a The timing of negative experiences influences the longevity and intensity of their Chapter 1 An Introduction to Child Development I Why Study Child Development A Raising Children B Choosing Social Policies 1 Courtroom testimonies a Biased questioning of a scenario leads to inaccurate testimonies b Children can be reliable witnesses when not probed by leading questions 2 Health education preventative programs 3 Academic and social skills programs C Understanding Human Nature 1 Timing effects D History of Childhood 1 Classical Era a Military upbringing b Abandoned if defective 2 Medieval Times a Children tried as adults 3 17th 18th Centuries a Initiated by philosophers II Historical Foundations of the Study of Child Development A Early Philosophers View of Children s Development 1 Plato 2 Aristotle a The future of society rests on the proper rearing of children b Emphasized self control and discipline in education c Children are born with innate knowledge a The future of society rests on the proper rearing of children b Advocated personalizing parenting styles to individual child c Tabula rasa blank slate children only learn from experience 3 John Locke a Tabula rasa b Empiricism c Goal of parenting character growth i Achieved through parents honesty stability and gentleness d Avid discipline and frugality in early years e Treat them as adults as soon as they are old enough 4 Jean Jacques Rousseau a Nativism b Maximum freedom until age 12 c No formal education until age 12 the age of reason 5 Hobbes a Children are inherently selfish and evil b Children require control and discipline 6 John B Watson B F Skinner a Stimulus response learning b Behaviorism c Equipotentiality i Anyone can learn anything d Operant conditioning i Use of external stimuli to influence behavior a 7 Modern Theories Interactionism i Hybrid of empiricism and nativism b Studying children in context of environment B Social Reform Movements 1 Industrial Revolution a Child labor laws enacted in the 19th century forbid employment of children under age 10 C Darwin s Theory of Evolution 1 Charles Darwin was one of first child researchers on his own son William 2 Evolutionary theory applies to parental attachment innate fears sex differences aggression and altruism and learning mechanisms 3 Similarities drawn between species D The Emergence of Child Development as a Discipline 1 Child development became known as its own field around the turn of the century III Enduring Themes In Child Development A Nature and Nurture 1 Nature a Biological components genetic make up i Chromosomal abnormalities ii Eye color iii Temperament Timing of language development b Maturational timetables i Growing teeth ii Learning to walk iii c Hormonal changes i Menstruation ii Bird song acquisition d Reflexes i Newborn humans ii Newborn non humans Instincts e i Spider s web ii Cricket song iii Imprinting Critical period 9 24 hours 2 Nurture a Physical and social surroundings that influence development b Environmental factors i Native language ii Effects of child abuse and neglect iii iv Prenatal toxins Nutrition c Learning i Conditioned responses ii Playing an instrument iii Recognizing voices d Effects of experience i Food preferences ii Development of prejudice 3 Nature AND nurture not nature versus nurture Interaction of genes and environment not just one or the other a b From which influence do behaviors originate B The Active Child people development 1 Children begin to shape their development by focusing on interesting objects and 2 Toddlers practice talking even when by themselves 3 Children s play demonstrates an innate desire to learn about the world and their own 4 Pretend play offers children the chance to experience others emotions and reactions to various scenarios C Continuity Versus Discontinuity 1 Continuous development a An ongoing steady process b i e Physical growth 2 Discontinuous development a Sudden stages b c stage theories i e development of a caterpillar to a butterfly i development progresses through distinctive sudden stages ii Piaget s theory of cognitive development Four stage course of development from birth to adolescence 3 Perspectives a Even the same facts viewed through different perspectives appear to support either theory of development i i e height by age versus height gain by age continuous versus discontinuous D Mechanisms of Developmental Change 1 Effortful attention a Voluntary control of emotions and thoughts b Inhibiting impulses c Regulating emotions d Focusing attention 2 Anterior cingulate a Involved in setting and achieving goals 3 Neurotransmitters a Communicative brain chemicals E The Sociocultural Context 1 Defined as the physical social cultural economic and historical circumstances of a child s life 2 Most important factors of context are 3 a Those with whom the child interacts b Physical environment surrounding the child c Surrounding institutions schools extracurricular activities religion etc Influential characteristics of society a Wealth b Technological advancement c Attitudes and ethics d Beliefs and traditions e Legal system and laws 4 Socioeconomic status SES a Measure of social class based on income and education received b Strong correlation between SES and developmental problems physically socially behaviorally and emotionally 5 Resilient children a Children more resistant to negative circumstances are more likely to have these attributes i Positive personal qualities High intelligence adaptability ii Close relationship with at least one parent iii Close relationship with at least one adult outside of their immediate family F Individual Differences 1 Four Factors Causing Differences Among Siblings a Genetic variances b Differences in treatment by other people particularly parents i Treatment differences stem from presumption of child s characteristics and behaviors c Differences in reactions to similar experiences d Different choices of environments i Role of active child ii Desire to fill labeled roles of behavior 2 Competence vs Performance a Understanding vs doing b G Research and Children s Welfare 1 Preferential looking i e understanding language vs implementing grammar in own speech 2 a Process involved in evaluating the severity of an infant s cataracts Improvement in Educational Programs a When informed of the effect of learning on the brain children tended to be more successful in academic pursuits and less likely to give up in the face of failure IV Methods for