Educational Psychology: Human Development EDF 6113

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Educational Psychology Human Development EDF 6113

• Section 314 (M W)

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Theory

• What do we mean by theory
• Set of statements that attempt to describe
  behavior.
• As one increases the distance between observable
  and inferred less empirical evidence can be used
  to vet the theory

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What do we mean by development?

• Moshmans View (2005)
• Extended (time typically measured in months and
  years rather than minutes and seconds)
• Self Regulated (maturation not learning)
• Qualitative (changes in kind not amount)
• Progressive (changes build upon each other)

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The Big Three Worldviews

• Mechanistic
• Behavior can be explained like the workings of a
  machine (broken into its constitute parts).
  External forces make the system work.
• Operant Conditioning Watson (1878-1958)
• Social Learning Theory
• Emphasis
• Reductionism, environment, continuous
  development, quantitative change

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The Big Three Worldviews

• Organismic
• Behavior can be explained like the blooming of a
  flower. Change happens from within (inherent).
  Psychological structures control development.
• Strong nativism Chomsky
• Constructivism Piaget (1896-1980)
• Emphasis
• Holism, active role for organism, discontinuous
  development, qualitative change

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The Big Three Worldviews

• Contextual
• Behavior can be explained as the constant
  interaction between person and environment (e.g.,
  tapestry, historical event). Change happens from
  within (inherent). Psychological structures
  control development.
• Soviet Dialectical Theory Vygostky (1896-1934)
• Ecological Urie Bronfenbrenner
• Emphasis
• Super Gestaltism (see Miller introduction),
  childs behavior must be situated in the context
  in which the child operates.

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Bronfrenbrenners Model

• Microsystems people, activities in childs
  immediate surroundings (e.g., home, school,
  friends)
• Mesosystems relationships between Microsystems
  (e.g., parents involvement with school)
• Exosystems indirect systems that can influence
  the child (e.g., parents workplace)
• Macrosystem underlying social and political
  climate in a childs own culture (e.g., emphasis
  on individual or not, competition cooperation).

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Theory
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Research

• Principles vs. Theories vs. Hypotheses
• Principles describe well-known and established
  relationships between events
• Theories attempt to explain principles (explain
  why things happen the way that they do).
• Hypotheses are testable ideas that are used to
  help us build Theories

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Research

• Descriptive Research
• Case Study
• Content Analysis
• Archival Studies
• Survey Research
• Correlational
• Quasi-Experimental

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Research Issues

• Validity
• Internal ability of your design to adequately
  test your hypotheses
• External the degree to which your findings
  extend beyond the research setting and sample
• Generalizability
• Observational/Correlational vs. Experimental
• Reliability
• Are your results replicable by others

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Research

• Experimental Research
• Population/Sample
• Random
• Subjects (participants)
• Experimental and Control Groups
• I.V and D.V.
• Statistical Significance