“Continuous theories of development assume that development occurs in a
smooth progression as skills develop and experiences are provided by
caregivers and the environment. Continuous theories emphasize the importance
of environment rather than heredity in determining development. A second
perspective assumes that children progress through a set of predictable and
invariant stages of development. All children are believed to acquire skills in the
same sequence, although rates of progress differ from child to child. The abilities
children gain in each subsequent stage are not simple “More of the same”; at
each stage, children develop qualitatively different understandings, abilities, and
beliefs. Skipping stages is rare or impossible, although at any given point the
child may exhibit behaviors characteristic of more than one stage. The contrast
to continuous theories, these discontinuous theories of development focus on
inborn factors rather than environmental influences to explain change over time.”
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