PSYC 2290 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Tabula Rasa, Century Child, Observational Learning

• School: University of Manitoba
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYC 2290
• Professor: proulx

Document Summary

Medieval views of children: the concept of childhood has existed since medieval times. Plato: children born with an innate knowledge: believed that children came into the world with predispositions and tendencies for learning. Aristotle: knowledge rooted in experience: childhood was a time where experience has an impact on development. Locke: the infant is like a blank slate: the enlightenment period, experience writes on the blank slate. Rousseau: children born with innate sense of justice and morality: the french enlightenment period. Research on children began with baby biographies: in the 1800"s, systematic observations of children: day to day descriptions, and information. These are the same theories that dominate the field of psychology. Maturational theory: natural unfolding of a pre-arranged biological plan: genetics when the brain forms, look at typical developmental patterns (when muscles develop, bones grow etc. ) Ethological theory: began in the 70s (early 80s) Imprinting, bonding, attachment etc: about how certain behaviors are related to survival (or positive outcomes)