Human development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Human development - Essay Example This paper will discuss how the views of Gesell and Piaget differ on the developmental changes that occur. Gesell believed that believed that the child’s personality is the product of slow gradual growth whereas Piaget believed that the acquisition of knowledge is a process of continuous self-construction (Silverthorn, 1999). According to Piaget, human development occurs gradually through a series of ordered sequential stages whereas Arnold Gesell’s concept of maturation is based on ‘intrinsic growth’ which takes place naturally and almost automatically. Piaget believed that growth of knowledge is a progressive construction of logically embedded structures. The lower less powerful structures merge with the higher more powerful ones as the development takes place up to adulthood. Gesell argued that the child’s development is influenced by two factors – child is a product of environment but genes are more important. The unfoldment takes place in a particular sequence which should not be ignored (Tennessen, 1997). Each child is unique and the rate of development varies. The development according to Gesell does not proceed in a staircase manner but is fluent and continuous (Packer, n.d.). The human life cycle is governed by natural laws but according to Piaget the child acts on and interacts with the immediate world to construct an increasingly elaborate concept of reality. Through experience a child may form some incomplete ideas, which may lead him to contradictory conclusions, and the process of resolving these may further lead to more complex thinking and learning. Gesell’s perception is based on the maturational theory which states that the chief principle of developmental change is maturation. He described in detail how behavior changes with age. Cognitive development refers to the changes in the cognitive structures and processes. It describes children as the active solver of problems and the child’s