Child Development Issues - Essay Example

The type of research design should be correlational; this method should be utilized because it would probably be the most fruitful.
Chapter 3 


3a Application: Nora, pregnant for the first time, has heard about the teratogenic impact of alcohol and tobacco. Nevertheless, she believes that a few cigarettes and a glass of wine a day won't be harmful. Provide Nora with research-based reasons for not smoking or drinking. 


Nora should know that research shows that expectant mothers who smoke typically have lower birth weights and are much more likely to be born prematurely. Also, drinking alcohol while pregnant may pose a significant developmental risk to the fetus, and continued drinking (one glass per day) could give the child Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, which is characterized by certain facial deformities.

Chapter 4 

4b Application: After several weeks of crawling, Benji learned to avoid going headfirst down a steep incline. Now he has started to walk. Can his mother trust him not to try walking down the steep surface? Explain, using the concept of affordances. 



Benji’s mother should not trust the baby to walk down a steep surface even though he has stopped going headfirst down a steep decline. His balance might not be adjusted yet since he is just learning to walk. The baby must use the concept of affordances to derive (by induction) that he definitely shouldn’t try to walk unsupervised down a steeper incline because he could revert to crawling again and could fall.
Chapter 5 

5b Application: Lucia had a mild brain hemorrhage shortly after birth. Using what you know about brain plasticity, explain why her doctors believe her mental development will be normal, or near normal. 



Lucia had a mild brain hemorrhage shortly after birth, as long as it was not excessive, should not have a significant impact on the child’s mental development. The brain can compensate in young newborns. Therefore, the child’s likelihood of surviving a small hemorrhage without brain damage is high.
Chapter 6 

6a Application: Brett's preschool teacher creates many opportunities for sociodramatic play in his classroom. Brett's mother wonders whether Brett is learning anything from so much pretending. Using research findings, respond to her concern. 



Research has shown that young children need playtime for their brains to develop. Thus, playtime is just as important as having work tasks to do, if not more important. Since children’s brains at the preschool age are still formulating their schemas of the world, it only makes sense that pretend play and sociodramatic kinds of activities can only help, and not hinder, his development. Children learn a wide variety of soft skills through sociodramatic play as well, including social skills, listening skills, and speaking skills.
Chapter 7 


7b Application: When asked what happens at kindergarten, 5-year-old Ali replies, "First, you have circle time and center time. Sometimes you listen to a story. Next is snack and outdoor play." But Ali can't remember what she did during center time two days ago. Explain Ali's memory performance. Why is this type of reconstructive memory useful? 


Ali needs to focus on reconstructive memory. Her memory performance is probably not good enough because she needs to use her memory to reconstruct stories about what has happened in the past. This type of memory is useful because it can help children like Ali figure out what they have done over several days. It might help students to remember by having them just remember a script, even if they are schemas of what students did.

Chapter 8: 


8a Application: Eight-year-old Regina, an immigrant from Mexico, couldn't answer test items asking for word definitions and general information. But she figured out which number comes next in a complex series and solved puzzles easily. How does Regina score in crystallized and fluid intelligence, and what might explain the difference? 

In crystallized intelligence, Regina might not score well because those test questions are fixed and her verbal abilities are not best demonstrated through this. Regina’s fluid intelligence, however, would probably score pretty highly. Fluid intelligence is measured more by the ability to think logically. So, in essence, it is because her English needs improvement which has affected her verbal scoring. Read More