Observing and Assessing Young Children and Families - Case Study Example

Cain Bus here) Prefessor John Kan (your here) Psychology 203 29 March Observing and Assessing Young Children and Families This case study is about a child named Megen. She is observed and assessed at four different settings: first, with her mother at their home; second, with her grandmother; third, at a playground where she had visited on a couple of occasions to play with other kids; fourth, with a totally strange person. These four scenarios presented ample opportunities to observe and assess Megen’s interactions with people in such environments. In order to better understand these issues, some models would be applied in analysing Megen’s responses to the challenges in her environments. These models have been applied on several occasions because they are effective and produce believable outcomes when infants are observed and their behaviours analysed. Some of the models used in this paper include Tavistock psychoanalytical model, Wahler model of social interaction, and Osofsky & Thompson model of adaptive and maladaptive approaches to education. At home with her mother, Megen reveals some interesting characteristics that could be vividly described using the models hinted above. She is attentive to her mother’s instructions and seems to be engrossed in her playing with objects. She handles each object carefully and does not appear to have been bored by every word her mother said, even though her mother has talked ceaselessly. While her attention is riveted on to her toys, Megen makes sure she is connected with her mother’s communication and her gleeful laughs and chirping voice reveal that she is indeed absorbing the pieces of learning hint her mother has given her. Osofsky and Thompson model of educational achievement as observed in children states that every child will learn through the processes of adaptive and maladaptive techniques. A child like Megen quickly adapts her mind to the learning instructions her mother give to her. She follows her advice about how to handle objects. She tries to imitate her mother’s ways of dealing with things, especially things that could be touched and moved (Osofsky and Thompson 59-63). This phenomenon would not have happened if not that the relationship between Megen and her mother is cordial. Wahler model explains that kids at the earliest periods of their lives often experience a kind of magnetic or symbiotic relationship with their mothers; a relationship that often makes them carried away with all maternal instructions. It is evident in the video that Megen’s mother is a woman blessed with the gift of speaking, and she talks ceaselessly in a way that she sustains her child’s interest in what she is doing through advice and constructive criticism. Although, only in a few instances that the relationship between mothers and their infant children is lacking; majority of the cases supports the fact that infants are more comfortable to socialise with their mothers—they take orders, instructions and advice readily from their mothers (Wahler 108). Applying Tavistock model, Megen is able to flow naturally with her mother because of perceptible psychological connection between them. Megen enjoys certain subconscious linkage with her mother which makes her to believe every statement and advice her mother gives (Reid and Tavistock 398-402). This assertion can be confirmed in the video as Megen does not at any point in time reject her mother’s suggestions but appear to be seamlessly carried away with all she was saying. This is a clear picture of how two people that are connected consciously or unconsciously can naturally flow with one another. On the other hand, Megen has shown a totally different aspect of herself when she refuses to stay with her grandmother. Even though her mother persuaded her to stay, but she keeps following her; she does not let go her mother’s hand until she follows her to the car parked outside. Although, the video doesn’t give any clue how often Megen go to stay with her grandmother, but her unwillingness to even have small chit-chat with the old lady demonstrates that she has not been consciously connected with the old woman (Reid and Tavistock 398). So, all the appeal Megen’s grandmother is making to let her little granddaughter to stay with her has actually fallen on Megen’s deaf ears. Using Tavistock psychoanalytic methodology to explain this scenario, there is, apparently no psychological connection between Megen and her grandmother: this situation has caused the girl to reject any attempts to catch her attention. Although grandma used persuasive words and physical action to make her Megen stay, Tavistock model explains that the containing process employed by grandma is not effective because it does not reach into Megen’s subconscious— meaning that it does not arouse enough interest in her that could elicit positive behavioral response to grandma’s expectation (Reid and Tavistock 115). The kind of emotional link that exists between Megen and her mother is totally lacking between her and grandma (Wahler 109). This maternal bond is necessary for parenting: Megen would have developed trust, dependability and wholesome obedience to her mother owing to the fact that she has seen her as the only person whose motives are true and caring towards her (Osofsky and Thompson 63). At the playground with the other kids, Megen blends naturally as this is not her first visit to the place. Being in the midst of other children who are carried away playing with their toys, Megen understands she has to be serious with her own toys. Her mother provides the usual hints of how she could play well with her toys. Osofsky and Thompson model of adaptive parenting supports this kind of approach, in the sense that parents should be take the lead whenever they want to teach their infant child a lesson (Osofsky and Thompson 69). This adaptive mechanism prods the infant to be proactive and bury her interest in the objects/playthings. Megen does not even look sideways at the other kids as she is immersed in her own play. Here, it is also important to pinpoint the absence of children from different cultural background, which could have distracted Megen: however, all the kids at the playground look like her, and she does not have any reasons to look sideways in making sure that the other kids are friendly or unfriendly (Reid and Tavistock 58). Megen’s mother provides continuous pep talk that creates a kind of impetus for Megen to concentrate on her play. Tavistock model emphasis on the significance of watching the mouth and eye of an infant during observation; Megen’s mother may have unknowingly used this approach by making sure that her daughter speaks out her processes of playing with the objects/numbers (Reid and Tavistock 144). Commenting on the atmosphere of the playground, the place looks like a centre meant for educating pre-schoolers; hence, most of the kids that visit the playground may have thought that it was a school. Playing atmosphere, according to Osofsky and Thompson, could be a deciding factor in how much knowledge an infant child could grab at a time. It is, invariably, a measure of the level of knowledge acquisition (Osofsky and Thompson 72). Therefore, there is every possibility that Megen could make more sense of her play with objects/numbers at the playground than at home. One characteristic of maladaptive parenting as expounded in Osofsky and Thompson model, is that parents who would leave their kids to learn in the hands of teachers and external instructors without contributing meaningfully to the child learning or knowledge acquisition would definitely end up losing their control on their children’s learning curves/abilities (Osofsky and Thompson 77). But at the playground, there are no external tutors/instructors that are assigned to Megen; hence, she can do all her playing with the guidance of her mother through the process of conscious or subconscious connection between them (Reid and Tavistock 38). Applying Wahler model, Megen’s mother uses great efforts to help her daughter be socially responsible by holding her down to continuous communication while she persistently carries on with her play. This may have helped Megen to deal with the problem of shyness that most kids face when they are taken outdoors to play with objects/numbers/toys (Wahler 109). Interestingly, the playground provides a comfortable environment for Megen as she does not need to worry about people she dislikes or does not truly like; for example, her grandma. The kids in the playground, though somehow unfamiliar, do not necessarily constitute any hindrances as Megen will have imagined that they are there to do their own playing. Observing Megen, it is nice to notice her unwillingness to remain lazy and bored: these are common features displayed by kids that have high learning ability (Reid and Tavistock 92). However, one may have wondered about the approach used by Megen’s mother: talking to her daughter continuously may cause her to make some mistakes or wrongly assume that kids can talk with their mothers at all playgrounds (Osofsky and Thompson 62). The last part of the video shows Megen with a woman who is described as a total stranger to her. Megen has talked with the woman with reservations as she attempts to gain her trust and carry away her attention. The stranger’s preliminary approach of urging Megen to look for the parts of a toy has received coolly response from Megen who seems to be shy and unconvinced that the strange woman in her home can be that friendly and nice. The woman uses persistent persuasion to encourage Megen to try and find the right parts of a toy. This kind of persuasive process is strongly encouraged by Tavistock model that expects experts on child observation to perceive every child as an actuality and an idea: actuality in the sense that he/she is just an infant that can run away from strangers they confront for the first time; and idea, because they can come out with a totally surprising behavioral pattern—for example, talking boldly with a stranger (Reid and Tavistock 94). This approach by the stranger does work as Megen reluctantly looks around the pile of toys searching for the missing parts of the toy requested by the strange woman. It is helpful to state at this junction that the presence of Megen’s mother in the same room as the stranger may have helped increase Megen’s trust in the woman. The second clip of the last video shows the strange woman and Megen involved in lively conversation. The first clip has revealed how the woman has used the reassuring process to gain Megen’s trust; the second clip emphasizes the build-up on such foundation. The stranger uses similar technique that Megen’s mother used by engaging Megen in a lively conversation and creating an avenue for the two of them to be engaged consciously and subconsciously (Reid and Tavistock 38). The second clip of the last video shows Megen ignoring the presence of her mother in the same room and taking up the challenge to interact fearlessly with a stranger. According to Osofsky and Thompson model, the strange woman has made Megen feel important and made a strong connection with the girl’s subconscious (Osofsky and Thompson 68). This engaging interaction has produced not only a successful transfer of knowledge, but also an opportunity to trust and rely on a completely strange person—this can be compared with the circumstances when a person is lured into loving someone he/she hated before. The most interesting part of the last video is when Megen’s mother got out of the room and left Megen with the stranger. This situation does not produce any negative response from Megen who, at this time, has become too familiar with the stranger. The stranger also goes a step further to test Megen’s emotional linkage with her by asking Megen to teach her how best to stamp on a paper. This technique brings Megen out of herself and lets her flow naturally with the stranger. Not only that, it creates a feeling that the stranger recognizes her talent and skill at stamping nicely. This is an approach that parents are expected to use when they need to win the hearts of the infant kids. It is the kind of adaptive mechanism commonly promoted by Osofsky and Thompson model, emphasizing on the need to keep infant kids in a frame of mind that allow them to freely express themselves (Osofsky and Thompson 70). Giving Megen the opportunity to express her opinion about how best to stamp a paper, the stranger has been able to harness all the three models discussed in this paper: this involves reassuring an infant about her safety with a stranger and winning her trust and mind; leading in teaching the lesson that may attract the girl’s attention; then, encouraging the infant child to be socially responsible by expressing her personal opinion. In conclusion, observing children helps to determine their approach to simple studies and their willingness to be socially responsible. Many models have been proposed about the right ways to do this; however, this paper has utilized Wahler model of social interaction, Osofsky and Thompson model of educational philosophy, and Tavistock model of Psychoanalysis. The videos used to draw up this report are educating and self-explanatory enough for any child observation expert to follow Megen’s series of behavioral responses to the theories and principles proposed by the models and applied in this research. Interestingly, Megen’s reactions are typical of any kid of her age, and her behavioral patterns are subjects of future studies on how to improve the activities of a three-year old in different environments/circumstances. Works Cited Osofsky, Joy and Thompson, M. Adaptive and maladaptive parenting. Handbook of Early Childhood Intervention. 2nd ed. Cambridge: University of Cambridge Press, pp. 57-75, 2000. Print. Wahler, Robert. “Infant Social Development: Some Experimental Analyses of an Infant –Mother Interaction during the First Year of Life.” Journal of Experimental Child Psychology 7.1 (1969): 101-113. Reid, Susan and Tavistock Clinic. Developments in Infant Observation: the Tavistock Model. Routledge: London, 1997. Print. Read More