by evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of evidence collated from studies and experiments. This essay will aim to conclude that the theory of influences does affect human behavior and performance.
On the other hand, cognitivists believe that by reflecting on our own experiences, we construct our own understanding of the world. Though theses two schools of psychology are very much different, they do have their similarities. Behaviorism and cognitivism are similar in that they both attempt to explain and describe how learning occurs in individuals. Both are also valuable learning theories. They observe the response individuals make to different situations or different conditions.
One of Vygotsky’s important ideas was his notion of the Zone of proximal development (ZPD). This refers to the gap between what children can accomplish on their own and what they can accomplish with the help of others who are more competent. Note that the word proximal means “nearby,” indicating that the assistance provided goes just slightly beyond the child’s current abilities. Such guidance can help “stretch” the Child’s cognitive abilities to new levels. Vygotsky defined the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) as the distance between the most difficult task a child can do alone and the most difficult task a child can do with help.
These particular differences either become more distinctive themselves as the person grows up, or orientate the person to enhance them in his education (ibid.). This proves that intelligence orientation is not influenced by the environment. It is often argued that hardworking is more important than talent in one’s achievements. While this is true, it is important to recognise that hardworking results from the passion of a person
Kohlberg was concerned more with reasoning for each participant’s decision rather than their answer (Cherrie, 2012). Kohlberg’s research resulted in the following levels and stages of moral development; Level 1. Preconventional Morality • Stage 1 - Obedience and Punishment The earliest stage of moral development is especially common in young children, but adults are also capable of expressing this type of reasoning. At this stage, children see rules as fixed and absolute. Obeying the rules is important because it is a means to avoid punishment.
A) Compare and contrast any two of the methodologies that you have pursued in this phase and write a comparative essay. There are numerous approaches to early childhood education. Two perspectives, developed by Friedrich Froebel and Maria Montessori, have similarities as well as many differences. Both approaches are based on the idea that early childhood learning is holistic and intertwined with the developmental progression of the child. They are both constructivist, holding that children learn through constructing meaning with their world.