B1 - Describe theories of human growth and development.
Bandura’s Social Learning Theory explains that learning is impacted by our
environments and the interactions that we have with others. Albert Bandura, a social
psychologist, developed a theory surrounding this type of learning. This learning
theory shows how humans learn through observation, modelling and imitation. The
four principles of the Social Learning Theory are: Attention, if individuals are not
focused it is difficult to learn and we typically lose attention if we do not believe that
the materials at hand can present new information or if they do not seem to benefit
us in any way. Bandura’s theory suggests that people can also keep their focus
better when a part of a group. For example, in school, class discussions can keep
individuals focused if the rest of the class is focused. Second principle is retention.
This is when we learn by collecting and recalling information. To be able to perform
an action or recall information, individuals must memorise the act or information.
Without retention, the memory of that action or information is lost. Learners can
collect this information by observing others. In schools, students are taught different
methods to recall information, some include, making flashcards, saying what they
have learned out loud and testing themselves out by asking and answering
questions. The third principle is reproduction. when we learn something new, We
reproduce previously learned behaviours, knowledge, and skills when it is needed,
and repetition allows us to master the act. The last principle is motivation. motivation
is what allows individuals to act out. If we observe the actions of others and
recognize how they are rewarded or punished for their actions, we are motivated to
imitate them or do things differently. This can be done in many different ways, like
when teachers expect students to finish their work to a high standard and then
reward them with golden time at the end of the week. Or making learning fun by
watching educational videos and playing games. Bandura carried out the bobo doll
experiment that showed that children are able to learn social behaviour such as
aggression through the process of observation learning, through watching the
behaviour of another person.(Instructional Design 2022).
The humanistic approach takes into account human experiences and the individual
and believes that each individual is unique and therefore must be treated as if they
are. The approach only studies one person at a time and believes we should focus
on the present not on past experiences. The approach looks strongly at self-concept
and the way an individual views themselves and what they personally think they are
like. The humanistic approach believes that when you are a child you tend to take on
board what others tell you, especially by those most important such as your parents.
By doing this you begin to discover who you are based on other people’s
judgements. For example if a teacher was to say to you at a young age that you are
really loud, you are more than likely going to believe this and view yourself as loud.
Being told things like this from a young age begins to determine whether you have a
, positive or negative self-concept of yourself, however as you progress through life
and get older this evolves and we develop our own judgements about ourselves
which usually tends to surpass the opinions of other individuals. There are two main
psychologists that are important to look at when looking at the Humanistic approach;
they are Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow. (WGU 2020).
Maslow is best known for creating the hierarchy of needs. He believed that we all
have the tendency to become the best we can both intellectually, socially,
emotionally and in our personality. He, however, felt we can only achieve all these by
working our way to the top of his hierarchy. Maslow thought that is order to self
actualise we need to meet the entire first step in order to progress further. He
believed that people could move up and down the hierarchy depending on their
circumstances in their life at that particular moment. In the hierarchy the first stage is
psychological. This stage includes the majority of your basicneeds such as
breathing, sleep, food, water, sex and excretion. Without these basics then Maslow
said we cannot progress through the hierarchy. He said that to maintain a good
physical state we need the majority of these things. Safety comes second in the
hierarchy, providing security and stability in life where health and general well being
must be good in order to proceed into the third stage. The safety stage includes
things such as security of the body, of employment, of morality and of property and
health. Love and belonging is the third stage with concepts such as love, family and
friendship becoming key. Maslow suggests that you need a strong sense and
understanding of friendship, security and family and all individuals need to begin to
feel that they are a part of something in order to progress to the fourth stage. The
fourth stage is esteem, including self esteem, confidence, achievement and respect,
both by others and of others. Individuals must feel ‘valued’ Maslow explains, by them
and need to feel as though they are achieving goals in order to move forward into the
final stage of the hierarchy. Every stage must be fully or near enough fulfilled to get
to the self actualisation stage. In other words; perfection. Maslow has claimed that it
is near to impossible because this stage demands perfection and individuals must
feel completely happy and confident in themselves, with the stage including morality,
spontaneity, problem solving, lack of prejudice and acceptance of facts. (Round
Table Learning 2022).
Erik Erikson was a psychologist who developed one of the most popular and
influential theories of development and theorised the 8 stages of development.
Erikson's theory centred on psychosocial development and how the impact of social
experience across the whole lifespan. He suggests two outcomes are possible,
either the individual completes the stage successfully or they don't, which is referred
to as positive outcomes vs. negative outcomes. If an individual does not complete
the stage it will impact them throughout their life.
The first stage is trust vs. mistrust. This is trust that basic needs, such as
nourishment and affection, will be met. The second stage is autonomy vs shame,
