Explain How Theories Of Development Influence Current Practice

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A theory can be described as an attempt to organise different facts to give an overall explanation of something. There have been many theorists and will continue to be theorists who try and give a deeper understanding into the development of babies and young children. Theorists have developed theories which can be categorised into behaviourism, social learning, cognitive development and social cognitive developmental theories. These theories have become revolutionary in changing the way development was perceived, and today aids us to develop and expand on these findings. Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936) and B.F.Skinner (1904-1990) introduced us to behaviourism theories. Pavlov found that learning can be a result of association, learning that two things go together. This is called classic …show more content…
He conducted the Bobo doll experiment in which children watched an adult use physical aggression towards a doll, they also watched as the adult used props such as a hammer to assault the doll. Bandura found the children exposed to this abuse on the doll rein acted the violence using the props and he also noted the children acquired the aggressive language to accompany their actions. This is a simple explanation to the social learning theory that children learn from their peers and what they are surrounded by. An example of this observation learning in children today could be the excessive amount of cartoon characters which may have attitudes towards there cartoon parents. Parents may find that, from watching these cartoon, children may develop an attitude towards their own parents because they are exposed to it on telly. Children could also hear swear words in the school playground and then begin to use them at home. These are all examples of a social learning theory that children learn through observation in their