Child Development Theories

For this assignment, review the contemporary theories in Chapter 1 of your textbook. Write a 3–4-page well-developed paper in which you address the following. Because you will be describing a personal event or issue, it is appropriate to write in first person in your paper.

Briefly describe an event that you or someone you know experienced during childhood. The event could be divorce of parents, moving to a new neighborhood, learning to read or ride a bike, birth of a sibling, et cetera.
Choose two of the theories presented in the textbook and briefly summarize the main ideas of the theories. Theories to choose from may include:
- Psychoanalytic Perspective.
- Behaviorism and Social Learning Theory.
- Piaget’s Cognitive-Development Theory.
- Information Processing.
- Ethology and Evolutionary Developmental Psychology.
- Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory.
- Ecological Systems Theory.
- Dynamic Systems Perspective.
Apply the ideas from the two theories you summarized to explain the actions surrounding the event you described.
Describe how the theories helped you gain an understanding of child development.
Explain how longitudinal or cross-sectional approaches to research help us understand events and issues in child development.

Use in-text citations and appropriate concepts from the reading.

You are urged to use Capella University’s Writing Center to help you develop clear and effective writing. Through the Writing Center, you will be able to receive feedback on your writing, use writing resources, discover new writing strategies, and explore different ways to draft, revise, edit, and proofread your own work.

If you wish, you may use the APA Paper Template, linked in the Resources, to complete your assignment.

Assignment Requirements

Written communication: Ensure that your writing is free of errors that detract from the overall message.
APA formatting: Format your paper according to APA style.
Length: Write 3–4 typed and double-spaced pages.