Educational Psychology

“Continuous theories of development assume that development occurs in a
smooth progression as skills develop and experiences are provided by
caregivers and the environment. Continuous theories emphasize the importance
of environment rather than heredity in determining development. A second
perspective assumes that children progress through a set of predictable and
invariant stages of development. All children are believed to acquire skills in the
same sequence, although rates of progress differ from child to child. The abilities
children gain in each subsequent stage are not simple “More of the same”; at
each stage, children develop qualitatively different understandings, abilities, and
beliefs. Skipping stages is rare or impossible, although at any given point the
PSY260 – Educational Psychology
Summarization Assignment
PSY260–EducationalPsychology
SummarizationAssignment
child may exhibit behaviors characteristic of more than one stage. The contrast
to continuous theories, these discontinuous theories of development focus on
inborn factors rather than environmental influences to explain change over time.”
Summarize this paragraph in your own words and include the following reference
citation below your summary:

Full Answer Section

      While the rate of progress may vary, all children are expected to go through these stages in a specific order, acquiring fundamentally new skills and ways of thinking at each level. Skipping stages is uncommon, although it's possible to see behaviors from multiple stages at once. Reference Citation PSY260 – Educational Psychology (Summarization Assignment) [PSY260 – Educational Psychology Course Materials]  

Sample Answer

     

In the world of child development, there are two main opposing viewpoints. One perspective, continuous theories, suggests that development is a gradual process shaped by a child's environment and experiences. The other viewpoint, discontinuous theories, proposes that development happens in distinct stages with predictable sequences. These stages are believed to be influenced more by a child's internal factors than their environment.