Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Child Psychology Research Paper
Child Psychology Research Paper
Chyna Goodwin
Park University
CHILD PSYCHOLOGY ANALYSIS 2
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
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
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
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,
CHILD PSYCHOLOGY ANALYSIS 4
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
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
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
CHILD PSYCHOLOGY ANALYSIS 5
of attention and hyperactivity. This study also helped shed some light on the ability to predict
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
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,
CHILD PSYCHOLOGY ANALYSIS 6
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
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
Martin, C. L., & Fabes, R. A. (2009). Discovering child development. Belmont, CA:
Wadsworth.
Rosenqvist, J., Lahti-Nuuttila, P., Laasonen, M., & Korkman, M. (2014). Preschoolers’
Arab children as measured by the German Test Battery of Attention Performance (KITAP): A
doi:10.1080/09297049.2011.594426
Willoughby, M., & Blair, C. (2011). Test-retest reliability of a new executive function
doi:10.1080/09297049.2011.554390
Youngwirth, S. D., Harvey, E. A., Gates, E. C., Hashim, R. L., & Friedman-Weieneth, J.
doi:10.1080/13825580601025890