Child Development

Question 0

What 2 behaviours are infants predisposed to exhibit?

Answer 0

Proximity seeking

Contact maintaining

Question 1

What is attachment?

Answer 1

Biologically base system that functions to maintain infant’s proximity to care giver.

Question 2

What is the importance of a secure attachment?

Answer 2

Shows infant is worthy of love and care and others will be available in times of need
Influences brain development
Better social competence, peer relations, self reliance and physical and emotional health

Question 3

What is the significance of the critical period of attachment?

Answer 3

During first year

If separation occurs during the first 4 years problems may result

Question 4

Describe social development during the first 6 weeks.

Answer 4

Newborns prefer human faces to inanimate objects

Question 5

Describe social development by 3 months.

Answer 5

Distinguish strangers from non strangers
Prefer non strangers
Allow any adult to hold without being unduly upset

Question 6

Describe social development at 7-8 months

Answer 6

Specific attachments
Child will miss key people and show distress when absent
Wary of handling by strangers

Question 7

Identify the attachment styles shown by the strange situation.

Answer 7

Secure
Insecure: avoidant
- ambivalent
- disorganised

Question 8

What predicts a secure attachment?

Answer 8

Carer sensitive to child’s signals
Rapid and appropriate response emitted consistently
Carer accepts role as parent/carer
Carer has higher self esteem

Question 9

If an attachment figure is absent what are the behavioural changes in the infant?

Answer 9

Separation anxiety
Increased aggression
Clinging behaviour
Bed wetting
Emotional detachment

Question 10

What are some of the physical impacts of an absent attachment figure?

Answer 10

Depression
Slower movement
Less play
Less sleep
Changes in heart rate and body temp

Question 11

What are the three phases of separation?

Answer 11

Protest- distress
Despair- helplessness
Detachment- more interested in surroundings, remote and apathetic if carer returns

Question 12

Why does separation cause distress in young children?

Answer 12

Lack of ability to keep image of carer in mind
Limited understanding of language
Can’t understand abstract concepts
Feel abandoned- own failing, punishment

Question 13

Describe the implications of separation for the hospitalised child.

Answer 13

Adverse effect on treatment adherence
Pain worse if high anxiety
Stress adversely affects health

Question 14

Give examples of good practice in hospital care for children.

Answer 14

Allow parental/carer access
Allow attachment objects
Reassure and explain
Home like environment
Toys and activities
High quality substitute care
Continuity of staff

Question 15

What are the four stages of Piaget’s stages of development?

Answer 15

Sensorimotor
Pre operational
Concrete operational
Formal operational

Question 16

Describe the sensory motor stage.

Answer 16

0-2yrs
Experience  world through senses
Motor coordination
Body schema
Permanence
No abstract concepts

Question 17

Describe the pre operational stage.

Answer 17

2-7yrs
Language development
Symbolic thought and imagination
Egocentricism
Lack concept of conservation
Classification by single feature

Question 18

Describe the concrete operational stage.

Answer 18

7-12 years
Logical thinking - not abstract 
conservation of number mass and weight
Classification by multiple features
Other perspectives

Question 19

Describe the formal operational stage.

Answer 19

12+yrs
Abstract logic
Hypothetical and deductive reasoning

Question 20

Outline some of the criticisms of Piaget’s stages.

Answer 20

Focus on what child can’t do

Risk of not informing child- partial information damaging

Question 21

Describe Vygotsky’s theory of social development.

Answer 21

Cognitive development requires social interaction

Child learns through shared problem solving

Question 22

Describe the concept of the zone of proximal development.

Answer 22

With able instruction child can achieve increase in understanding beyond which that would be achieved by child alone

Question 23

Discuss the implications of theory for communicating with children.

Answer 23

Must assess each individual’s level of understanding
Young children lack theory of mind so think others know how they feel
Lack language for articulating feelings
May not understand metaphors
Difficulty thinking about future and making decisions