2.) Bronfrenbrenner's ecological systems theory looks at the child as the center of a whole complex environment which goes on around them effecting heir lives both directly and indirectly. The first layer of this system is the microsystem layer which includes the one-on-one interactions between the child and other of which they have contact with. The next layer of this model is the mesosystem which basically introduces that the effects of each layer are not only effecting the child, but other layers as well. The layer after this is called the exosystem which includes the friends and extended family as well as the parents' workplace. The next layer is then called the macro system layer which includes cultural beliefs as well as the actions of the society around the child. The final layer of the model is the chronosystem which includes environmental transitions and movements over the course of the family and child's life.
3.) Both the Developmental Niche and Ecological model explain how events around the child and their family influence the growth and development of the child in that society. The models both illustrate how the child is simply in the center of all life's goings on and though they may not experience them directly they do experience them at some point.
4.) Piaget looks at the child's life in a series of stages in which a certain goal must be achieved by the child. These stages include Infancy, Early Childhood, Late Childhood, and Adolescence and each has a critical role in the child's life for cognitive development. These stages are meant to continuously build upon each other until the child is able to think and function as a rational adult, often abstractly. The term scheme means a pattern of thought applied to objects during this cognitive process. Assimilation is the term used for gaining new clear thoughts, while the term accommodation is the process when a child adjusts current thoughts to include new ideas ect.
5.) Piaget approaches human development from the mental aspect, saying that the child grows inside and outside at the same time. Vygotsky's theories suggest that socially the child develops with assistance from others, not just on their own as Piaget suggests. Both theories however, explain cross-cultural development when combined, because then the complete child is accounted for.