Running head: CHILD PSYCHOLOGY ANALYSIS 1

Child Psychology Analysis

Chyna Goodwin

Park University
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Abstract

This paper shall speak on the development of children between the ages of 3 to 6 years. This will

cover the cognitive aspects of development. The physical aspects of development, as well as the

social aspects of development. This paper will also touch upon the concept of what makes this

age group vital to proper development for later milestones of growth.

Keywords: cognitive, physical, social, development

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Child Psychology Analysis

Children are some of the most resilient and adaptable individuals’ humanity offers. It was

Charles Darwin who put it best in saying, “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor

the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most adaptable to change.” Children during

their early years of development have many obstacles to overcome, and yet they do so with the

guidance of their parents and their own brilliance. With this said, one must not forget the need for

strict rules and tests needed to make sure a child develops as they should. These years are vital to

developing both socially, physically and cognitively. Influences such as environment, cultural

influences, social media and personal experiences shape the child’s concept of self when it

matters most (Martin, 2009). If anything were to go wrong in this sensitive period, it could

negatively impact the future growth of that child.

Overview

The first aspect to address in showing importance of this age bracket of development will

be the child’s shocking ability to recognize emotional expressions. This ability allows children to

proactively navigate social spheres of influence. The Affect Recognition subtest from the

NEPSY-II tests the ability of a child to recognize emotions in faces. According to the study done

with a population of 370 children, that emotional recognition is a skill that develops with age and

gradually at that (Rosenqvist,2014). This aspect is fascinating when one considers all the other

neurological and physical tests done at this age with the curious aspect of language being the

most important means of understanding nonverbal communication.

In the second study, showed how this ability to recognize emotion degraded slightly once

the children got older. It also showed that in adulthood, they are at a disadvantage with regards to

recognizing emotions themselves and that this can be increased in children as a result (Augusti,
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2014). The study showed that this examination was mostly cognitively based on that the working

memory aspect of recognition was declining but the ability to see the emotion increased with

age.

The third study tackled attention span on a cross-cultural basis and showed how boys and

girls at this age showed differences in abilities. Boys had faster reaction times but made mistakes

while girls were slower in reaction but made fewer mistakes (Sobeh,2012). This showed a

physical and cognitive approach that made the concept of behavior analysis curious. Being able

to hold attention helps the child be able to better adapt behaviorally to a situation which is a

necessary skill for schooling years.

The fourth study showed the physical development of early childhood in brain

development and ability to complete certain tasks in the tests given. It was found that the test

used to monitor a child’s abilities was retested for validity. It found that the test that gives a

vaster group of tests was better than testing the child for individual tasks. The results were easier

to monitor and analyze (Willoughby, 2011).

The fifth study used a host of different tests to examine children with hyperactivity and or

oppositional-defiant behavior tendencies. It showed that even with all the tests given, the

sensitivity of the tests was poor and that children in these groups, (four groups total of HYP only,

OD only, HYP/OD, and non-problematic children), those that were HYP and HYP/OD scored

lower than the others (Cassidy,2016) It also showed that these tests should not be used on their

own but should be used in tandem with other types of assessments less false analysis be given.

This study was interesting because it showed more closely observed behavior patterns that were

more physical and social than cognitive at first glance. These children exhibited aggression, lack
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of attention and hyperactivity. This study also helped shed some light on the ability to predict

future problematic behavioral issues in preschool and early school years.

The last study was the most interesting by far in that it showed brain development

through MRIs of hundreds of children in an age bracket of birth until adolescence that addressed

the physical aspect of development (Youngwirth,2007). It showed competence in all categories

from age, gender, intellect, race, geographic regions and income even. The percentages for

functionality were not that different as the ages increased but evened out across all aspects of a

person. The fact that these tests can be used across the board with children and adults makes it

raise the question of when does it change? At what age? The early years of childhood are key.

Conclusion

According to the book, by the time a child is 5 years of age, their brain has developed 75,

to 90 percent of its maturity in size (Martin,2011). It goes through spurts like children do in body

size and focus on the prefrontal cortex section. This part oversees cognitive and regulating

behavior and impulse control. Most of the studies focused on this aspect of growth as well due to

the intense volume of growth that occurs within the brain in these years.

A fascinating part physically is that, according to the book, children by the age of two

perfect their ability to walk. Then by three, they try new inventive ways of walking. By 4, they

can run and throw objects with accuracy, ride tricycles and jump. All of which are motor skills.

By 5, they can do more coordinated movements like skating, skipping and by 6, they can climb

monkey bars and swing like it was second nature. In these studies, the differences between male

and female are not that different though the rate of learning varies.

Socially, children develop via their environment and exposure to stimuli created by

parents or in today’s age, technology. Provided the child navigates these milestones successfully,
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then the child will be adequately prepared for growth into a young adult. Thought the issue with

social media and technology is that it may introduce children into a dangerous world without the

proper education and reason necessary to make use of the lessons being taught and instead may

emulate behaviors seen instead of learned. The topic of social interactions and exposure to

children is a sensitive one that should be taken seriously given the above studies on development

during this age period.

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References

Augusti, E., Torheim, H. K., & Melinder, A. (2014). The effect of emotional facial

expressions on children’s working memory: Associations with age and behavior. Child

Neuropsychology, 20(1), 86-105. doi:10.1080/09297049.2012.749225

Cassidy, A. R. (2016). Executive function and psychosocial adjustment in healthy

children and adolescents: A latent variable modeling investigation. Child Neuropsychology,

22(3), 292-317. doi:10.1080/09297049.2014.994484

Martin, C. L., & Fabes, R. A. (2009). Discovering child development. Belmont, CA:

Wadsworth.

Rosenqvist, J., Lahti-Nuuttila, P., Laasonen, M., & Korkman, M. (2014). Preschoolers’

recognition of emotional expressions: Relationships with other neurocognitive capacities. Child

Neuropsychology, 20(3), 281-302. doi:10.1080/09297049.2013.778235

Sobeh, J., & Spijkers, W. (2012). Development of attention functions in 5- to 11-year-old

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doi:10.1080/09297049.2011.594426

Willoughby, M., & Blair, C. (2011). Test-retest reliability of a new executive function

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doi:10.1080/09297049.2011.554390

Youngwirth, S. D., Harvey, E. A., Gates, E. C., Hashim, R. L., & Friedman-Weieneth, J.

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