College of Education

School of Continuing and Distance Education 2014/2015 – 2016/2017

PSYC 335

Developmental Psychology I

Session 3 – Theories in Developmental Psychology- Part I

Lecturer: Dr. Joana Salifu Yendork Department of Psychology

Contact Information: jyendork@ug.edu.gh

godsonug.wordpress.com/blog

Session Overview

Slide 2

• Several theories have been propounded to help explain

changes that humans go through as we age. For this session, the focus will be on Ecological Systems Theory with regards to

the content of the theory and how it helps us to understand

the changes in, and influence on human development.

Session Outline

Slide 3

The key topics to be covered in the session are as follows:

• Basic assumptions of the Ecological theory

• Systems in the Ecological Systems theory

• The Family and Ecological Systems Theory

• Contributions and criticisms

Reading List

Slide 4

• Read Chapter 1 of Recommended Text – Development through the lifespan, Berk (2006)

Topic One

BASIC ASSUMPTIONS OF THE

Slide 5

ECOLOGICAL THEORY

Urie Bronfenbrenner

• Born in Russia on April 29, 1917

• Immigrated to the US at age 6

• Enlisted in the US army immediately after completing his PhD

• Co-founder of the Head Start program

– Designed to serve at-risk nursery students to prepare

them for school

• Died on September 25, 2005

Slide 6

Basic assumptions of the Ecological Systems Theory

Slide 7

• Development is the result of the relationships between

people and varied systems of the environment and the

interrelationships among the systems

– CaŶŶot eǀ aluate a Đhild’s deǀ elopŵeŶt oŶlLJ iŶ the iŵŵediate environment

– Must also examine the interactions among the larger environments that a child develops in

• Key Question: How does the world around the child help

or hinder development?

• Bronfenbrenner assume that natural environment is the

major source of influence on developing persons

Basic assumptions of the Ecological Systems Theory

• Development reflect effects of 5

environmental systems

• Later emphasized the interaction

of genetic make-up and

environmental forces to shape

development

• Bioecological theory

(Bronfenbrenner, 1995).

• Development reflect effects of 5

environment systems

Slide 8

Basic assumptions of the Ecological Systems Theory

• Figure1. BroŶfeŶďreŶŶer ’s ecological model of the environment as a series of nested structures. The microsystem refers to relations between the child and the immediate environment, the mesosystem to ĐoŶŶeĐtioŶs aŵoŶg the Đhild’s iŵŵediate settiŶgs, the exosystem to social settings that affect but do not contain the child, and the macrosystem to the overarching ideology of the culture. BASED ON BRONFENBRENNER, 1979.

Slide 9

Basic assumptions of the Ecological Systems Theory

Slide 10

Topic Two

SYSTEMS IN THE ECOLOGICAL

Slide 11

SYSTEMS THEORY

Systems in the Ecological Systems

Theory

• The Microsystem

• The Mesosystem

• The Exosystem

• The Macrosystem

• The Chronosystem

Slide 12

The microsystem

Slide 13

• Variables that the child is directly exposed to • Relationships: Family, school, religious institution, neighbors

– Most direct interaction with social agents such as parents, teachers and peers • Family: Most influential and durable influence on child • For most young infants, the micro-system may be limited to the family. • Becomes much more complex as children are exposed to day care,

preschool classes, youth groups, teachers and neighborhood playmates.

• Person helps to construct developmental setting. • Environment: Geographic, Material structures • Child’s body

• General health • Brain functioning – physiological and psychological • Emotions • Cognitive System

The microsystem

Slide 14

• Most of the Đhild’s ďehaǀ ior is learŶed iŶ the microsystem.

• The microsystem consists of bi-directional influences

– Parents actively shape the development of the child

– Children actively shape their environment

• Personal attributes influence responses from other people

• Children actively select and avoid specific environments

• Bi-directional relationships are the foundation for a Đhild’s ĐogŶitiǀ e aŶd eŵotioŶal groǁth

The mesosystem

Slide 15

• Mesosystem refers to the interconnections or interrelationships among such Microsystems as

homes, schools, and peer groups.

– Examples

• Interactions between the family and teachers

• RelatioŶship ďet ǁ eeŶ the Đhild’s peers aŶd the faŵilLJ

• Development is likely to be optimized by strong, supportive links between Microsystems

• Non-supportive links between Microsystems can spell trouble.

The Exosystem

Slide 16

• Structures or Institutions of society in which the child

does not have direct contact with but indirectly affeĐt a Đhild’s deǀ elopŵeŶt

– Eg., pareŶts’ ǁ ork eŶǀ iroŶŵeŶt, FuŶdiŶg for eduĐatioŶ

• IŵpaĐts a Đhild’s deǀ elopŵeŶt ďLJ iŶflueŶĐiŶg structures in the microsystem

The Macrosystem

Slide 17

• Cultural, subcultural, or social class context in which microsystems, mesosystems, and exosystems are embedded.

• Provides the values, beliefs, customs, and laws of the culture in which a child grows up

• Influences how parents, teachers, and others raise a child

• May be conscious or unconscious

• Macrosystem is a broad, overarching ideology that dictates how children should be treated, what they should be taught, and the goals for which they should strive. – Influences the societal values, legislation, and financial resources

provided by a society to help families function

– Influences the interactions of all other layers

• These values differ across cultures

The Chronosystem

Slide 18

• Pattern of environmental events and transitions over life course and sociohistorical circumstances.

• Changes in the child or in any of the ecological contexts of development can affect the direction of development. – Eg., cognitive and biological changes that occur at puberty,

contribute to increased conflict between young adolescents and their parents

– Eg., the birth of a sibling

• And the effects of environmental changes also depend upon the age of the child.

Topic Three

THE FAMILY AND ECOLOGICAL

Slide 19

SYSTEMS THEORY

The family & Ecological Systems

Theory

• Recognizes that parents influence their children. • Also stresses that (1) children influence the behavior

and childrearing practices of their parents, and (2) that families are complex social systems

• The family is a complex social system – ie. a holistic structure consisting of interrelated parts and

each part contributes to the functioning of the whole

• Families are also dynamic or changing systems • Families are embedded within larger cultural and

subcultural contexts • The ecological niche a family occupies (eg., faŵilLJ’s

religion) can affect family interactions and the deǀ elopŵeŶt of a faŵilLJ’s ĐhildreŶ

Slide 20

The family & Ecological Systems

Theory

Slide 21

• Properties of the four layers of relationships

– Each layer of the environment is complex

– EaĐh laLJer has aŶ effeĐt oŶ a Đhild’s deǀ elopŵeŶt

– Conflict within any layer ripples throughout other layers

• As a child develops, interaction within environments becomes more complex

– CoŵpledžitLJ is the result of the ŵaturatioŶ of a Đhild’s physical and cognitive structures

The family & Ecological Systems

Theory

Slide 22

• Five propositions that describe how home and school relationships work together for positive development

• 1. Child must have an ongoing, long-term mutual interaction with an adult characterized by unconditional love and support

• 2. The child-adult relationship provides the pattern of iŶterpersoŶal relatioŶships ǁ i th all of the Đhild’s other relationships.

• The confidence from this relationship allows a child to explore and grow from other activities.

The family & Ecological Systems

Theory

Slide 23

• 3. Interactions with other adults enables the child to

develop a more positive relationship in the primary

child-adult relationship.

• 4. The primary child-adult relationship improves with

repeated two-way interchanges and mutual compromise.

• 5. Relationships between child and adults require the

society to support the importance of these roles. • Public policies must provide time and resources for child-

adult relationships to be nurtured.

The family & Ecological Systems

Theory

Slide 24

• Risk factors for ideal family environment for optimal child development

• Instability and unpredictability in modern family life is the ŵost destruĐtiǀ e forĐe iŶ Đhild’s deǀ elopŵeŶt

• Because of demands within the workplace, children do not have constant mutual interactions with important adults that are necessary for development

• If relationships in the microsystem break down, the child will not have tools to explore other parts of the environment

The family & Ecological Systems

Theory

Slide 25

• Children without a strong primary relationship will find affirmation in inappropriate places, particularly

in the adolescence years

• Technology has changed society Society does not provide resources to protect children and adults

from the potential negative outcomes of technology

The best interest of society is to lobby for political and

economic policies that support the importance of a

pareŶt’s role iŶ their Đhild’s de ǀelopŵeŶt

Topic Four

CONTRIBUTIONS AND CRITICISMS

Slide 26

Contributions/criticisms

• Contributions: • Provides a much richer description of environment and

environmental influences than anything offered by learning theorists – Integrates multiple influences on child development

• Advanced the need to study development in natural settings

• Suggests ways to optimize development • Criticism: • Although characterized as a bioecological model, it has

very little to say about specific biological contributors to development.

Does not provide detailed mechanisms for development Slide 27

Contributions/criticisms

Slide 28

• Primary relationship must be intended to last a

lifetime

– Teachers need to work to support the primary child-adult relationship

– Schools should create an environment that welcomes and nurtures families

– Education should foster societal attitudes that value all work done on behalf of children

Sample Questions

Slide 29

• Describe the five systems discussed

by Bronfenbrenner in his Ecological Systems Theory.

• In what ways can the Ecological Systems Theory be applicable to

education and child well-being.