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Developmental

How the mind changes over time through stages, learning, and identity development. This page currently lists 7 models.

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Attachment theory explains how early caregiver relationships shape internal expectations about safety, closeness, and regulation, influencing later relationships across development.

Origin: John Bowlby, 1969; Mary Ainsworth, 1978

attachment relationships development security caregiving

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Erikson's psychosocial development model describes human development as a series of life stages, each centered on a core psychological conflict whose resolution shapes later identity and relationships.

Origin: Erik Erikson, 1950

identity lifespan stages development socialization

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A growth mindset is the belief that ability can be developed through effort, strategy, and feedback, which changes how people respond to challenge, failure, and learning.

Origin: Carol Dweck, 2006

mindset learning ability effort development

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Piaget's cognitive development model describes how children's thinking changes through qualitatively different stages as they mature and interact with the world.

Origin: Jean Piaget, 1936

development learning stages cognition childhood

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Social learning theory explains how people develop behavior and expectations by observing others, modeling what is seen, and updating based on consequences without needing direct trial-and-error for every lesson.

Origin: Albert Bandura, 1977

learning imitation modeling development observation

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Theory of mind is the developmental capacity to understand that other people have beliefs, knowledge, intentions, and perspectives that can differ from one's own.

Origin: Premack & Woodruff, 1978; Wimmer & Perner, 1983

development perspective beliefs social-cognition learning

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The zone of proximal development describes the gap between what a learner can do alone and what they can do with guidance, making it a model for how support accelerates development.

Origin: Lev Vygotsky, 1934

learning scaffolding teaching development capability