Day Care

Question 1

What is it?

Answer 1

Temporary care, not provided by parents, outside of the home

Question 2

Name the 3 main factors regarding the impact of day care

Answer 2

social development, aggression, peer relations

Question 3

Positive study about day care and social development

Answer 3

Clarke Stewart et al
Studied 150 children and found those in day care were more advanced in social development than those at home. These advances included independence, obedience, compliance and interaction.

Question 4

Negative study about day care and social development

Answer 4

Violata and Russell
Meta-analysis of 88 studies, concluding that regular day care (more than 20 hours per week) resulted in negative impact on social and emotional development/behaviour

Question 5

Positive study about day care and aggression

Answer 5

There isn’t one.

Question 6

Negative study about day care and aggression

Answer 6

NICHD in America
Longitudinal study of over 1000 children from diverse families. All assessed and interviewed at regular intervals. At age 5 = more time spent in a day care, more likely to be assertive, aggressive and disobedient. Children in full time day care were three times more likely to have behaviour problems than those at home.

Question 7

Positive study about day care and peer relations

Answer 7

Field
Children in day care have more time exposed to peers and therefore developing social strategies needed to negotiate, share and make friends. Research has shown that the more time children spend in day care, the more friends they have at the start of school, they’re better able to negotiate and are more sociable

Question 8

Negative study about day care and peer relations

Answer 8

Minnesota longitudinal study
Found that secure attachments lead to better peer relations, with the securely attached going on to be more popular. There is evidence that those in day care are less likely to develop a secure attachment as they spend so much time away from their caregiver so they’re therefore less likely to be socially successful

Question 9

Evaluation - aggression research

Answer 9

Research has shown children in day care are more aggressive, but this is not always the case. Other research has shown that childcare is not associated with aggression at all.
Friedman pointed out that 83% of children in 10-30 hours of day care didn’t show high levels of aggression. Correlation not cause.

Question 10

Evaluation - peer relations research

Answer 10

Correlation not cause - can not assume day care is the cause of social skills.
Temperament of mother could actually have been inherited since the shy mothers are less likely to go out but stay with the child, so the child’s shyness is hereditary not from day care

Question 11

Other factors affecting the impact of day care

Answer 11

1. Quality of care
2. Individual differences
3. Child’s age and number of hours