5 pages Human development paper

Meta-Theories

Handout:

• Sets of assumptions about human nature and development

What is a Meta-Theory?

• What we look for

• The questions we ask

• The methods we use

• How we interpret

research findings

Meta-Theories

Important because they affect:

1. Human nature

2. Nature and/or nurture

3. Active and/or passive

4. Stability and/or change

5. Continuity and/or discontinuity

6. Universal and/or context-specific

Meta-Theoretical Assumptions

Meta-Theoretical Assumptions

1. Human nature

• Inherently good?

• Inherently bad?

• Blank slate?

Meta-Theoretical Assumptions

2. Nature and/or nurture • Nature: heredity, genes, maturational processes • Nurture: environment, experience, learning

Meta-Theoretical Assumptions

3. Active and/or passive • Passive participants reacting to external forces?

• Active in choosing/shaping development?

Meta-Theoretical Assumptions

4. Stability and/or change • Stable: early characteristics persist; early

experiences have permanent effects

• Malleable: individuals change in response to

experience

Meta-Theoretical Assumptions

5. Continuity and/or discontinuity • Quantitative: gradual, incremental • Qualitative: abrupt, fundamental changes

Meta-Theoretical Assumptions

6. Universal and/or context-specific • Universal: everyone develops the same way

• Context-specific: development depends on

contexts (e.g., history, culture)

Four Meta-Theories

Maturational Mechanistic

Organismic Contextual

Supplemental Reading:

What is a Model?

• A metaphor used to represent reality

• We use it to structure our understanding of

something

• Each meta-theory has a model associated with it

• Model: “Plant”

Maturational Meta-Theory

• Human nature: • Genetic – good or bad

• Nature and/or nurture: • Nature

• Active and/or passive: • Passive

• Stability and/or change: • Stability

• Continuous and/or discontinuous: • Depends on genetic program

• Universal and/or context-specific: • Universal

Maturational Meta-Theory

• Model: “Machine”

Mechanistic Meta-Theory

• Human nature: • Blank slate

• Nature and/or nurture: • Nurture

• Active and/or passive: • Passive

• Stability and/or change: • Change

• Continuous and/or discontinuous: • Continuous

• Universal and/or context-specific: • Context-specific

Mechanistic Meta-Theory

• Model: “Butterfly”

Organismic Meta-Theory

• Human nature: • Good

• Nature and/or nurture: • Nature

• Active and/or passive: • Active

• Stability and/or change: • Change

• Continuous and/or discontinuous: • Discontinuous

• Universal and/or context-specific: • Universal

Organismic Meta-Theory

• Model: “Tennis match”

Contextual Meta-Theory

• Human nature: • Both

• Nature and/or nurture: • Both

• Active and/or passive: • Active

• Stability and/or change: • Both

• Continuous and/or discontinuous: • Both

• Universal and/or context-specific: • Both

Contextual Meta-Theory

Linking Meta-Theories to Theories

Linking Meta-Theories to Theories

• Ethological theory (John Bowlby)

• Handout: “Development is the product

of biologically-based… programs shaped

by human genetic and evolutionary

history.”

Linking Meta-Theories to Theories

• Human nature: Depends (on genetics) • Nature and/or nurture: Nature • Active and/or passive: Passive • Stability and/or change: Depends (on genetics) • Continuity and/or discontinuity: Depends (on

genetics) • Universal and/or context-specific: Universal

Organismic Maturational Mechanistic Contextual

• Learning theory (B. F. Skinner)

• Handout: “Development is the product

of learning from the consequences of

ones’ behavior through operant

conditioning.”

Linking Meta-Theories to Theories

• Human nature: Blank • Nature and/or nurture: Nurture • Active and/or passive: Passive • Stability and/or change: Stability • Continuity and/or discontinuity: Continuity • Universal and/or context-specific: Context-

specific

Linking Meta-Theories to Theories

Organismic Maturational Mechanistic Contextual

• Cognitive development theory (Jean Piaget) • Handout: “Development proceeds

through four stages of cognitive development.”

Linking Meta-Theories to Theories

• Human nature: Good • Nature and/or nurture: Nature • Active and/or passive: Active • Stability and/or change: Change • Continuity and/or discontinuity: Discontinuity • Universal and/or context-specific: Universal

Linking Meta-Theories to Theories

Organismic Maturational Mechanistic Contextual

• Bio-ecological systems theory (Urie Bronfenbrenner)

• Handout: “Development is the result of reciprocal social

interactions between an active

person and their social partners

in a series of nested contexts.”

Linking Meta-Theories to Theories

• Human nature: Good • Nature and/or nurture: Both • Active and/or passive: Active • Stability and/or change: Both • Continuity and/or discontinuity: Both • Universal and/or context-specific: Both

Linking Meta-Theories to Theories

Organismic Maturational Mechanistic Contextual

Paper 1: Reflective

Assessment

Paper 1: Three Parts

1. Me and my development

2. Me and my meta-theory

3. Integrating theories, meta-theories, and

assumptions

Part 1: Me and My Development

1. Who has had a significant influence on your own

development?

• Talk about 2-3 people

• Give specific examples

2. Whose development have you influenced?

• 1 person: Give a specific example

Part 2: Me and My Meta-Theory

• For each of the 6 meta-theoretical assumptions

• State your opinion (i.e., people are active, not passive)

and give a specific example that supports your

experience

• There are some framing questions to help structure

your thinking and writing

Part 3: Integrating Theories, Meta-Theories, and Assumptions 3.1 Theories liked/disliked

• Choose 2 theories: one liked, one disliked • Name and define each theory in your own words

• Explain what you like/dislike about it

• Tip: Book may be especially helpful here • p. 3 of textbook covers ‘theories’

• pp. 12-20 covers multiple theories you could use

• Theories also listed on meta-theories handout

Part 3: Integrating Theories, Meta-Theories, and Assumptions 3.2 What is my meta-theory?

• What do your preferences on theories tell you about your meta- theoretical preferences?

• Connect your preferences to a meta-theory • “What I like about Piaget’s theory of cognitive development is that

the individual is active in affecting their own development.”

• “What I dislike about ethological theory is that it says nature is running the show and I think nurture plays a role.”

• All things considered, which meta-theory do you like/dislike the most?

Submitting the Paper

• Submit online via D2L in

• Word document (.doc, .docx file)

• PDF (.pdf file)

• To submit paper or view rubric, go to Activities à

Assignments à Paper 1

• Late papers: 10% deduction per day for 7 days

Grading Rubric

Questions?

Identifying Your Assumptions

• Please work alone or with a partner • Start identifying your assumptions • Work through the 6 assumptions listed in Part 2 of the

Paper 1 Assignment • Don’t have to go through in order • Can brainstorm examples

• The point is not to convince or sway your partner; it is to identify your own assumptions • Please raise your hand if you have any questions

Big Picture Themes in Developmental Psychology

Supplemental Reading:

1. Optimal development involves the whole person over time

2. Development is promoted through person- centered contexts and interactions

3. People have characteristics that they ‘carry’ with them into a dynamic present

4. Development occurs through reciprocal interactions

5. All people face developmental tasks 6. There are many pathways to optimal development

Six ‘Big Picture’ Themes:

1. Optimal development involves the whole person

over time

• Optimal = ‘Best case scenario’ (person is healthy,

thriving, resilient)

Big Picture Themes

2. Development is promoted through person-

centered contexts and interactions

• This means that the environment(s) and the people in it

are attuned to the needs of the developing person

• Examples • Child-centered parenting

• Student-centered classrooms

Big Picture Themes

3. People have characteristics that they ‘carry’ with them into a dynamic present • Individual carries ’suitcase’ of assets and vulnerabilities • Present consists of multiple interacting contexts

Big Picture Themes

4. Development occurs through reciprocal interactions between • An active developing individual • An active changing context

Big Picture Themes

5. All people face developmental tasks • We all go through the same basic

developmental stages • Stages are culturally and historically

relative

Big Picture Themes

6. There are many pathways to optimal

development

• Remarkable capacity for change, recovery, repair

Big Picture Themes

Questions?

Unit 1 Review

• Defined development • What is development, what develops, when do we

develop, what influences development?

• Compared traditional vs. lifespan views • 7 propositions of lifespan development

• Examined meta-theories • 6 assumptions • 4 meta-theories • What is your meta-theory? (Paper 1)

• Discussed 6 big picture themes