Fenton

Psychologists Theories and Age Characteristics

Alexis Fenton
College of Southern Nevada
Professor Wyckoff
March 14, 2017
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Psychologists Theories & Age Characteristics

Piaget's Cognitive Developmental Theory

Piagets cognitive development theory made the assumption that human beings are born

with tendencies of organizing and adapting. Organization is the human tendency to systematize,

to pull together a variety of processes into an overall system (Snowman and McCown 2013,

23). Adaption is the human tendency to adjust the environment that people are in. Piagets theory

is broken down into three major parts: organization, schemes, and adaption. Organization is the

tendency to put together processes into coherent systems. Placing items in their desired

categories is an example of organization. Organization is used to help the thinking process come

together in a more efficient way. Schemes are organized patterns of behavior or thought

(Snowman and McCown 2013, 23). A childs scheme changes according to their environment

and who they are around. Whether the child is around a teacher, parent or classmate, the way

they act changes depending on the person. Schemes can be either behavioral or cognitive.

Adaption is the process of creating a good fit or match between ones conception of reality and

the real-life experiences one encounters (Snowman and McCown 2013, 23). Adaption,

according to Piaget, has two subcategories: assimilation and accommodation. A child may adapt

to a situation by either interpreting an experience so that it fits an existing scheme (which would

be assimilation) or change the existing scheme to incorporate the experience (which is

accommodation). According to this theory, Piaget says there are three separate stages of

cognitively. The first stage is Preoperational, this occurs in preschool and primary grades. In this

stage, the child forms new schemes but does not think logically about them. The second stage is

Concrete Operational, this occurs in elementary school to early middle school. In this stage, the

child is more than capable of mentally reversing actions but generalizes only from concrete
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experiences. The final stage is Formal Operational, this occurs in middle school, high school and

even beyond that. In this stage, the child is able to deal with abstractions, form hypotheses, and

engage in mental manipulations (Snowman and McCown 2013, 26-28).

Judith falls under the category of formal operational. She meets this theory because she is

able to organize and accommodate. For example, since she is a president of a club, its her job

and priority to make sure that everything needed gets done. She takes a total of nine classes and

she always takes time during the week to plan out what needs to be done. There are many

circumstances where she needs to accommodate to something because of a change in her

schedule. When it comes to organizing, and accommodating, it is clear that she is great at this

because she is able to keep her 3.8 GPA, while running a club.

Vygotsky's Cognitive Developmental Theory

Vygotskys theory of cognitive development is often referred to as a sociocultural theory

because it maintains that how we think is a function of both social and cultural forces

(Snowman and McCown 2013, 32). Vygotsky states that the most important thing a culture

passes are psychological tools. The tools are cognitive devices and procedures that we use to

communicate and explore our surroundings. This helps and changes the way someone mentally

functions. Cognitive development is strongly influenced by those who are more intellectually

advanced (Snowman and McCown 2013, 34). Vygotsky came to the conclusion that the way a

teacher introduces and teaches the instruction affects the cognitive development of the students.

Scientific concepts are what Vygotsky thought would be the best approach to learning in the

classroom. Theoretical learning is using psychological tools to learn these scientific concepts.

Vygotsky referred to the difference between what a child can do on his or her own and what he
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or she can accomplish with some assistance is known as zone of proximal development

(Snowman and McCown 2013, 36). This concept is also known as scaffolding.

Judith in general is a very outgoing, social person. This has always had a huge influence

on her. She always pushes herself to do bigger and better things, and without her parents

constantly pushing her, her perception might be different. She is very independent, but she loves

to make her parents proud. To her, disappoint is the worst thing you could say to her. She tends

to accomplish a lot of things on her own, with little inference from others.

Ericksons Psychosocial Development Theory

Ericksons theory of psychological development portrays someones psychological

growth from infancy to old age, how people play a role in their own psychological development

and mentions how important the roles of cultural goals, expectations, etc. are in someones

personal growth. His whole theory is based on the epigenetic principle, which is how a childs

personality grows and develops through predetermined stages that are impacted by the childs

social interactions of the environment of which they are in (Snowman & McCown, 2013). In this

theory, Erickson stated that there are five stages to psychological development. Stage one is trust

versus mistrust. This stage occurs at birth to the age of one. The second stage is anatomy versus

shame and doubt. This stage occurs at the age of two until the age of three. The third stage is

initiative versus guilt. This stage occurs at the age of four until the age of five. The fourth stage

is industry versus inferiority, which is from the age of six through eleven. The final stage is

identity versus role confusion, this happens between the ages of twelve and eighteen. Erickson

stated that someones personality grows from psychosocial crisis that soon creates their identity.
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Judiths personal growth is affected by her own way of thinking. She uses her

expectations and opportunities to build her character. She is in the stage of identity versus role

confusion. Her psychosocial crisis leads to her social interactions and behavior being a little

different than normal. She acts different around different people. To new people she is extremely

shy but to people she knows, she is extremely outgoing.

Kohlbergs Moral Development

Kohlbergs moral development is a theory that believes there are six stages to moral

decisions and reasoning. The first stage to this theory is punishment-obedience orientation. This

is where consequences of an action are determined by good or bad. The second stage is

instrumental relativist orientation. This is where an even exchange should be made when there is

obedience to law. The third stage is good boy, nice girl orientation. This is where someones

correct action impresses others. The second and third stage are put under a category called

precoventional morality. Someone is considered in this category, are known to avoid

punishment, and want to receive benefits in return. The fourth stage is law and order orientation.

This is where someone maintains the social order and rules that are created must be followed

accurately. The next stage is social contract orientation. In this stage, rules that are made should

require a mutual agreement and also the rights of the individual should be protected. Stage four

and five are put into the same category, which is called conventional morality. Which implies

that someone who is in this stage just want to impress others and respect authority. The final

stage is universal ethnic principle this is where decisions should be made based on self-chosen

principles. This stage, alone, is put under the category of post-conventional morality. This is

where there are consistent, mutual agreements and principles. (Snowman & McCown, 2013).
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Judith met the stages of moral development, except for the final stage. Even now, she

wants to avoid punishment as much as possible. She stated that she was the same as a child, she

wanted to be rewarded for the positive things she did. Thats why she would avoid doing

anything wrong. Judith is really big on respect, she always hopes to gain the respect of her peers

and teachers. She is such a hard worker, so its possible for her to impress everyone she

encounters. She makes decisions based on the specific circumstances and she is quick on her

feet.

Snowmans General Characteristics

During high school, there are many physical characteristics that are significantly

different. Students in general tend to become more sexually active, as well see a difference in

their height and weight. When it comes to long term plans, parents and other adults have a huge

influence on social characteristics. A childs peers influence their status during school. When it

comes to girls, they tend to experience anxiety much more often than boys. The emotional

characteristics tend to come with mental disorders, such as depression and suicide. Students in

high school are very capable of engaging in more adult-like thinking, their thoughts arent as

childish and more mature. For example, the political views they obtain become more mature and

they have a better understanding of it (Snowman & McCown, 2013).

Judith meets the characteristics of being a high school student. She has definitely grown

physically, although she is more on the shorter side. The impact that her parents and other adults

have on her, affect how she makes decisions. She takes school very seriously, and her parents are

always encouraging her to do great in school. She does focus on what her peers think of her but

her whole group of friends are the same. She tends to hang around people who have the same

career aspirations as her and same motivations. She is a hard worker, who is involved greatly in
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her education and her community. She balances everything she has going on (nine classes, as

well as being involved in multiple clubs.) This will help her do great in college.
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References
Snowman, J. & McCown, R. (2013). ED PSYCH. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.