Early Childhood Education Child Development Theories Flashcards

A preschool teacher observes a four-year-old child insisting on pouring their own milk, even though they spill some. The child says, "I can do it myself!" According to Erik Erikson's stages of psychosocial development, this behavior is a typical expression of which developmental crisis?

Answer: Initiative vs. Guilt

Erikson's third stage, Initiative vs. Guilt (ages 3-5), is characterized by children asserting their power and control over the world through directing play and other social interactions. Successfully navigating this stage leads to a sense of purpose, while criticism or control can result in guilt. The child's desire to perform the task independently demonstrates this burgeoning sense of initiative.

Which of the following classroom scenarios best illustrates Lev Vygotsky's concept of the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)?

Answer: A teacher provides a slightly challenging puzzle and offers clues and encouragement as a child works to solve it.

The Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) is the difference between what a learner can do without help and what they can achieve with guidance and encouragement from a skilled partner. The teacher providing support (scaffolding) for a task that is just beyond the child's independent ability is a perfect example of teaching within the ZPD.

A preschooler, after observing their teacher consistently say "please" and "thank you," begins to use these phrases in their own interactions with peers. This is a primary example of learning as described by which theorist?

Answer: Albert Bandura

Albert Bandura's Social Learning Theory posits that learning occurs through observation, imitation, and modeling. The child learned the polite phrases by watching and imitating the teacher's behavior, which is the core concept of observational learning.

According to Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development, a child in the preoperational stage (ages 2-7) is likely to exhibit egocentrism. Which of the following is a classic example of this characteristic?

Answer: Believing that their teddy bear is sad because it was left outside in the rain.

Egocentrism, a hallmark of Piaget's preoperational stage, is the inability to differentiate between one's own perspective and someone else's. A related concept is animism, where children attribute human feelings and intentions to inanimate objects, which stems from their egocentric viewpoint that everything functions as they do. Believing the teddy bear is sad is a clear example of this.

A teacher wants to encourage children to clean up their toys after playtime. Every time a child puts away their toys in the correct bin, the teacher gives them specific verbal praise, such as "Great job putting the blocks in the red bin!" According to B.F. Skinner, the teacher's praise functions as what?

Answer: Positive Reinforcement

In B.F. Skinner's theory of operant conditioning, positive reinforcement involves adding a desirable stimulus (in this case, praise) to increase the likelihood that a behavior (cleaning up) will be repeated. The teacher is reinforcing the desired behavior with a positive consequence.

Urie Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory describes a child's development as being influenced by a series of nested environmental systems. The system that represents the linkages and interactions between two or more of the child's immediate environments, such as the relationship between their home and their school, is called the:

Answer: Mesosystem

Bronfenbrenner's mesosystem consists of the interactions between different parts of a person's microsystem. For a child, this would include the connections between their family life and their school life, or between their peers and their family.