The Psychology of Intelligence by Jean Piaget

Knowledge of child development is vital in early childhood education and care because information on the children’s development identifies their developmental level to help make educational decisions about the children’s instruction.

The interpretation indicates those essentials in the children's genetic composition and the environmental situations that have an impact on their development and behavior, as well as the relationships among these variables.Ĭhild development and early childhood education have been strongly related for many centuries. A child development theory examines and records children's development and behavior and interprets the recorded information. A theory is a structure for consolidating and interpreting data. Theory refers to a systematic declaration of principles associated with observed phenomena and their relationships to each other. Although the theories are clustered collectively into schools of thought, they differ within each school. Each theory offers interpretations on the meaning of children's development and behavior. It focuses on five theories that have had the most impact: maturationist, constructivist, behavioral, psychoanalytic, and ecological. The following sections discuss some influences on the individuals’ development, such as theories, theorists, theoretical conceptions, and specific principles. This article describes the developmental theories and their founders who have had the greatest influence on the fields of child development, early childhood education, and care. Many different competing theories exist, some dealing with only limited domains of development, and are continuously revised. Psychologists have established several developmental theories. Many developmental theories offer insights about how the performance of individuals is stimulated, sustained, directed, and encouraged. It suggests elements in the child's genetic makeup and the environmental conditions that influence development and behavior and how these elements are related.

A theory of child development looks at the children's growth and behavior and interprets it. A theory refers to a systematic statement of principles related to observed phenomena and their relationship to each other.

They organize and interpret data based on a scheme to develop their theory. Developmental theorists use their research to generate philosophies on children’s development.

The Psychology of Intelligence by Jean Piaget