Evalution of Developmental Theory

Developmental theory has been shaped by the continuing debate as to whether the nature (intrinsic forces) or nurture (extrinsic forces) is the predominant influence. At the turn of the century, the theories of development promoted nature as the main influence. Gesell (early 1900) was one of the first to systematically study the child's development and to set standards for development. The development was seen as a function of neurological maturation and growth. Because age and genetic inheritance are the main mechanisms for change, it was believed that babies develop at a rate predetermined biological parents need a little more todo provide a good nurturing environment.

By mid-century, the theories that have highlighted the importance of food began to prevail. Pavlov (1930), Watson (1950) and Skinner (1960) has developed the opposite view that the development was a function of learning. Operant conditioning (positive and negative reinforcements through social interactions or changes in the environment) in the form of learning and promoting the development of the child. This line of thinking philosophy has formed the basis for the "Head Start" of the 1960's. Freud (1920) and Erikson (1950) has encouraged the development of progress in terms of conflict resolution. The quality of relations between the child and the key people were found to be essential to future development.

During the second half of the century, the name of Piaget has become almost synonymous with child development. Piaget was the first to describe the infant as having intelligence. For centuries it was assumed that the infant's mind was an "empty shelf waiting to be written." Because children could not tell us what they were experiencing, it was believed they had seen and heard little thought and even less so with the awareness that adults do not know exist. Piaget showed that the children were, in fact, able to think, to analyze, and assimilation. He considered the development as a step-like cognitive changes. Child actively explore objects in an effort to understand its environment. Depending on the stage of development, a child organizes information into new theories about how the world works.

It was not until the latter part of this century that the emotional and social development began receiving the same level of attention as that given to the automobile and cognitively. Research has revolved around theories about infantile expression of emotion (Mandler, 1970), attachment (Bowlby, 1960; Mahler, 1970, and Ainsworth, 1980), and the temperament (Thomas and Chess, 1970). Once it was recognized that newborns could demonstrate distress (pain and hunger), interest and disgust, those facial expressions were used to investigate the handling of information in childhood before the age where thoughts can be verbalized. As the 20th century ends, remarkable progress in the genetics of behavior, as well as recent findings on the child's innate abilities, the pendulum has swung in favour of nature as the main influence on the development process.