Observing and Interacting with Children

Chapter 1; Section 3

OBSERVATION

See children as individuals, meeting the challenges of development

The more you know them, the more you can tailor the activities

Help catch disabilities earlier- they do better longer turn

Subjective

It relies on personal opinions and feelings, rather than facts to judge events

Objective

Record is factual, and leaves aside personal feelings and prejudices

Only what is said or heard

Running Record

Writing everything down that happens in a set of time

Good for observing one part of development

Anecdotal Record

Is similar to a running record except its not for a specified allotment of time

Frequency Count

Is a tally of how often something occurs

Baseline

A count made before any steps are taken to try to change the behavior

Example: HittingBaseline is 20 times in one dayAfter intervention: 12 times in one day

Development Checklist

A list of skills children should master, or behaviors they should exhibit at a certain age

Formal Observation

Setting up an observation with a specific place with a specific child or specific children

Informal Observation

Observing in a public place using estimate ages

Don’t be noticed; it may affect your observation

TIPS FOR OBSERVATION

Take notes during an observation Know your purpose Identify the when, where, who, and what Be descriptive Make comparisons Uncover the data Review and clarify *Interactions can occur if you’re looking for

something specific

Interpretations

The analysis an observer forms and expresses about what was observed

Confidentiality

Protection of another person’s privacy by limiting access to personal information

The Developing Person Through the Life Span

Berger, Worth

p. 33-53

Major Theories

1. Psychoanalytic- Nature, battling unconscious impulses

2. Learning- Nurture, conditioning through stimulus and response…reinforcement from environment

3. Cognitive- Nature, actively seeking experiences influence on thinking, remembering, and analyzing

4. Sociocultural- Nurture, learning the tools, skills, and values of society through apprenticeships

Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development

Birth to 2 years Sensorimotor*using senses; *immediate actions of environment; *trial and error

2-6 years Preoperational*symbolic thinking;*subjective and intuitive; *past and future events

7-11 years Concrete operational*applies logical principles*systematic *No abstract ideas*objective

12 years + Formal operational*abstractions & hypothetical concepts*can think about thinking*speculate about possibilities and reality

Freud’s Psychosexual Stages

Birth to 1 1-3 years 3-6 years 7-11 years Adolescence Adulthood

Oral Stage (mouth)

Anal Stage (body, toilet)

Phallic Stage (genitals)

Latency (an interlude; quieted sexual needs)

Genital Stage (pleasure and relationships)

Genital Stage (also) “to love and to work well”

Erik Erikson’s Psychosocial Stages

Birth to 1 1-3 years 3-6 years 7-11 years Adolescence Adulthood

Trust vs. Mistrust (am I going to be taken care of?)

Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt (self-sufficient or doubt own abilities)

Initiative vs. Guilt (overstep boundaries; imitation)

Industry vs. Inferiority (learn to be competent or unable to do anything)

Identity vs. Role Confusion (who am I?) Intimacy vs. Isolation (build relationships

or not) Generativity vs. Stagnation (meaningful

work) Integrity vs. Despair (make sense of their

lives)

Research

Ways to Make Research More Valid

Sample Size Needs to be large enough that extreme cases

will not distort the picture of the group as a whole

Representative Sample A group of subjects who are typical of the

general populationBlind Experimenters

Unaware of the purpose of the research as to not distort the evidence

Ways to Make Research More Valid

Operational Definitions Define each variable in specific terms Observable behavior can be measured with

precision

Determining Statistical Significance A numerical indication of exactly how likely it is

that the particular difference occurred by chance (sample size, average difference between groups, levels of significance)

Ways to Make Research More Valid

Experimental and Control Groups Must study two groups Experimental- receives some special

experimental treatment Control Group- does not receive the

experimental treatment

The Developing Person Through the Life Span

Berger, Worth

p. 33-53

Major Theories

1. Psychoanalytic- Nature

2. Learning- Nurture

3. Cognitive- Nature

4. Sociocultural- Nurture

Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development

Birth to 2 yearsSensorimotor

2-6 years Preoperational

7-11 years Concrete operational

12 years + Formal operational

Freud’s Psychosexual Stages

Birth to 1 1-3 years 3-6 years 7-11 years Adolescence Adulthood

Oral StageAnal StagePhallic StageLatency Genital Stage

Genital Stage

Erik Erikson’s Psychosocial Stages

Birth to 1 1-3 years 3-6 years 7-11 years Adolescence Adulthood

Trust vs. Mistrust Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt Initiative vs. Guilt Industry vs. Inferiority Identity vs. Role Confusion Intimacy vs. Isolation Generativity vs. Stagnation Integrity vs. Despair