Social Development

Term Paper # 116427

Psychology > Piaget
Psychology > Social
Psychology > Theory

Social Development

A look at some theories of social development.

1,359 words () | 7 sources | APA | 2009 United States

Paper Summary:

This paper relates that the importance of social interaction as a part of learning has been greatly researched and it has been found that it is a vital part of the learning process. In particular, the paper looks at the elements that are important in social learning settings and examines the theories of psychologists as Jean Piaget, Jerome Bruner and Lev Vygotsky.

From the Paper:

"Piaget had an idea of a child being a somewhat "lone scientist who creates his or her own sense of the world" (www.newfoundations.com/Gallery/Piaget.html). Piaget believed that the child would interpret (and then act out accordingly) what he faced in his environment. He talked about a process called "internal assimilation". This idea means that until the child develops logic (or understanding) inside of them, they can only base their opinions on what they can see. In this sense, Piaget believed that the child's main source of knowledge and learning came from discovery. He thought that children, in autonomous situations, discover everything from relationships to ideas in classroom situations that involve activities of interest to them. He did state that he believed further understanding was built up step by step through active involvement (or social interaction), which leads one to believe that Piaget probably would agree that social interactions are definitely necessary for learning. "

Sample of Sources Used:

Vygotsky, L.S. Thought and Language. Cambridge, MA:MIT Press. 1962
Bruner, J. S. (1966) Toward a Theory of Instruction, Cambridge,Mass.: Belkapp Press. 176 + x pages.
Bruner, J. S. (1971) The Relevance of Education, New York: Norton.
Bruner, J. (1996) The Culture of Education, Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press. 224 + xvi pages.
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