Overview
This lecture reviews major theories of human development and learning, including Erikson’s psychosocial theory, Freud’s psychosexual theory, behaviorism (Watson, Pavlov, Skinner), and Piaget’s cognitive development theory.
Erikson's 8 Stages of Psychosocial Development
- Erikson modified Freud's theory into eight life stages, each with a psychological conflict to resolve.
- Progressing through stages builds mastery, competence, and a healthy personality; failure results in inadequacy.
- Stages and crises:
- Trust vs. Mistrust (birth-1 yr): Dependence on caregivers for trust.
- Autonomy vs. Shame/Doubt (1-3 yrs): Developing independence.
- Initiative vs. Guilt (3-6 yrs): Asserting control, planning, and interaction.
- Industry vs. Inferiority (6-12 yrs): Comparing self to others, pride or inferiority.
- Identity vs. Role Confusion (12-18 yrs): Forming a personal identity.
- Intimacy vs. Isolation (early adulthood): Building close relationships.
- Generativity vs. Stagnation (40s-60s): Contributing to society, legacy.
- Integrity vs. Despair (65+): Reflecting on life with satisfaction or regret.
Freud's Psychoanalytic/Psychosexual Theory
- Personality consists of id (instinct), ego (reality), and superego (morality).
- Five stages:
- Oral (birth-1 yr): Mouth as pleasure center, trust, fixation leads to dependency.
- Anal (1-3 yrs): Bowel/bladder control, fixation can lead to orderliness or messiness.
- Phallic (3-6 yrs): Genitals, Oedipus/Electra complex, gender identity.
- Latent (6-puberty): Dormant sexual feelings, focus on social skills.
- Genital (puberty+): Mature sexuality, balance of needs.
- Fixation results from unresolved conflicts, causing adult personality issues.
Behaviorism: Watson, Pavlov, and Skinner
- Watson: Only observable behavior matters; learning is due to environmental conditioning.
- Pavlov: Classical conditioning—associating a neutral stimulus with an unconditioned one to produce a response.
- Skinner: Operant conditioning—learning through consequences.
- Positive reinforcement: Reward increases behavior.
- Negative reinforcement: Removing unpleasant stimuli increases behavior.
- Punishment: Decreases behavior.
- Schedules of reinforcement affect learning speed and extinction (variable-ratio is most persistent).
Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development
- Children move through four cognitive stages:
- Sensorimotor (birth-2): Learn via senses, develop object permanence.
- Preoperational (2-7): Symbolic thinking, egocentrism, make-believe play.
- Concrete operational (7-11): Logical thinking about concrete events, mastery of conservation, reversibility, and decentration.
- Formal operational (11+): Abstract, hypothetical reasoning.
- Assimilation and accommodation drive learning and development.
Key Terms & Definitions
- Ego — part of personality balancing id and reality.
- Superego — moral component of personality.
- Classical Conditioning — learning via association (Pavlov).
- Operant Conditioning — learning via consequences (Skinner).
- Object Permanence — understanding objects exist when out of sight.
- Reinforcement — consequence that increases a behavior.
- Punishment — consequence that decreases a behavior.
- Conservation — understanding quantity remains the same despite changes in shape.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Review assigned readings on development theories.
- Prepare examples of each theory for next class discussion.
- Complete any related homework or quiz preparation as assigned.