Who developed the ecological model that emphasizes the interactive process of human development?

The ecological model developed by Urie Bronfenbrenner emphasizes the various systems of influence on human development, recognizing that individuals are shaped by a complex interplay of their environments. Bronfenbrenner proposed that development occurs within nested systems, including the microsystem (immediate environments like family and school), mesosystem (interconnections between microsystems), exosystem (indirect environments such as parents' workplaces), and macrosystem (cultural context). By focusing on these interactive processes, his model highlights the importance of considering both individual and external factors in understanding human growth and development.

Erik Erikson, while known for his stages of psychosocial development, primarily focused on the individual’s personal development over the lifespan rather than the ecological interactions surrounding that development. Lev Vygotsky’s work is centered around sociocultural influences on cognition, particularly his concept of the zone of proximal development, which does not encompass the broader environmental systems outlined in Bronfenbrenner's model. Lawrence Kohlberg's theory of moral development focuses specifically on the reasoning behind ethical decisions, rather than the comprehensive ecological context of human development.