Compare and contrast two developmental theories of

Essay by EssaySwap ContributorUniversity, Bachelor's February 2008

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Compare and contrast two developmental theories of intelligence Intelligence is a complex psychological construct and promotes fierce debate amongst academics. Many experts maintain that intelligence is the most important aspect of individual differences, whereas other doubt its value as a concept. At one extreme many claim that individual differences in intelligence depend upon genetic factors, and at the other many argue that environmental factors account for it. In this essay I will compare and contrast two developmental theories of intelligence, with the work of Piagets account for developmental intelligence and Mike Andersons theory of developmental intelligence.

Piaget suggested that intelligence is a form of adaptation wherein knowledge is constructed by each individual through the complimentary processes of assimilation and accommodation. Piaget theorised that as children interact with their physical and social environments, they organise information into groups of interrelated ideas called ?schemes?. When children encounter something new, they must either assimilate it into an existing scheme or create an entirely new scheme to deal with it.

It must be noted that Piaget began his studies during a pioneering era; he was free to conceive of intelligence in terms of his unique perspective. (Ginsburg 1969).

A central focus of Piaget?s Epistemology is that increasingly complex intellectual processes are built on the primitive foundations laid in earlier stages of development. An infant?s physical explorations of his environment form the basis for the mental Representations he develops as a preoperational child, and so on. Another important principle of Piaget?s stage theory is that there are genetic constraints inherent in the human organism ? you can challenge a child to confront new ideas but you cannot necessarily ?teach? him out of one stage and into another according to Piaget. Moreover, a child cannot build new, increasingly complex schemes without interacting with his environment; nature...