Editing Developmental Psychology (section)

== <span style="color: #FFFFFF;">Understanding</span> ==
Human development is seen as a series of stages or a continuous process.

'''Piaget's Cognitive Stages''': Jean Piaget proposed that children "construct" their understanding of the world through four stages:
1. '''Sensorimotor''' (Birth to 2 yrs): Developing senses and motor skills.
2. '''Preoperational''' (2 to 7 yrs): Symbolic thinking (words/images) but lack of logical reasoning.
3. '''Concrete Operational''' (7 to 11 yrs): Logical thinking about concrete events.
4. '''Formal Operational''' (12 yrs and up): Abstract reasoning and hypothetical thinking.

'''Erikson's Psychosocial Stages''': Erik Erikson argued that we face a specific "crisis" at each stage of life:
* '''Infancy''': Trust vs. Mistrust.
* '''Adolescence''': Identity vs. Role Confusion.
* '''Late Adulthood''': Integrity vs. Despair.
Successful resolution of these crises leads to a healthy personality.

'''Vygotsky's Social Constructivism''': Unlike Piaget, Lev Vygotsky emphasized that development is a social process. Children learn through interaction with "More Knowledgeable Others" (MKOs). Language is the primary tool for this development, moving from social speech to "private speech" (thinking).
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