Compare and contrast two developmental approaches to the study of Essay

Compare and contrast two developmental approaches to the study of developmental psychology. You must refer to research and theory in your answer - Essay ExampleContrastingly, developmental psychologists who emphasized learning theories, such as Lev Vygotsky, John B. Watson, B.F. Skinner and Albert Bandura focus on the role of environment to a greater extent than on the part toyed by biology. The diverse theories are establish on different assumptions, but are similar in some view (Sigelman & Rider, 2006 49).The two developmental approaches which are chosen for comparison in this paper are those of Erikson (1902-1994) and Piaget (1896-1987). The similarities and differences between their theories will be examined, including the extent to which nature versus nurture play a part.On the nature side of the nature-nurture controversy, the nativist belief is that human development is determined by innate factors such as genetic natural endowment and brain maturation. On the nurture side, also known as empirism, development is considered as the result of experience and learning. Although there are some biologically based limits on behaviour and cognition, the brains are open, dynamic information processors that are receptive to sociocultural influences (Kitayama & Cohen, 2007 528).According to Jean Piagets theory, the development of intelligence in children progresses with a series of four stages based on age and concurrent biological changes and maturation. This leads to the child demonstrating a higher level of cognitive functioning at each successive stage, as compared to the previous stage (Videbeck, 2007 61). The stages of development are not ordinary, since cultural differences exist. However, the mechanisms that underlie cognitive development are considered to be universal (Pressley & McCormick, 2007 89).1. The sensorimotor stage This extends from birth to two years. The child develops a sense of self, differentiated from the environment, and develops the c oncept of object permanence. That is, a perception of the existence of tangible objects change surface