pyc2602-exam-prep

PYC2602 – CHILD DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: STUDYING A CHILD’S WORLD The Study of Development: Then and Now Child development focuses on the scientific study of processes of change and stability in human children. Developmental scientists study two kinds of change: Quantitative and Qualitative. Quantitative: Change in number or amount: Height, weight, size of vocab, or frequency of communication. Largely Continuous. Qualitative: Change in kind, structure or organisation. Discontinuous: It is marked by emergence of new phenomena that cannot be anticipated easily on the basis of earlier functioning. Eg. Change from a nonverbal child to one who understands words and can use them to communicate. Most people show an underlying stability in aspects of personality and behaviour i.e. most shy children generally display shyness to a moderate degree throughout their life. Charles Darwin was the first theorist to emphasize the developmental nature of infant behaviour. The Study of Child Development: Basic Concepts Domains of Development *Study table 1-1 pg 11* Physical Development: Growth of body and brain, the development of sensory capacities and motor skills and health. All influence other aspects of development. Eg. Child with frequent ear infections may develop language more slowly than a child without this physical problem. Cognitive Development: Change and stability in mental abilities, such as learning, memory, language, thinking, moral reasoning, and creativity. Closely related to physical, social and emotional growth. Ability to speak depends on the development of mouth and brain. A child who has difficulties in expressing herself in words may bring negative reactions in others, affecting her popularity and sense of self worth. Psychosocial Development: Change and stability in personality, emotions, and social relationships. Can affect cognitive and physical functioning. Anxiety about taking a test can worsen performance. Social support can help children cope with stress on physical and mental health. Physical and cognitive capacities affect psychosocial dev by contributing to self-esteem and social acceptance. Development is a unified process. Influences on Development Heredity, Environment, and Maturation Heredity: Inborn traits or characteristics inherited from biological parents. Environment: The world outside of the self beginning in the womb and the leaning that comes from experience – incl. socialisation, a child’s induction into the value system of the culture. Research points to a blend of inheritance and environment in the development of specific traits. Thus, even though intelligence is strongly affected by heredity, environmental factors such as parental stimulation, education, and peer influence also affect it. Many typical changes of infancy and early childhood, such as the emergence of the abilities to walk and talk, are tied to maturation of the body and brain – unfolding of universal, natural sequence of physical changes and behaviour patterns, including readiness to master new abilities such as walking and talking. These maturational processes, act in concert with the influences of heredity and environment. Even in maturational processes that all children undergo, rates and timing of development vary. Contexts of Development Family Nuclear Family: is a two-generational kinship, economic, and household unit consisting of one or two parents and their biological children, adopted children, and/or stepchildren. Extended Family: a multi-generational kinship network of grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and more distant relatives. This is the traditional family form. Many people live in extended family households, where they have daily contact with kin. Adults share breadwinning and child raising responsibilities, and children are often responsible for younger siblings. Often these households are headed by women. Extended families are less typical in developing countries due to industrialisation and migration to urban centres. Socioeconomic Status and Neighborhood Socioeconomic status (SES) includes income, education, and occupation. SES is related to developmental processes (such as mothers verbal interactions with their children) and to developmental outcomes (such as health and cognitive performance). SES affects these outcomes indirectly, through factors such as the kinds of homes and neighbourhoods children live in and the quality of nutrition, medical care, supervision, schooling and other opportunities available to them