Читать книгу Child Development From Infancy to Adolescence - Laura E. Levine - Страница 140

When we began this section on developmental theories, we asked you to keep in mind these important questions:

1 How does the theory describe development? Does change occur quantitatively, in small steps, or qualitatively, in distinct stages?

2 What drives development? Is it the product of internal processes such as biological and cognitive growth, or environmental influences, or a combination of these factors?

You can now use Table 2.3 to review the theories presented in this chapter and to see whether your answers to these questions about them were correct. In addition, the table provides a very brief statement of some major contributions each theory has made to the study of child development and some of the recent applications of each theory.

Table 2.3

As you learn about developmental theories, you might be tempted to say “I agree” or “I don’t agree” with any particular theory, but your opinions should ultimately depend on reasoned, testable evidence that supports or refutes each one. In the next section, we examine how psychologists carry out research that advances our theoretical understanding of human development.