...This essay seeks to critically evaluate my role as a child observer. Drawing on two or more theories of child development, I will look at the main theoretical concept and critically evaluate in relation to my observation. First, I begin a brief description of the child I have observed and the setting in which the observation took place. Next I attempt to show my understanding of normal child development, and aspects that can disrupt ‘normal’ child development. Throughout the essay, I will critically examine and reflect on the process of undertaking my observation. And finally, issues of ethics and anti- oppressive practises will be discussed. The child I have observed was three and half year’s old girl called Sara (not her real name), of African Caribbean background and English is the only language spoken at home. All three observations took place at the day-centre she attends. The day-care centre gave me permission to observe her, but not to interact and interfere with her educational activities. As this was my first observation, I was a bit anxious about how Sara might react about me watching her, and while her parents consented about the observations, Sara did not know that I am here to observe her; it is this scenario that made me uncomfortable. I was particularly more concerned about the ethical issues of not informing Sara about the observation. One element of anti-oppressive practice is to make sure that people’s rights are not violated. Social workers must put children’s...
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...our environment and also supports behaviourism. Another debate is continuity v discontinuity, some individuals have created continuity theories and others have created discontinuity theories. Continuity theorists believe that the development of an individual is constantly continuous while discontinuous theorists believe that there are specific periods where individuals develop. For example Freud’s psychosexual stages are a discontinuous theory. There is also an issue of nomothetic vs idiographic; some theorists adopt a nomothetic approach while others adopt an idiographic approach. Individuals that adopt a nomothetic approach create theories based on what we share with others, and find general laws that can be applied to large groups of people, for example behaviourism is a nomothetic approach. On the other hand the idiographic approach goes into large detail for the individual to investigate why we are unique, for example Freud’s theory is an idiographic approach. There are six principle psychological perspectives which are applied to the understanding which includes; behaviourism, social learning, psychodynamic, humanistic, cognitive and developmental. These perspectives can be used to explain the development of individuals. Cognitive development starts when developing from when we are born. It refers to how intelligence, conscious thought and problem solving develop from infancy. As well as improving the ability to think, learn and reason. Jean Piaget...
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...today’s classrooms, throughout America, there are a number of students who speak another language other than English. In fact, a majority of our classrooms consists primarily of English language learner students. For these students, interacting and participating in daily tasks, socially and academically, can at times be challenging. This added pressure and stress can wreak havoc for ELLs and can result in feelings of not belonging or loss of identity, their culture, family, or friends. They may also feel they lack the ability to fully express themselves through their native language. As teachers we need to take extra time and effort to understand that these students originate from diverse backgrounds, and some ELL students will have the learning skills that will enable them to pick up the English language at a more rapid pace than others. The reason for this seldom coincides with the student’s intelligence or motivation levels. Instead, we need to consider all the various learning strategies that can potentially help shape ELLs in becoming more confident in learning and speaking English. Throughout this assignment, I will thoroughly identify the different strategies that are presented throughout the classroom scenario, explain whether or not they are effective, describe how instructional input and scaffolding are used to support ELLs, discuss current theories and research in ELL development, identify and describe a standard, identify and explain several standards-based interventions...
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...heories about how young children acquire and develop language Young children become amazingly proficient communicators during the first three years of life. As the Birth to Three Matters framework points out, they use 'the hundred languages of children' - body language (including facial expressions and dance); sign language (their own and family inventions as well as an officially recognised sign language); painting, drawing and mark-making; and oral expression. They have been acutely active listeners since their days in the womb, where they learned to recognise the speech patterns, tunes and tones of the languages used in their home contexts. Language theory research informs us that young children's language development is influenced by many factors, including having sensitive adults and older children around them who will listen and attend to their expressions and who will use and model appropriate language themselves. This has been called 'Motherese' by researchers led by Cathy Snow. Children's babbling during their first year includes the sounds of every world language and 'crib talk' demonstrates their intense interest in the sounds they hear around them. Although children with a hearing loss will stop babbling, if they grow up in a home with parents who can sign, they will follow the same patterns of development using their first language - signing - and will sign their first word at around the same age that hearing children speak theirs. Between two and three years...
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...amount of knowledge you had regarding children’s language and communication development before the course and now. At this point, I think it’s safe to say that there have been many different topics discussed that you need to try to retain and keep in mind, especially when you’re going to have a child (though you better not expect to have one soon). Infants are born in large numbers every day and with each birth, parents are concerned about their children’s progression in language development. (You may not be a parent now, but you ought to be concerned about language development as well for the sake of your future children and the future generation of people.) Naturally, parents desire the best and most effective way to speed up and improve their children’s language and communication development. Studies have been done over communication overall, but fortunately; there are many in-depth studies over the topic of communication development with children. There have been many different learning theories that have been covered over this course to help understand the different kinds of development children undergo with regards to communication. An overlaying widely discussed theory known to many is that of “nature or nurture.” There are many other theories that fit within the framework of the “nature or nurture” theory and these can vary depending on the various ages and stages of the child. Since the topic of language and development can be so broad, the exploration of the different...
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...hands and feet. • Sex differences in growth: infancy, girls are shorter and lighter than boys and higher ratio of fat to muscle. Sex differences persist through early and middle childhood and are greatly magnified at adolescence. Children of the same age differ in rate of physical growth – some mature faster than others. • History of breastfeeding & cultural variations: breastfeeding now more common in industrialized nations. 77% of mothers in America begin breastfeeding after birth, but more than one third stop by 6 months. • Benefits of breastfeeding: provides correct balance of fat and protein. Ensures nutritional completeness. Ensures healthy physical growth. Protects against many diseases. Protects against faulty jaw development and tooth decay. Ensures digestibility. Smoothens the transition to solid foods. • Kwashiorkor: disease caused by an unbalanced diet very low in protein. The disease usually strikes after weaning, between 1 and 3 years of age. Common in regions where children...
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...teaching perspective, anyone may write very well a methodology paper which related desired output to known inputs in a principled way. But in learning perspective, anyone may write very well a paper describing the process of attempted learning of second language. The interlanguage part is written from the learning perspective, regardless of one’s failure or success in the attempted learning of a second language. The concept of interlanguage was suggested by Selinker in order to draw attention to the possibility that the learner’s language can be regarded as a distinct language variety or system with its own particular characteristics and rules. There is a key term which is named ‘meaningful performance’. It is used to refer to the situation where an adult attempts to express meanings, which he or she may already have, in a language which he or she is in the process of learning. The writer thinks that one of our greatest difficulties in establishing a psychology of second language learning which is relevant to the way people actually learn second languages, has been our inability to identify unambiguously the phenomena we wish to study. I agree with the writer, because we have difficulty in learning second language and a correct understanding of this phenomenon leads to the postulation of certain theoretical constructs. These constructs in turn, give us a framework within which we can begin to isolate the psychological relevant data of second language learning...
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...What’s on the MCAT2015 Exam? Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior What will the Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior section test? The Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior section asks you to solve problems by combining your knowledge of foundational concepts with your scientific inquiry and reasoning skills. This section tests your understanding of the ways psychological, social, and biological factors influence perceptions and reactions to the world; behavior and behavior change; what people think about themselves and others; the cultural and social differences that influence well-being; and the relationships between social stratification, access to resources, and well-being. The Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior section emphasizes concepts that tomorrow’s doctors need to know in order to serve an increasingly diverse population and have a clear understanding of the impact of behavior on health. Further, it communicates the need for future physicians to be prepared to deal with the human and social issues of medicine. This section is designed to • • • • • test psychology, sociology, and biology concepts that provide a solid foundation for learning in medical school about the behavioral and sociocultural determinants of health; test concepts taught at many colleges and universities in first-semester psychology and sociology courses; test biology concepts that relate to mental...
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...found in these notes. But you will find a generally close correspondence between class and readings in what follows. Be aware that these notes are not intended to replace reading the text. Also, these are “rough” notes. They were devised initially for my own use. They are not polished and stand open to correction. But I think you want them, so here they are. Dr V What is culture? A complex system of meaning and behavior that defines the way of life of a given group or society. Material and non-material Characteristics of culture: Shared Learned Taken for granted Symbolic (meaningful) Defining idea: transmission by non-biological means Distinctions(?) between human and animal cultures (language & tools). Elements of culture: Language: symbol systems. Does language shape culture? Norms: cultural expectations for how to behave in a given situation. Implicit vs. explicit; ideal vs. real. Folkways/mores/laws/taboos Social sanctions Ethnomethodology and the study of norms. Beliefs. Values: Value-orientations Institutions. Cultural diversity: Dominant culture. Most support from major institutions. Function of power. Subcultures. Often develop as a result of exclusion from mainstream society and culture. Counter-cultures Rejection of dominant cultural values, often for moral and political reasons. Cultural diversity issues: Ethnocentrism Seeing things only from the point of view of one’s own group. The judging of a culture by the standards...
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...median, and mean) and variability (range and standard deviation), you will be able to manipulate the scores in a distribution to see how each score affects the descriptive statistics for that distribution. Hemispheric Specialization Purpose: To explain how research on split-brain patients has helped us understand the special abilities of the two halves of the brain. Summary: This activity describes what researchers have learned about the special abilities of the left and right sides of the brain. After a brief review of the way that information is carried from the main sensory channels to the brain, you will test the responses of a simulated “split-brain” patient to demonstrate that, for most right-handers, the main language center is located in the left hemisphere, while the right hemisphere is specialized for spatial tasks. Then you will carry out the same experiments with a simulated “normal” individual to...
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...Date: This activity will take you on a tour through the history of psychology. You will learn how psychology grew out of philosophy and medical physiology, and will become acquainted with some of the pioneers of psychology as a scientific discipline. Famous Psychologists Can you think of any famous psychologists from psychology’s history? The Early History: Philosophers and Scientists Match each of the philosophers and scientists with their descriptions AND write in the approximate year of their contribution. ______ Aristotle (______) 320 b.c. A. British philosopher, empiricist ______ Darwin (______) 360 b.c. B. Greek philosopher, nativist ______ Descartes (______) 1600 C. British biologist ______ Helmholz (______) 1700 D. German physiologist ______ Locke (______) 1830 E. French philosopher, nativist, and dualist ______ Plato (______) 1860 F. Greek philosopher, empiricist Pioneers of Psychology Match each of the pioneers of psychology with their descriptions AND write in the approximate year of their main contribution. ______ Calkins (______) 1879 A. Studied memory ______ Ebbinghaus (______) 1882 B. First psychotherapy ______ Freud (______) 1885 C. First lab in USA ______ Hall (______) 1888 D. Used introspection ______ James (______) 1890 E. First comprehensive textbook ______ Titchener (______) 1895 F. First psychology laboratory ______ Wundt (______) 1900 ...
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...between events or variables. Two further marks for explanation of the role of hypothesis testing in research, eg theories need to be tested by empirical studies, hypothesis testing allows researchers to refute or support a theory, the degree of support determines confidence in a theory. Credit references to the null hypothesis and falsification of a theory 0 8 Explain what is meant by the nature-nurture debate in psychology. (4 marks) [AOl = 2, AO2 = 2] AOl One mark for outlining the term nature; genes, innate or inherited factors. One mark for outlining the term nurture; environment, experience. AO2 Marks to be awarded for explaining the debate; a controversy within psychology that is concerned with the extent to which particular aspects of a behaviour are a product of either acquired or inherited characteristics. A further mark for an expansion. Most likely expansions will be...
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...Cognitive Psychologists’ Approach to Research 1 Why Make Assumptions? How Did Philosophers and Early Psychologists Study the Mind? ■ ■ ■ ■ Philosophical Underpinnings The Beginnings of Modern Psychology The Response: Behaviorism Behaviorism’s Success How Do Cognitive Psychologists Study the Mind? ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ What Behaviorism Couldn’t Do Failures of Behaviorism to Account for Human Behavior The Computer Metaphor and Information Processing The Behaviorist Response Abstract Constructs in Other Fields So What, Finally, Is the Cognitive Perspective? ISBN: 0-536-25527-X Cognition: The Thinking Animal, Third Edition, by Daniel T. Willingham. Published by Pearson Prentice Hall. Copyright © 2007 by Pearson Education, Inc. 2 Chapter 1 Have you ever wondered how we see or how we remember things? Have you ever contemplated the strange nature of attention? I didn’t think so. Most of the people I know do contemplate how the mind works, but only when their mind lets them down. They contemplate memory (“Why can’t I find my keys?”), attention (“I want to find my keys, so why can’t I concentrate?”), and vision (“How could I not see my keys when they were right in front of me the whole time?”). Questions such as “How does vision work?” seem somewhat interesting, but no more interesting than thousands of other questions. It’s like someone asking you whether you want to know about the history of guitar making. “I don’t know; maybe. Is it interesting?” Truthfully, “How...
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...and weaknesses of the view that claims about what exists must ultimately be grounded in and justified by sense experience. This is an analysis of the "empiricist" view: both Hume and Locke are empiricists as they argue that all knowledge depends on experience. Note that the first item asks us to evaluate empiricism as an explanation of the origin of ideas, and the second asks us to evaluate the claim that knowledge must be justified with reference to experience. Locke on the origin of Ideas AO1 Position and its implications: The mind is a tabula rasa or "blank slate" at birth, empty of all ideas and knowledge; it is gradually filled through experience AO1 Detail, Illustration: An Essay Concerning Human Understanding II.1 Locke's definition of "idea" = "the object of thinking" He gives examples: "such as are those expressed by the words whiteness, hardness, sweetness, thinking, motion, man, elephant, army, drunkenness, and others" We might say concepts rather than ideas, the basic mental building blocks of propositions or declarative sentences Ideas are acquired through two processes, sensation or reflection; each is a type of perception, the first of external objects, the second an inward perception of mental processes. Sensation The senses "convey" perceptions into the mind, or rather "they convey into the mind what produces there those perceptions". These are the ideas of "sensible qualities" e.g. colour, heat etc. Reflection ...
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...Core study 1 Asch 1955 : Aims and Context Summarise the aims and context of Asch’s 1955) research opinions and social pressure An individual is said to conform if they chose to study a course of action that is favoured by the majority or that is considered socially acceptable .When an individual is influenced by how the majority of people think this is considered socially acceptable Conformity is a form of social influence that results from exposure to the majority position , the tendency for people to adopt the behaviour, attitudes and values of other members of a reference groups, This was a study of conformity in an ambiguous situation ‘unclear’. Jenness asked students to guess how many beans there were in a jar,they were then asked to discuss in groups. Lastly they were asked to give their estimates again, individuals estimates tended to converge to the group norm.It seems reasonable that when in an ambiguous situation (were the answer isn't obvious ) we look to others to get some ideas about behaviour . Jenness's research is limited as he specifically asked participants to produce a group estimate rather than just observing if they would produce group estimates. Sherif conducted a similar investigation into responses to an ambiguous stimulus using the auto kinetic effect ( this is where a stationary spot of light projected on to a screen appears to move) Sherif told participants he was going to move the light , he asked the pp’s to estimate by how far the spotlight...
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