Description

In Lifespan Development, you examined several different domains of development, including physical, cognitive, emotional, and social development. Each of these domains is informed by its own theories and research and ultimately has its own unique trajectory. However, these areas of development also are deeply embedded in and influenced by one another. One of the complexities within human development has to do with the ways that different aspects of development interact to shape the person an individual is becoming.

For example, there is a body of research that looks at social implications for adolescents based on the timing they go through puberty. Every adolescent can be categorized as being either early, on-time, or late with respect to puberty in reference to his or her peers. Research has identified significant implications of the timing of puberty for adolescents’ social and emotional development. For example, girls who go through puberty earlier than their peers, on average, tend to lack self-confidence, have higher anxiety and depression levels, have poorer body image, and hold fewer leadership positions (Galveo et al., 2014; Compian, Gowen, & Hayward, 2009). They were also more likely to engage in risk-taking behaviors, including drinking and early sexual activity. Alternatively, it is late-maturing boys who struggle more than their early maturing counterparts. Boys who go through puberty later than average tend to earn less in adulthood, be more anxious and depressed, and experience more bullying and teasing (Benoit, Lacourse, & Claes, 2013).

In the Assignment this week, you are going to explore some of these interconnections between social and emotional development focusing on the preschool years.

To Prepare:

  • Observe children under the age of 5 in a public place for at least 15 minutes. For example, you could go to a park or a play area at a local mall.
  • If you do not have access to a public place where children might be playing (e.g., you are on military deployment), you may find a video on the Internet of children playing and submit this to your Instructor for approval to analyze in place of the live observation.
  • Select 2 or 3 children on which to focus your observations. Take notes on each child’s specific temperament and play behaviors with peers.

The Assignment (3–4 pages): APA

  • Describe the setting of your observation.
  • Summarize the aspects of each child’s temperament that you observed. Then summarize each child’s play behaviors (group, solitary, activities, etc.).
  • Explain how each child’s temperament affected his or her peer interactions.
  • Please make sure that the majority of your paper focuses on interpreting your observations through research on temperament, play, and their interplay.