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Davidson Films is perhaps best known for the Giants of Psychology series, which has introduced hundreds of thousands of college students to the monumental thought of Jean Piaget, Erik Erikson, and Lev Vygotsky. Each of the videos in this landmark series is the result of thousands of hours of research, filming and editing, and the average time between additions to the series is 14-18 months. In 1999, Davidson Films released the critically acclaimed, and award-winning video, B. F. Skinner: A Fresh Appraisal. This was followed by one of the most complex efforts in the Giants series, John Dewey: His Life and Work, which received the coveted CINE Golden Eagle Award. The sixth film in the series, Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory, features this very much alive “Giant” presenting his ideas to new students. During the preceding two years, we have added films on Maria Montessori and Mary Ainsworth, two theorists whose work has had tremendous practical impact. Maria Montessori: Her Life and Legacy explores the thought and work of an extraordinary woman whose ideas have affected the delivery of early education on a broader scope than just the schools that bear her name. Mary Ainsworth: Attachment and the Growth of Love discusses Ainsworth's important contributions on infant-parent relationships and their repercussions in the fields of clinical and developmental psychology. Our most recent addition to the GIANTS series, entitled John Bowlby: Attachment Theory Across Generations, is the companion piece to our film on Mary Ainsworth, Bowlby's long-time colleague and fellow researcher. It addresses his pioneering work on attachment theory. Below, you will find short descriptions of the films in the GIANTS series, along with links to film clips and to encompassing discussions of each film in the series.
ERIK H. ERIKSON: A LIFE’S WORK Narrated by Erikson’s colleague, Margaret Brenman-Gibson, Ph.D. and Ruthie Mickles, Ph.D.
View a short clip from this film. Go to the complete discussion of this film. Visit our Support Materials section to view or download the Learning Guide and Discussion Topics for this film.
ISBN: 1-891340-57-3 [ BACK TO TOP ] PIAGET’S DEVELOPMENTAL THEORY: AN OVERVIEW with David Elkind, Ph.D.
View a short clip from this film. Go to the complete discussion of this film. Visit our Support Materials section to view or download the Learning Guide and Discussion Topics for this film.
ISBN: 1-891340-64-6 [ BACK TO TOP ] VYGOTSKY’S DEVELOPMENTAL THEORY: AN INTRODUCTION With Deborah J. Leong, Ph.D. and Elena Bodrova, Ph.D.
View a short clip from this film. Go to the complete discussion of this film. Visit our Support Materials section to view or download the Learning Guide and Discussion Topics for this film.
ISBN: 1-891340-62-X
[ BACK TO TOP ] B.F. SKINNER: A FRESH APPRAISAL Narration by Murray Sidman, Ph.D.
Understanding the complex man behind his work enables students to better evaluate the importance and relevance of the work he inspired. Murray Sidman, Ph.D., colleague and thoughtful practitioner of behavioral analysis, narrates. (1999) 40 minutes $250. View a short clip from this film. Go to the complete discussion of this film. Visit our Support Materials section to view or download the Learning Guide and Discussion Topics for this film.
ISBN: 1-891340-68-9
[ BACK TO TOP ] JOHN DEWEY: HIS LIFE AND WORK With Larry Hickman Ph.D.
Dewey lived in a different era of history than we do, but many of his concerns are very relevant to life today. Maintaining a democracy in the face of diverse ethnic values, educating the young to participate fully in the life of their community, and expanding individual perceptions through participation in the arts were among the issues he examined. Contemporary examples of the influence of his work include footage of noted educator Deborah Meier's Mission Hill School in Roxbury, Massachusetts; commentary by literature authority Louise Rosenblatt on Dewey's theories of democratic behavior and philosopher Larry Hickman's comments on the ways technology changes our experiencing of the world. (Dr. Hickman is also the director of the Center for Dewey Studies in Illinois.) Terminology and the historical context necessary for understanding Dewey's work are provided by historical materials, newly shot visuals and clever graphics. (2001) 40 minutes $250. View a short clip from this film. Go to the complete discussion of this film. Visit our Support Materials section to view or download the Learning Guide and Discussion Topics for this film.
ISBN: 1-891340-73-5
[ BACK TO TOP ] BANDURA'S SOCIAL COGNITIVE THEORY: AN INTRODUCTION With Albert Bandura, Ph.D.
Treading new ground in the field of social psychology, Albert Bandura’s work has become basic to an understanding of how social forces influence individuals, small groups and large groups. From his early BoBo doll experiments through his work with phobias, to his recent work on self-efficacy, Bandura has given us a sense of how people actively shape their own lives and those of others. Utilizing archival materials and newly shot visuals, students will be introduced to the vocabulary and innovative methods of this influential thinker. Dr. Bandura’s narration imbues this video with his compelling presentation style and intellectual authority. (2003) 38 minutes $250. View a short clip from this film. Go to the complete discussion of this film. Visit our Support Materials section to view or download the Learning Guide and Discussion Topics for this film.
ISBN: 1-891340-76-X
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MARIA MONTESSORI: HER LIFE AND LEGACY With Annette Haines, Ph.D.
Montessori’s conception of the changing roles the classroom environment and teacher should play for students of various ages is presented with carefully shot footage of toddler, preschool, elementary school and secondary classes at work in accredited Montessori schools. Students will also learn of Dr. Montessori’s own dramatic life through archival visuals and will be challenged to think about what they think are the components of exemplary educational practice. (2004) 35 minutes $250. View a short clip from this film. Go to the complete discussion of this film. Visit our Support Materials section to view or download the Learning Guide and Discussion Topics for this film.
ISBN: 1-891340-76-X
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MARY AINSWORTH: ATTACHMENT AND THE GROWTH OF LOVE With Robert Marvin, Ph.D.
Mary Ainsworth’s “Strange Situation” is now basic to understandings of infant-parent interactions and, thus, later emotional development. Working in close collaboration with the British psychiatrist John Bowlby, Ainsworth gave us new understandings of the huge impact very early emotional experiences have on personality development across the life span. The production details the developmental course of attachment behaviors and the different patterns that are captured by the controlled observational techniques of the “Strange Situation.” Using archival (including the Harlow primate studies) and new footage, the video also gives students a sense of how psychological research is conducted and used in therapeutic situations. (2005) 38 minutes $250. View a short clip from this film. Go to the complete discussion of this film. Visit our Support Materials section to view or download the Learning Guide and Discussion Topics for this film.
ISBN: 1-891340-45-X
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JOHN BOWLBY: ATTACHMENT THEORY ACROSS GENERATIONS With Howard Steele, Ph.D.
Positive intimate relationships with spouses, relatives and friends are incredibly important to mental health in adulthood. John Bowlby's Attachment Theory shows how relational patterns set early in life affect emotional bonds later in life. This film's focus will be on attachment theory as it explains many aspects of personality development from childhood through to adulthood. The film is a companion piece to our very popular 2005 release on Bowlby's colleague, Mary Ainsworth, which was centered largely on the development of attachment relationships in infancy. The new film will address issues related to attachment in later life as people seek to establish new ties and cope with separations and losses. Therapeutic applications of the theory as developed by Dr. Bowlby and others will be illustrated, along with new insights that neuroscience brings us to understand the legacy of attachment histories. With Howard Steele, Ph.D. (2007) 40 minutes $250. Go to the complete discussion of this film. View a short clip from this film.
ISBN:
1-891340-75-1
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Using archival materials and newly shot footage, this film
introduces students to the rich wisdom of Erik H. Erikson. Best known for his
identification of the eight stages of the life cycle, Erikson spent a lifetime observing
and studying the way in which the interplay of genetics, cultural influences and unique
experiences produces individual human lives. This 
The work of Jean Piaget has become the foundation of current
developmental psychology and the basis for changes in educational practice. David Elkind,
author of The Hurried Child and Miseducation, and a student of Jean Piaget, explores the
roots of Piaget’s work and outlines important vocabulary and concepts that structure
much of the study of child development. Using both archival footage of Dr. Piaget and
newly shot footage of Dr. Elkind conducting interviews with children of varying ages, this
film presents an overview of Piaget’s developmental theory, its scope and content.
The film can serve either as an introduction to Piaget’s work or as a review of it. (1989) 25 minutes $250. 
The work of Lev Vygotsky is increasingly cited as we reconsider the
theory and practice of constructivist education. This program introduces the life,
vocabulary and concepts of Lev Vygotsky. The video illustrates four basic concepts
integral to his work: Children construct knowledge, learning can lead development,
development cannot be separated from its social context, and language plays a central role
in cognitive development. Elena Bodrova brings an easy familiarity to
these concepts. Deborah Leong’s commentary and the lively classroom examples enable
students, teachers in training, and classroom teachers to incorporate these concepts into
their understanding of child development. (1994) 28 minutes $250. 
Other
than Freud, no psychologist has been so discussed, critiqued and, at times,
maligned as B.F. Skinner. Using both archival and new footage, this video
takes a new look at who the man was, and what he really said in his twenty
books. Like other thinkers who broke new ground, Skinner had to invent his
own vocabulary to describe the phenomena he was studying. In this film, his
terms are introduced in context so the student understands how they were
intended to be used and the research that produced them. The film lays to
rest some myths and credits Skinner with contributions not often attributed
to him. 
John
Dewey wrote extensively about philosophy, psychology, education, political
science, and the arts. In his very full 92 years of life (1859-1952), he
not only wrote about the breadth of life, he participated in it as a
teacher, social critic, political activist and involved family man. This
fully produced video introduces students to his philosophy and his
critical studies of education, the arts and the implications of democracy
for the lives of individuals and their communities. 
Born
more than 25 years before Piaget or Vygotsky, Maria Montessori understood the
constructivistic nature of all learning.
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