Chapter 1:Studying the Child

I. What is child development?

II. Periods of Development

III. Rights of Children

IV. Important Folks

V. Research Methods

I. What is Child Development?Studying the Child: Important Terms

Memories from Childhood Development: pattern of change that begins at conception

and continues through lifespan

Individuals adapt to their environment through… Growth Maturation Learning

o Biological

o Cognitive

o and Socioemotional Changes

Studying the Child – Putting Things in Context

Have we always raised our children the same way? What factors might influence decisions about how to

raise children? Are there cultural/historical differences in perspectives

about child-rearing? Does economic status impact child-rearing?

II. Periods of Development

A. Prenatal Period: conception to birth (9-10 mos.)

B. Infancy: Birth to 2 years

C. Early Childhood: 2-6 years

D. Middle and Late Childhood: 6-11 years

E. Adolescence: 11/12 (puberty) - 21/22 years

III. Some Contemporary Concerns

A. Family

B. Education

C. Sociocultural Contexts

D. Poverty

E. Rights of Children

Infant Mortality

Mexico 29.3 Canada 7.2 Sierra Leone 151.1 Finland 6 Austria 5.4 Afghanistan 163.5 India 83.5 Japan 4.4 US 10.3

*per 1000 live births (death before 1 yr)

Studying the Child – Views From Around the World

What conditions do children face in the developing world?

What conditions and pressures do children face in the industrialized world?

What conditions and pressures are faced by children in rural versus urban communities?

Studying the Child – United Nations-Sanctioned Rights

Selection of some rights adopted during “Convention on the Rights of the Child” in November 1989

Adequate medical care Nutrition Affection, love, understanding Education Opportunity for play and recreation Special care if required A peaceful environment Protection from abuse, neglect, exploitation Freedom from discrimination

Studying the Child – United Nations-Sanctioned Rights

Respect of the right of the child to preserve his or her identity, including nationality, name and family relations.

Ensure that a child will not be separated from his or her parents against their will.

Assure to the child who is capable of forming his or her own views the right to express those views freely.

Studying the Child – Protection Vs. Choice

Rights of protection Protection from harm, survival, etc.

Rights of choice The right to be heard, have increased independence

Figure 1.3  Caldwell’s triadic model of the rights and responsibilities of parents, children, and society in relation to each other. Source: B. M. Caldwell (1980). Balancing children’s rights and parents’ rights; in R. Haskins & J. J. Gallagher (eds.), Care and education of young children in America: Policy, politics and social science. Norwood, N.J.: Ablex, p. 37. Reprinted by permission of the publisher.

IV. Studying the Child – Early Pioneers

Prior to 1600…

Original Sin View (500-1450 AD) John Locke – children are born a “Tabula Rasa” (late 1600s) Rousseau – children are active in their own development

(18th c) “innately good”

Childhood Today…

IV. More Pioneers in Child Development

Hall (19th c.)-children aged 8-12 are “mature savages” Binet (1900) James Mark Baldwin (1880's)-genetic epistemology more child dvmt centers-1920's-society for research in CD John Watson--behaviorism, “Give me a dozen healthy infants”-

1914 Arnold Gesell, 1928, photographic dome Freud (early experience)1930's-50's George Sanchez-1932 Kenneth & Mamie Clark: black identity, 1930’-70’s Piaget (1896-1980)

Studying the Child – Major Questions

Is it best to view the child as “active” in his/her own development or “passive?”

What are the relative effects of genetics and environments on development?

Is development continuous, or consist of distinct stages?

Studying the Child – Naturalistic ObservationNon-Experimental

Diary Specimen Time sampling Event sampling

Other non-experimental methods

Non-naturalistic Observation Case studies Life History Records Interviews/Questionnaires Standardized Tests

Studying the Child – The Correlation

Positive Correlation = a “direct” relationship. Whatever happens to “A”, the same happens to “B”.

Negative Correlation = an “opposite” relationship. Whatever happens to “A”, the opposite happens to “B”.

Figure 1.6  Representations of correlation (r), indicating the extent to which two measures tend to vary together: The direction of the relationship (positive or negative) is shown by the sign of the correlation coefficient (plus or minus). The strength of the relationship is indicated by the magnitude of the correlation coefficient: The closer r is to ±1, the stronger the observed relationship; the closer it is to 0, the weaker the relationship. In this example, scores on Measure A correlate perfectly with scores on Measures B and D and not at all with scores on Measure C.

Studying the Child – The Experiment

Control Group = establishes a baseline for comparison Experimental Group = gets the manipulation of interest Independent Variable = what is manipulated Dependent Variable = what is measured Random assignment Random Sample

Studying the Child – The Experiment

An example: You have the hypothesis that eating green M&M’s will improve exam performance.

You randomly assign students to the control and experimental groups.

Control group eats yellow M&M’s, experimental group eats green M&M’s.

Studying the Child – The Experiment

Measure performance. What is manipulated? (Ind. Variable) = color of M&M’s. What is measured? (the Dep. Variable) = exam performance. What is the control group? = Yellow M&M’s. What is the Experimental group? = Green M&M’s.

Studying the Child – Types of Studies

Correlational = what is the relationship between 2 or more events? Longitudinal = tracking a population (or sample) across time Cross-sectional = sampling from different ages and making

comparisons.

Cohort Effects Sequential Designs (series of samples at different times) Time-Lag (birth cohorts compared at different times)

Figure 1.7  Schematic representation of three research designs. Years inside the figure indicate time of testing. Vertical columns represent possible time-lag studies (different birth cohorts; different times of measurement; same ages). Horizontal rows represent possible longitudinal studies (same birth cohort measured at different times). Diagonals represent possible cross-sectional studies (different birth cohorts examined at one point in time).

Studying the Child – Evaluating Research

Sampling methods (convenience versus population of interest)

Validity (cultural, face, convergent, etc.) Reliability (can the results be trusted?) Participant bias Experimenter bias

Ethics with Children

Informed consent from parent or guardian Must explain what will happen to child Must weigh potential harm