Compare and contrast the three theories of child development discussed in the text.

All three theories begin at birth and focus on how children grown and mature.All three theories posit a series of stages that a child moves through in a set order.All three theories view development as something that occurs through interaction with parents,peers,and other social relationships,although of the three theorists,Mead focuses most on this interaction and Erikson focuses more on the individual child.Each theory differs in the period of time on which they focus.Mead focuses on childhood,Piaget on childhood and adolescence,and Erikson the entire lifespan.Mead's theory focuses on the development of the self or the ability to distinguish between self and others.Through interaction with others,children learn the social norms and roles that allow them to fit into society.Like Mead,Piaget focuses on how children interact with others,learn to use language and symbols,and can eventually see things from another person's viewpoint.Unlike Mead who focuses more on social roles,Piaget focuses more on how children process information,such as learning object permanence and cause and effect.Erikson's theory differs from both Mead and Piaget in that he posits both positive and negative outcomes for each stage.At each stage there is a task the child must complete with the risk that they won't.Like Piaget,Erikson focuses on the child's psychological development; like Mead,Erikson focuses on how children achieve a place in society.