Observation Final Report
Developmental Psych
Russell is a five-and-a-half-year-old male. He lives with both his married parents in a single family home. He is an only child and attends preschool during the week. Both parents work so he is alternately taken care of by his nanny and grandmother. Maternal employment hasn’t always been accepted, but recent research has suggested children may benefit if their mother is employed. Employment increases wealth and correlates to more stable home environments and less prenatal depression (Berger, 2010, p.161). Both of Russell’s parents are overweight, which could have possible detrimental impacts on Russell’s health. Russell is not currently overweight, but family influences, alongside family feeding practices, play a major role on childhood obesity. If Russell were to become overweight as a child, the outcomes could include adulthood obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular problems and a number of emotional and social problems (Clemans, 2016b). Effective familial intervention will hopefully prevent this if needed.
Russell is an only child, so he has his own room and all the toys in the house are specific to his interests. His room and toys are very gender typed. His room is blue and his toys are centered around typical male characters – such as Spiderman. Russell wears lots of superhero clothing, even though he’s too young to have seen the movies, showing that the gender typing is reinforced by his parents. Russell also plays with Legos, which are exclusively ‘male’ trucks and diggers. He needs help building them but surprisingly remains focused for an extended duration on each project. Russell also uses his gender as an explanation for not playing with certain, typically female, toys. A study looking at discrimination in childhood recognized groups of children that were gender-typed; believing people have abilities or roles based solely on their gender. 254 children, from kindergarten to Grade 6, were given a variety of scenarios, including one about a person whose dream was to own and operate a store. Then the kid was presented with two silhouettes, one distinctively male, the other female, and asked which one owned the shop. They measured prejudice through positive attribution bias based on which gender the child chose. The researchers found that while age is generally inversely correlated with prejudice, F(32, 314) = 3.14, p < .001 (flexibility over time), they could find no relation that implies a child with higher bias in one category is more biased in another (Powlishta, 1994). This implies that while Russell shows gender bias at an early age, this is most likely to decrease over time and does not imply he will be more discriminative in other distinctions, such as body size, or ethnicity.
The neighborhood the family lives in is a small suburb consisting of mainly families with children around Russell’s age. The streets aren’t busy, so children gain independence from playing on the streets and walking to their friends houses under the watch of their parents. Russell has lots of outdoor toys, such as a scooter and a lacrosse stick, that promote physical activity. Benefits of physical activity in childhood include less risk of obesity, learned teamwork, developed problem-solving abilities, and generally greater health (Berger, 2010, p.245). Neighborhood play is especially useful as it encourages physical activity, while promoting inclusivity and teaching morality (Berger, 2010, p.245). Russell’s parents read to him every night to promote cognitive development. Russell is currently in Piaget’s preoperational stage. This stage includes mental symbolization and dual representation, but is mainly limited by egocentrism, centration, and irreversibility (Clemans, 2016a).
OBSERVED CHILD CHARACTERISTICS
Russell is a physically small child. This is most likely due to his inconsistent diet. Russell often refuses to eat dinner and because of the parenting style in his family, he does not usually see consequences in not eating meals, and then eating sugary snacks later. He has appropriate motor skills for his age, including fine motor skills such as dressing himself and eating on his own (Clemans, 2016a). I assessed his drawing skills, as these are an important part of developed fine motor skills. I originally asked him to draw a Lego for me and the result was only a few lines, before he walked away, indicating he was not interested in drawing that object. I asked him to draw anything he wanted and he came up what looks like a misshapen fish with water spewing around it. Russell stated the drawing was “a factory where you’re getting sprayed with blueberry juice.” His drawing was only lines, no full shapes, and consisted of little detail. For Russell’s age he should be drawing with greater realism, but I would classify his drawings as first representational forms which is appropriate for a 3 to 4 years olds drawing skills (Clemans, 2016a).
Russell’s cognitive abilities seem to be appropriate for his age level. Russell’s private speech is mainly internalized at this age, but when he is asked to complete a task he restates the direction out loud. This is normal as private speech helps Russell with cognitive challenges and usually isn’t internalized until age 6 (Clemans, 2016c). Russell performed most tasks at the ability he is supposed to for his age. I carried out a conservation test with two glasses, incorporating a taller and skinnier one for the second stage, and Russell failed this task, which was expected. By drawing a 2D map and given verbal instruction, Russell was able to pass the DeLoache dual representation test. A second round of this test, with minimal verbal cues, proved to be more difficult for him. Russell wandered around the general area of where the toy was hidden before finding it. He wasn’t clearly following the map but it seemed less likely that he didn’t understand the representation and more likely that he just wanted to make a game out of the activity. Russell also passed a theory of mind task. I hid a jelly bean in a green container when my sister was in the room. I asked my sister to leave the room then moved the jelly bean to an orange container. When asked where my sister was going to look, he easily pointed to the orange container. The last task Russell completed appropriate to his age was an identity constancy task. I showed Russell a doll and asked if it was a boy or a girl. When he responded saying it was a boy I put a dress on the toy. When asked again, Russell responded that it was a girl. This either shows that Russell does not understand identity constancy or that his understands that a doll symbolizes gender based on certain gender stereotypes – like what the doll is wearing. Russell surprisingly passed the egocentricism test when he was expected to fail for his age. By placing a toy cat on one side of a wall and toy car on the other, and sitting on different sides of the wall, I asked Russell what I could see. Russell responded that I could see the object he could not see and I couldn’t see the object that he could. This proves to be a cognitive advance for his age.
Russell attends pre school two days a week, and spends the rest of the week with a nanny or his grandmother, but is often interacting with other kids his age. Russell’s language is well developed for his age. His questions generally focus around why someone is doing something, or why someone acts a certain way. The majority of questions asked by 3 to 5 year olds involve human behavior which seems to fit in with what Russell is wondering about (Clemans, 2016c). He uses verb conjugations correctly, but occasionally resorts to the present tense when he is confused. He used to say “Russell want food,” instead of “I want food,” but grew out of this in the last year. Russell cannot read yet, but is making progress in terms of sounding out letters. Russell understands and utilizes make believe play but not all play is pretend. His gender typed toys limit his pretend play because most toys are cars and he usually places with them by pushing them on tracks, instead of creating a narrative with dolls or something similar. I think Russell is at an appropriate cognitive level for his age and will make great advances next year when he attends school.
Russell’s behaviors indicate a temperament that is hard to classify. He cannot always manage his emotions and control his attention, but generally has a positive outlook and is able to adapt to new situations without becoming upset. In new situations, he is originally shy and withdrawn, but slowly warms up to becoming engaged and involved in the activity. These behaviors are indicative of all three temperaments, so I cannot classify him as one (Berger, 2010, p.138). I would say Russell is securely attached because of this. He enjoys independently exploring areas while knowing his parents are nearby. He gets uncomfortable when left when separated from his parents in new situations however, such as at a restaurant, and complains until he is reunited. Russell embraces gender roles emphasized his parents. For example, when asking if he would like to use a pink cup he replied saying pink is for girls. This extends to beliefs about gendered activities and clothing. Russell is very confident. He is an only child so I have seen his behaviors be encouraged more than might typically be in a family with multiple children – leading to high self-esteem. In the US, however, if high self-esteem continues through middle childhood, it could lead to reduced effort in academics and sports, and reduced empathy – damaging friendships and successful development (Berger, 2010, p.287). Once Russell enters school, however, social comparison will teach him the value of working with and understanding other individuals. Russell is a very sociable child and has no problems making friends from what I have observed.
CAREGIVER / CHILD INTERACTION
Russell being an only child definitely accounts for his parents being very responsive to his needs. He often comes up to them and wants to play or has a question and his parents are very attentive to him. When Russell’s parents are engaged with other adults, they appropriately ask him to be patient and wait for their attention – which has possibly helped him develop his theory of mind and understanding he isn’t the only person with wants and needs. Russell is very independent and doesn’t often ask to be held, only when he is really uncomfortable in new situations so his parents are responsive when he does ask. While observing Russell, he was playing and hit his head on the counter. As he started crying his mother immediately picked him up and held him against her chest – which was a soothing gesture.
I would categorize the family’s parenting style as generally authoritative. Authoritative parenting involves control alongside adaptability, and are forgiving of children’s mistakes. Discipline is accompanied by extensive explanation and then followed by high warmth (Berger, 2010, p.217). On certain issues, specifically his diet, his parents tend to be more permissive. I observed Russell not eating his food and his parents threatened a consequence but ultimately didn’t push him to eat anything and then an hour later when he was hungry gave him a small sugary snack. I might suggest following through with consequences so Russell understands what is expected of him instead of understanding that not rules aren’t consistent. I would also encourage using techniques such as having someone Russell admires eat the food, or giving him repeated, unpressured exposure to the food, and then not following up with snacks if he doesn’t finish his meal (Clemans, 2016a).
A particular study assessed children’s eating habits in relation to the parental control. The study utilized a cross sectional survey involving 518 parents with children aged 4 to 7 (one child per parent was surveyed). The study defined overt control as the control as understood by the child, so controlling what is allowed as a snack, versus covert control which would be what food the family keeps in the house. The surveyed measured these types of control, alongside pressure to eat, child’s diet, and child’s willingness to try new foods. The study found that children who ate mainly unhealthy snacks had parents that utilized pressure to eat more than covert control (Brown et al., 2008). This could show that Russell’s parents most likely use pressure as a method to get him to eat, rather than changing family habits and not keeping sugary snacks in the house.
Russell’s parents definitely make an effort to cognitively stimulate him through reading and scaffolding activities. Over Easter our family was decorating eggs and Russell’s mother showed him how to hold the egg properly and how to set up the dye. Then she decorated an egg while he watched before letting him make one. This seemed to be really effective scaffolding as Russell was very careful and deliberate in his actions in this activity. I observed a few occasions where Russell was sent to go play when he asked to be involved in certain activities. I understand some of them he would not have been able to participate in, but I would suggest explaining to him why he can’t participate or trying to engage him even though it might take a little extra effort from the parents.
CAREGIVER INTERVIEW (J. Cooper, personal communication, May 1, 2016).
I followed up this observation by interviewing Russell’s mother, Jen. Jen says her favorite moment of watching Russell grow up was when he first started to follow her with his eyes as an infant. Later in early childhood, her favorite moments were listening to his curiosity and excitement towards trucks. Jen cites discipline as the most difficult aspect of child. She claims she struggles to find consistent boundaries with Russell and is often frustrated by the abundance of opinions she receives on the matter. After consideration, she discusses her philosophy for discipline as about behavior modification and positive reinforcement, identifying herself as the stricter parent. Consequences are generally time outs given with explanations about behavior and rules. The changing relationship from her husband from spouse to father has also created tensions. Jen states a huge milestone in their relationship was “when we learned that we had to respect each other’s ways because we each have our own relationship with our child (J. Cooper, personal communication, May 1, 2016).” She understands her and her husband have different parenting styles that may not agree but they have to be adaptable. Jen believes her utmost goal as a parent is keeping Russell safe. She says she does so in a subtle way that allows him to explore new environments and situations without being fearful, but stepping in when necessary. Jen says Russell begins as shy in new situations, but warms up quickly and is then involved in the activity on hand. Jen explains one situation where Russell was being introduced to another child and hid behind her legs. Once Jen told Russell about a certain toy the other child had, Russell found an instant connection and ran off to play with his new friend. Jen is very satisfied with her current child care situation. She is happy that Russell nanny has been constant since he was 2, as this has created a positive and stable relationship in his life. Discussing Russell’s change since birth, Jen explains how she felt she would know Russell at birth, but found that over the last five years is when she’s really gotten to know him. Jen is amazed by how complex Russell has become as a person, and how he can transition from pretending to be Batman, to admiring butterflies in the garden. Additionally, she appreciates how unique and independent Russell is from her husband and herself. Jen says Russell is an easy going kid, difficult or easy to handle depending on the day. Russell is rarely ill and sleeps through the night consistently.
CONCLUSION
From my observations, Russell’s development is generally appropriate for his age. He is a bit behind physically, but also proved to be ahead of his developmental expectations in some cognitive abilities. Parenting is an important influence on his development and has had positive impacts on his behavior.