CHILD PSYCHOLOGY

TOPICS

• Topic 1: Introduction. - 16 pages
• Topic 2: A baby is born - 20 pages
• Topic 3: How children learn according to Pavlov, Skinner & Bandura. - 21 pages
• Topic 4: How children learn according to Piaget, Vygotsky, Ausubel, Kohler & Constructivism. - 22 pages
• Topic 5: Information processing model & children's learning. - 25 pages
• Topic 6: Intelligence & children. - 25 pages
• Topic 7: Children & their Temperament - 18 pages
• Topic 8: Children & Family - 25 pages
• Topic 9: Peer Relationship - 25 pages
• Topic 10: Individual Difference among Children - 20 pages

TOPIC 1

INTRODUCTION

TOPIC OUTLINES

• 1.1What is psychology?
• 1.2Philosophy and psychology
• 1.3Branches of psychology
• 1.4What is child psychology?
• 1.5Why is studying and understanding children important?
• 1.6How child psychologists study the behaviour of children?
• 1.7Ethical guidelines for research involving children

1.1 WHAT IS PSYCHOLOGY?�

Understanding behaviour – an action is reported and observable

1.2 PHILOSOPHY AND PSYCHOLOGY�

1.3BRANCHES OF PSYCHOLOGY�

1.4 WHAT IS CHILD PSYCHOLOGY?�

• Focuses on children, mainly their development and behaviour from birth until adolescence
• In this course, we will examine child psychology from birth to 8 years of age which is most relevant to early childhood educators
• Child Psychologist - how children learn, think, interact and respond emotionally to those around them, make friends, understanding emotions, their personalities, temperaments and skills
• ‘developmental milestones ’ of children - how children reach theses milestones - the factors explaining how they reach these milestones and why some children are unable to reach these milestones.

1.5 WHY IS STUDYING AND UNDERSTANDING CHILDREN IMPORTANT?�

1.Understanding Children Helps Parents in Raising their Children

2.Understanding Children Helps Teachers and Administrators Teach More Effectively

3.Understanding Children Helps Determine Policy

4.Understanding Children Helps Us Be Better Human Nature

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1.6 HOW CHILD PSYCHOLOGISTS STUDY THE BEHAVIOUR OF CHILDREN?�

1.7 ETHICAL GUIDELINES FOR RESEARCH INVOLVING CHILDREN�

TOPIC 2

A BABY IS BORN

TOPIC OUTLINE

• 2.1The New born Baby
• 2.2Baby Crying
• 2.3Baby Sleeping
• 2.4Motor development
• 2.5How Babies Use their Five Senses

2.1THE NEWBORN BABY�

2.2BABY CRYING�

• I'm hungry
• I need to burp
• I'm wet
• I’m tired
• I'd rather be bundled.
• I want to move

• I'm lonely
• I’m hot
• I want to suck on something
• I've had enough
• It's just that time of day
• My tummy hurts

2.3BABY SLEEPING�

• TIPS FOR INCULCATING GOOD INFANT SLEEPING HABITS

Learn the signs that means he or she is tired

Begin to teach him or her the difference between day and night. During the day play with the child & keep environment lighted and noisy

During night keep the lights and noise level low, and spend less time talking to him or her.

Consider starting a bedtime routine.

Give him or her a chance to fall asleep on his own

SID-Sudden Infant Death Syndrome

Beware of

2.4MOTOR DEVELOPMENT�

2.5HOW BABIES USE THEIR FIVE SENSES�

Perceive depth

TOPIC 3

HOW CHILDREN LEARN ACCORDING TO PAVLOV, SKINNER & BANDURA

TOPIC OUTLINE

• 3.1What is learning?
• 3.2Children learn by classical conditioning
• 3.3Examples of conditioning in children
• 3.4Children learn by operant conditioning
• 3.5Examples of positive reinforcement in children
• 3.6Examples of negative reinforcement in children
• 3.7Children through observation
• 3.8Examples of observation in children

3.1WHAT IS LEARNING?�

• Benjamin Bloom (1956) describes learning as the process of acquiring knowledge (cognitive), feelings, values & attitudes(affective)and skills (psychomotor).

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• Learning is MORE THAN MEMORISATION AND INFORMATION RECALL.

ACTIVE LEARNING

3.2CHILDREN LEARN BY CLASSICAL CONDITIONING�

Extinction = ringing bell but no food

'learned' to associate the ringing of the bell with food.

PAVLOV

LITTLE ALBERT AND THE 'WHITE RAT’�J.B. WATSON AND ROSALIE RAYNER

3.3EXAMPLES OF CONDITIONING IN CHILDREN�

• The moment a baby bottle is inserted in an infant’s mouth, sucking occurs. The infant is conditioned to belief that the baby bottle will bring food.
• Ms. Wong, yells 'shut up’ to a 6 year old child in the class and the child cries. Other children in the class watching the incident become fearful of Ms. Wong each time she enters the class. However, the children are not fearful of other teachers. The children have been conditioned to believe that Ms. Wong is likely to yell at them.

3.4 CHILDREN LEARN BY� OPERANT CONDITIONING�

‘trial and error

EXPERIMENTS

PUNISHMENT

• If you want to behaviour to be less frequent, less intense, less likely and when the behavior is shown, you provide a punishment.
• The father raises his voice and scolds the boy immediately following the behaviour hoping that the undesired behaviour will not occur in the future.
• Other examples of punishment:

A child fights with her brother (behavior) and has her favourite toy taken away.A child touches a hot stove (behavior) and feels pain which is the punishment.A child kicks a classmate(behavior), and is removed from his favourite activity.

• With punishment, always remember that the end result is to try to decrease the undesired behavior.

3.5 EXAMPLES OF POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT IN CHILDREN�

3.6 EXAMPLES OF NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT IN CHILDREN�

• A child will do extra homework to avoid getting a poor grade. A poor grade is a negative reinforcer because she will be scolded by her parents.
• Cleaning the house to get rid of disgusting mess or cleaning the house to get rid of your mother's nagging. Nagging or mess as negative reinforcer to cleaning.

3.7 CHILDREN’S LEARNING� THROUGH OBSERVATION��

4 TYPES OF MODELLING PROCESS

3.8 EXAMPLES OF OBSERVATION IN CHILDREN

When a pupil is punished for breaking a school rule, other children are watching the event and because of the principle of modelling, every kid is being influenced. Each of them has learned about breaking school rules, simply through observation. They have learned that if they break school rules they will get into trouble.

Films and television show violence graphically. Violence is often expressed as an acceptable behaviour, especially when violent heroes are never be punished. Since aggression is a prominent feature of many shows, children who have a high degree of exposure to the media may exhibit a relatively high incidence of hostility and aggression they have witnessed (Berkowitz, 1962). There have been a number of deaths linked to violence on television

TOPIC 4

HOW CHILDREN LEARN ACCORDING TO PIAGET, VYGOTSKY, AUSUBEL,KOHLER& CONSTRUCTIVISM

TOPIC OUTLINE

• 4.1Piaget’s theory on how children learn
• 4.2Application of Piaget’s theory in the classroom
• 4.3Ausubel’s theory on how children learn
• 4.4Application of Ausubel’s theory in the classroom
• 4.4Kohler’s theory on how children learn
• 4.5Application of Kohler’s theory in the classroom
• 4.6theory on how children learn
• 4.7Application of constructivism’s theory in the classroom

4.1 PIAGET’S THEORY ON HOW CHILDREN LEARN���A child learns by fitting new information with the child’s existing knowledge�

4.2APPLICATION OF PIAGET’S THEORY IN THE CLASSROOM�

• The learning environment, especially in nurseries, kindergartens and primary school provide children with opportunities to come into physical contact with the world.
• Children should learn by discovery where they are encouraged to find solutions to problems

4.3 AUSUBEL’S THEORY ON HOW CHILDREN LEARN�

NEW Knowledge -

SUBSUMPTION - Prior Knowledge

4.4 APPLICATION OF AUSUBEL’S THEORY IN THE CLASSROOM�

4.5 KOHLERS’S THEORY ON HOW CHILDREN LEARN�

Wolfgang Kohler

1887-1967

Active brain to see the ‘bigger picture’

A-ha

Solving problem

Insighful Learning

4.6 APPLICATION OF KOHLER’S THEORY IN THE CLASSROOM�

4.7 CONSTRUCTIVISM EXPLAINING HOW CHILDREN LEARN

What is constructivism? –

• Focus on learner’s active role in his/her own learning
• Meaning is constructed in the individual (not transmitted from outside)
• Learner reflection on/organization of content
• Emphasis to personal relevance to learner

VYGOTSKY – SOCIAL CONSTRUCTIVISM

• knowledge and learning are constructed by humans interacting with each other(Vygotsky, 1962).

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ZONE OF PROXIMAL DEVELOPMENT (ZPD)

4.7 APPLICATION OF CONSTRUCTIVISM IN THE CLASSROOM

• Teacher ask questions that encourage children to make connections, to summarise and classify information.
• Encourage children to discuss with one another and with the teacher; and get shy children to talk.
• Children should be comfortable to express their ideas.
• Children should be encouraged to solve real-world problems so that they can create their own knowledge.

SUMMARY