Child Development Module 1

What are the principles of development?

• Development is lifelong

• Multi directional. (gain in some areas and loss in others)

• Multidimensional. (physical, cognitive and social/emotion)

• Plasticity, our ability to change

• Multi contextual. (influenced by nature and environment)

What are the periods of development

1. Prenatal. (conception-0)

2. Infancy. (0-2 years old)

3. Early Childhood.(3-5 years old)

4. Middle Childhood.(6-11 years old)

5. Adolescence.(12-adulthood.)

Prenatal Development (0)

• Major structures are forming

• health of the mother can affect this

Toddler hood (1-2)

• Very good hearing but bad vision

Early Childhood (3-5)

• Learning language/sense of self/disapproval of others

Middle Childhood (6-11)

• refined motor skills

• social relationships

Adolescence (12-adulthood)

• Cognitive change

• dramatic physical change

Issues in Development

• Interplay with Nature Vs. Nuture

• Continuity Vs. Discontinuity

• Active Vs. Passive

Research Methods

1. Scientific Method

2. Qualitative Research

3. Observation studies

4. Experiments

5. Case studies

6. Surveys

7. Longitudinal research

8. Development Designs

9. Cross-sectional

10. Sequential

Scientific Method

1. Research question

2. review other studies (literature review)

3. Determine method of gathering info

4. conduct study

5. interpret results

6. conclusions

7. share your findings

Qualitative Research

1. Based on area of interest

2. research group

3. gather notes

4. open-ended questions

5. modify research questions

6. note patterns

7. explore new areas

8. report findings

Observational studies

1. Watching/Recording

2. natural setting

3. record a lot of events

4. see how people behave rather than self report

5. cannot explain casual relationships

Experiments

To test Hypotheses

1. independent/dependent variable must relate

2. cause before effect

3. cause must be isolated

   -sample ad subjects to a group

   -help with cause and effect

Case studies

1. explore a single case

2. unusual situation

3. cannot be applied to large groups

Surveys

1. accessible

2. Likert scale. (independent/dependent variable)

3. not in-depth

4. forced-choice/semi-structured

5. limits accuracy

Development Designs

age,cohort, gender, social class and how it impacts development

Longitudinal Research

1. group of similar people and followed through

2. expensive and people may drop out

Cross-sectional

1. sample that represents a cross-section of the population

2. no distinguishment between age/cohort

Sequential

1. Cross-section and measure through time

2. high costs and attrition

Consent and Ethics

• disclose purpose/procedures

• confidentiality

Development theories

1. The how and whys (explanation)

2. interpret research findings

3. blueprint/model

4. developed with induction

5. some better for simulating debate

6. not facts

Freud’s Psycho sexual Theory

• stimulated lots of research

• id, ego,superego

• oral (birth to age 2, all ID)

• Anal Stage (potty training, ego development)

• Phallic stage (fem/masc, superego)

• Latency, (ego and superego refined

• Genital stage, (sex and reproduction

Strengths and Weakness of Freud’s theory

• difficult to test scientifically

• theories are sexist

• assumptions of childhood importance is valuable

• development years have a last impact

• id, ego superego

Erik Erikson Psycho social Theory

• Trust Vs. Mistrust (0-1)

• Autonomy Vs.Dame/doubt (1-2)

• Initiative VS. Guilt (3-5)

• Industry Vs inferiority (6-11

• Identity Vs. Role confusion (teens)

• Intimacy VS. Isolation (young adulthood)

• Generativity Vs. Stagnation (middle adulthood)

• Integrity Vs. Despair

Behaviorism Theorists

• Ivan Pavlov

• John B.Watson

• B.F Skinner

• Albert Bandura

Pavlov

Physiologist studying digestion but discovered classical conditioning

Watson

Fears and emotional responses were conditioned and used Little Albert for the experiment.

B.F Skinner

Believed that reinforcement is more effective for encouraging behavior than punishment

Positive reinforcement EX: giving cookies

Negative reinforcement EX: alarm

Bandura

• The main contributor to Social learning theory

• Vicarious reinforcement )the behavior will pay off)

• The environment creates us and recreates the environment

• Bandura and the Boho Doll Experiment (How media can affect how children act)

Jean Piaget

• first to realize children think differently than adults

• cognitive equilibrium

• schema/schemes. (under, soft, running, sour)

• assimilation

Theory of cognitive development stages

1. Sensorimotor stage (0-2)

2. Pre-operational stage (2-7)

3. concrete operational (7-11)

4. formal operational (12)

5. Criticism

6. Physical Maturation

Lev Vygotsky

Russian psychologist popular in 1960s-80s

• importance of culture interaction

• proximal development

• scaffolding

• -what they are capable of and then helping them

Differences between Vygo and Piaget

• Vygo focused on social/cultural environment

• Piaget saw the child as their own interactions

Brofenbrenner

• Most comprehensive theories

• depends on who, when and where

Ecological Systems Model

• Microsystems (impact child directly)

• Mesosytems (interactions with surroundings

• Exosystems (mass media/healthcare systems)

• Macrosystems (cultural values/beliefs

• Chronosystem (historical context)