Week 2 - Phil Kleven

In chapter 2, we learn about a range of theories that offer insight to human development. Linda Fiore opens the chapter with an interesting quote: “In a society that relies on scientific fact as truth that guides our behavior, what’s the point of studying theories that suggest only “Maybe” and “Perhaps if…” are answers to the “Why?” of lifespan development?”. Theories are essential for constructing meaning out of facts. On page 28, a helpful bulleted list details some qualities of good theories.

Good theories:

1. Help to organize a huge body of information
2. Help to focus our search for new understandings
3. Help to explain how findings may be interpreted
4. Help to identify major disagreements among scholars

Next, pages 29-33 discuss the psychoanalytic theories of Sigmund Freud and Erik Erikson. Freud believed that we possess powerful ideas and the impulses of which we’re unaware but that exert a strong influence on our behavior. Detailed on pages 30-31, Freud’s theory can be broken down into five stages:

1. The Oral Stage (0-1.5 years old) - Sucking, eating, biting
2. The Anal Stage (1.5-3) - Successful toilet training
3. The Phallic Stage (3-5) - Unconscious sexual desire
4. The Latency Stage (5-12) - Sexual desire becomes dormant. Physical and social skills dominate
5. The Genital Stage (12+) - Sexual hormones surge. Relationships outside family develop.

In contrast, Erikson lays out psychosocial theory of development that emphasizes the impact of social experiences on stages of human development.

Life Crisis: (p. 32-33)

1. Basic trust vs. mistrust (Ages: 0-2)
2. Autonomy vs. shame (2-3)
3. Initiative vs. guilt (3-5)
4. Industry vs. inferiority (5-12)
5. Identity vs. confusion (12-18)
6. Intimacy vs. isolation (18-25)
7. Generatively vs. stagnation (25-65)
8. Integrity vs. despair (65+)

After reading through the above list, I though about my private string students, and tried to connect their personalities to the associated Life Crisis as detailed by Erikson. It was interesting to reflect on their individual struggles and difficulties, and I was surprised how correct Erickson’s list was in predicting various age-based crises. 

Fiore next discusses cognitive theories on pages 34-38. I learned about two major theorists: Piaget and Vygotsky. On page 34, Fiore says of Piaget’s theory, “development occurs as we develop increasingly effective cognitive structures, mental representations that enable us to organize and adapt to our world”. 

Finally, on pages 38-42, Fiore describes the behavioral approach, focusing on the work of Pavlov, Skinner, and Bandura. 

Pavlov

• Classical conditioning - Involuntary response elicited through a learning process
• Dogs salivate with bell

Skinner

• Developed an explanation of learning that stressed the consequences of behavior
• Reinforcement - makes a response more likely to happen in the future
• Operant conditioning - refers to our behavior or actions we do voluntarily, and how the use of consequences can modify or shape such behavior. 

Bandura

• Observational learning - Bandura showed that learning occurs through observing others, even when the observers do not imitate the model’s response at that time and get no reinforcement.  
• In my own group classes, I use Bandura's strategy of observational learning to create student drive for progress. Nothing gets competitive students working more than thinking they are falling behind their classmates!

Through my teaching observations, I’ve seen all of these theories in action. Successful teachers need to draw from a range of ideas and strategies. In my own private teaching, various students benefit from different types of learning, reinforcement, and conditioning. I look forward to transferring this skills to my future classroom!