Historical and conceptual issues in developmental psychology
Nature Vs Nurture Debate
Plato 4th C- People are born with innate knowledge (nature).
Aristotle 4th C: Knowledge comes from experience (nurture). John
Locke (16-17th C): saw the child as a tabula rasa (nurture)
Roussseau 18th C: Noble savages learning emerges from
spontaneous interactions with objects and people (nurture). Freud
20th C- concluded that biological drives exerted a crucial influence
on development (nature)
Watson, 1930 (nurture): Believes genetic
pre-disposition is unimportant- it is the
environment the child si raised in.
The process of classical conditioning explains all
aspects of human psychology. He also believes all
human differences were due to different
experiences in learning.
Twin studies: Compare development of monozigotic or
dizigotic twins raised apart from birth by different parents
vs. the monozigotic or dizigotic twins raised by the same
parents.
Adopted Romanian orphans (Rutter et al)2004: -Compared
Romanian orphans adopted by British parents vs British
orphans adopted by British parents. Studied from adoption
until 6.
-144 Romanian orphans adopted into uk
families 1990-1992: 45 placed under 6
months, 54 places between 6-24 months
and 45 places 24-42 months. Comparison
group - 52 UK children before 6 months.
Historical overview: Binet Study of
child development began around
end of 19th century
- Binet started investigating children's intelligence and developing standardised tests 1900
Commisioned to identify students who needed educational assistance
concept of a mental age
Now stanford-Binet test- Intelligence Quotient
(IQ): Test five factors of cognitive ability: - Fluid
Reasoning- Knowledge, Quantitative
Reasoning, Visual-Spatial Processing and
Working memory. Each of these factors is
tested in two separate domains, verbal and
nonverbal.
Pavlov
Behaviourism: All behaviour is learned= nurture
Pavlov's dogs (1890-1930s)- conditioning
Watson and Rayner (1920) showed
that classical conditioning applied to
humans as well as animals in Litlle
Albert experiment.
Bowlby's Maternal Deprivation Hypothesis (1950s)
Explained social, linguistic, and cognitive impairments in
orphanages due to lack of emotional warmth. 'Failure to
thrive'
Ebidence from Harlow's Monkeys- 1960s
Critical period for attachment formation- birth to 3 years.
Bandura - Social learning theory- Bobo doll experiment
Children learn by watching others=nurture
Applied aspects: Still used in debates about
children watching videos, playing violent
computer games etc.
Children's behaviour changes as soon as
they attend nursery etc, once they
begin imitationg other children
araround them.
Recent influences :
Jean Piaget (1920s-70s): Piaget's stage theories of
cognitive development - The child is born with
structures ready to absorb knowledge
Lev Vygotsky (1920s.30s) - Vygotsky's
socioculture theory of cognitive
development - The child develops
understanding through his/her interaction
with the world