Exam 2: Theories of Development

Selective _____ is the process by which living creatures (including people) adjust to their environment.

Developmentalists who subscribe to the eclectic perspective select what they consider to be the best aspects of each theory to explain development.

Erikson's stages of psychosocial development apply specifically to the childhood years.

Define eclectic perspective, and provide an example of how a clinician might use this approach to explain a case of childhood aggression.

A father utilizes the zone of proximal development when he helps his daughter learn how to ride a bike by herself through adjusting the level of support he provides to her.

Neuroscientists have discovered that the _____ is not completely connected to the rest of the brain until about age 25.

_____ has/have shown the effect that immediate response, associations, and examples have on learning, moment by moment and over time.

Observational learning is also called "_____."

What is a developmental theory? Identify three things discussed in the text that a theory can do.

Two-year-old D'Angelo picks up his trains and puts them in the toy box. His father smiles and claps, exclaiming, "Good boy! You cleaned up your toys!" The next time D'Angelo plays with his trains, he eagerly cleans up, and his father responds the same way. In this example, praise is operating as a _____ for D'Angelo.

Describe classical and operant conditioning. Next, identify the researcher who proposed the concept of classical conditioning and the researcher who introduced the idea of operant conditioning.

_____ is a theory that stresses the potential of all humans for good and the belief that all people have the same basic needs, regardless of culture, gender, or background.

Jenny has never seen a pear before today. As her mom hands it to her, she says that it is a fruit. Jenny knows that apples and bananas are fruits and that she likes eating them, so she has a reference for this new experience. Jenny is experiencing _____.

Da'Shay believes that breast-feeding her infant son is crucial for developing a close bond with him and facilitating favorable development. Da'Shay's belief is consistent with the _____ perspective.

Critics of behaviorism argue that the theory _____.

In the first half of the twentieth century, which two opposing theories dominated the discipline of psychology?

A developmental theory is a systematic statement of general principles that provides a framework for understanding how and why people change as they grow older.

Describe what Vygotsky meant by "apprenticeship in thinking" and "guided participation." Give an example of each.

Describe similarities between Freud's theory of psychosexual development and Erikson's theory of psychosocial development. Next, describe ways in which these theories differ.

Which of the following questions would be addressed by an evolutionary theorist?