PSYC 2060 Chapter : Ch 2 SG
Document Summary
Continuous theories of child development assume that development occurs in a smooth progression as skills develop and experiences are provided by caregivers and the environment. Continuous theories also emphasize the importance of environment rather than heredity in determining development. Discontinuous theories of development focus on inborn factors rather than environment influences to explain change over time: basically, everyone goes through the same steps in the same sequence, although rates of progress may differ from child to child. Piaget divided the cognitive development of children and adolescents into four stages: sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational and formal operational. He believed that all children pass through these stages in this order and that no child can skip a stage, although different children pass through the stages at somewhat different rates. The same individuals may perform tasks associated with different stages at the same time, particularly at points of transition into a new stage.
