Theories Of Human Development

The Ecological Systems Theory was founded by Urie Bronfenbrenner. This theory focuses on the impact of the environment on a child’s overall development. The identifying characteristics of Bronfenbrenner’s theory are the five systems used to organize external influences within a child’s development. These systems are the microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, macrosystem, and chronosystem. Each system is aligned with specific interaction levels. The microsystem is considered to be the most intimate of the levels, in which development is dependent on the immediate environment. The immediate environment would include adults, peers, and siblings with influence to learning new behaviors and the environment in which the

This paper has presented an argument on how a child’s development is strongly influenced by environmental and cultural influences as well as parenting styles and education. Children begin to learn and experiment with social skills at school, allowing them to learn and understand social skills necessary for later life in life. Children who receive schooling at an early age perform better later in academics. I hope that by teaching in the ways that I described will help me accomplish this. I want my classroom of students to be excited to come to my class everyday to learn something that I hope will impact them for the rest of their lives. I want my classroom to be a very caring environment. I want my students to feel important and smart and to influence them to be the best that they can be. Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from

Bronfenbrenner U. (1977). Toward an Experimental Ecology of Human Development [Electronic version]. American Psychologist, 32, 513-531.

Early childhood is one of the most critical developmental periods in a human’s lifespan. The child transitions from infancy and begins the essential changes needed before the next developmental period begins, middle childhood which begins at six years of age. Development refers to “the orderly patterns of change, as well as continuities that occur in an individual through their life span” (text, p3). Human development is determined by both genes and environmental influences or nature and nurture. Nature refers to heredity which is the passing of traits from parents to their children and maturation which is the changes biologically programmed by genes (text, p7). Nurture refers to the changes that occur due to the individual’s environment

From the day they are born, children are immersed in a social world. Rapid learning takes place and is supported not only by parents, siblings, teachers and friends but also the important values and beliefs within their culture. All of this provides the foundations for cognitive development. As trainee teachers, it is fundamental that we have a deeper understanding of how children learn and how we can support learning. In order to do this we must first look at some of the theories of learning.

B) our ability to modify our behavior based on the prospect of rewards or punishment.

Bronfenbrenner’s (1977, 1979, 1989, 1993, 1994) ecological theory suggested that child (human) development occurs for the child within the context of various environments. These environments, or systems, are influenced from within and between other environments. The individuals within each system influence each other through various transactions that occur between them.

The study of human development is a rich as well as differed subject. All of us have personal experience with development, however this is sometimes difficult to understand how and why people grow, discover, and act as they do.

Human development is an essential aspect in early childhood education. This essay is going to discuss the theories of three human development theorists, Urie Bronfenbrenner, John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth’s. Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems theory is concerned with family, cultural and social influences and all the other environmental elements. Bowlby’s Attachment theory and Stages of attachment and Ainsworth’s “Strange Situation” research which breaks down attachment into three types are related to the relationship between adults and children. These theories are all associated with socio-cultural theory, which is throughout the New Zealand early childhood curriculum Te whariki (Ministry of Education, 1996).

Childhood development encompasses the cognitive, physical, social, moral and emotional changes from birth until the end of adolescence (White, Hayes & Livesey, 2013). Throughout childhood, environment and genetics promote or discourage growth and development. This essay will analyse the cognitive, physical, social, moral and emotional domains in relativity to my own development from the prenatal stage until adolescence. Psychological and environmental theories are used to develop the understanding and connection between each domain and stage of development. Lastly, this essay will address the controversial nature verses nurture debate and its relevance to my childhood development.

The method in which children come into their development is a very significant procedure that every person should be able to recognize. Children are not all the same so their development is not the same either. In fact, most children cannot even be treated the same when in regards to their development. To get a better understanding that involves the way children and teenagers grow a person would need to really recognize and comprehend the model of human development. This essay will emphasis on the Bio ecological Model of Human development; the diverse systems that are within human development and also how each of the systems are different.

Developmental Psychology has widened my perspective and knowledge of the nature of development from humans’ infancy to adolescence and emerging adulthood. Although I have learned about biological, cognitive, and socioemotional processes and periods of development, I am especially interested in socioemotional development in infancy because it is the foundation for a child’s future development. That is to say, if children have a healthy socioemotional development from infancy, they will have a healthy life later on. By understanding the developmental process in infancy, I will be fully prepared when I have children or when my family’s members do.

The development of human being during the entire course of life, focus on biological and psychological growth (Berk, 2010). Human development hold several outcomes that are altered by both positive and negative influences. Genetic (nature) and environmental (nurture) influences place significant impact on human development. In fact, Pinker (2004) submits that behavior is the result of a complex collaboration among inheritance and environmental factors in human development, ultimately supporting that nature-nurture work collectively (Pinker, 2004).

Human development transpires through “processes of progressively more complex reciprocal interactions” (Brofenbrenner, 1995, p. 620). For these interactions to be entirely effective, they must occur regularly over a period of time (Eamon, 2001). It is also evident that one’s biological and environmental experiences can shape their way of developing in the long run. In order to understand human development, it is essential to analyze various aspects. Through reading this text, you will better understand how developmental psychologist, Bronfenbrenner, and German psychologist, Baltes both conceptualized their views on the various effects on human development.

There are three foundations of human development. The foundations are the biological development, psychological development, and social development. The concept of human diversity and cultural competences demonstrates how different people can be. General systems theory and social order are connected in some way.