Developmental Psychology if a Parent Approaches Child

Developmental Psychology

If a parent approaches child rearing with the idea of Nativism in their mind, they might not bother to expose their children to many things early on. That is because Nativists believe a child is already hardwired with abilities, so, if the child ends up being good at music, it is because the child was born good at music, not because the child was exposed to music as a baby or beyond. This will apply to many things in the infant's life. For example, there is no reason for early education as their intelligience is pre-determined. No need for swimming lessons as their athletic ability is pre-determined.

Raising the child with the idea of another theory in mind might alter the way the parent raises the infant. If a parent believes in the scaffolding theory, that parent might work toward creating an environment that supports the child's learning of the next milestone. The focus would be on exposure to new things rather on passively allowing the child to develop based on pre-determined abilities. This is because a parent will behave in the way that supports their beliefs. If that parent believes the environment and exposure will help the child, they will make an effort to alter the environment. If the parent doesn't believe that, they would not go through the trouble. It is for this reason that it is important for psychologists to study how children gain knowledge. The understanding affects parenting at the most practical level.

3. A correlation does not prove causation. In the example given, mother's who drove babies in cars to put them to sleep hugged their babies more often during an interview with a researcher. The researcher concluded that this meant the parent and child had a stronger bond due to driving the baby to sleep. The researcher may or may not be correct, but there is no way to tell by this example alone. The reason is, there are so many variables that might be at play and the researcher did nothing to control those outside variables. For instance, mother's who drive their babies to get them to sleep might feel guilty about not snuggling with the baby, and therefore hug more during the day, but this may or may not affect the bond. Perhaps, babies who rode in a car were feeling needy at that time and initiating the hugs. Maybe, mother's who drove their baby in a car were more likely to have a fussy baby during the day and that baby might require more attention. Whatever the reason, we cannot determine it by this scenario.

If the researcher wishes to support these findings, the researcher should consider a questionnaire or an interview that investigates this further. Perhaps the researcher can measure attachment in the child, then compare that to bedtime routines and also other activities during the day. If the researcher cannot control the variables, she might wish to investigate and analyze them. This will still not demonstrate causation, but could support the findings (or not). A cross-sectional study that investigates a child's bond later in life as well as during this time and the way that child was put to sleep might also support the findings. A longitudinal study that looks at the same parent and child dyad over time and changes in sleep routines might also lead to support for the findings.

5. If a pediatrician has a 16-year-old pregnant patient, that pediatrician should be concerned with the mother's diet and mental health. A 16-year-old body is capable of carrying a baby, but that girl might exhibit behaviors that put the unborn baby at risk of developmental problems. For example, the 16-year-old girl might not want to be pregnant, or might deny that she is pregnant. Perhaps she does not want anyone to know and therefore tries to keep her body from showing the pregnancy. This can lead to poor nutrition and low weight gain for the baby.

The patient should leave with an understanding of the importance of proper nutrition during pregnancy and also proper weight gain for the mother. This is important because this is one of the most common problems for pregnant teenagers. The patient should also leave the office having an understanding of the way drugs might affect the developing fetus. A young mother might not realize that her actions affect the health of her baby. The third thing the patient should understand is the affect stress could have on the development of the baby. If extremely stressed about the pregnancy, the mother might want to take steps to mentally accept the pregnancy because this might affect her willingness to live a healthy lifestyle during and after the pregnancy.

7. If a friend of mine wanted to adopt a child who was born addicted to a drug, such as cocaine and who lived in foster care for 6 months, I would warn that friend of the possible concerns with the child including physical, social and cognitive concerns. Physically, this child might have issues with the central nervous system. This is often where drug related issues present. The good news here is the infant was taken away from that situation early on and therefore not exposed continually to the drug following birth. On the other hand, taking the child away from the mother at birth and entering into foster care might present problems in the social realm. For instance, attachment might not be secure as the infant probably did not have one steady caregiver to become attached to while in foster care. Also, in the early days, this child would have cried more and been irritable more, all while living in a rehab center. Depending on the quality of care, this infant might not have had as much contact and human touch as a baby without these problems. Cognitively, the infant might experience trouble in the area of language development and normal brain function.

To reduce the effects of the scenario, the person adopting the child should be sure the child has a normal healthy life that includes nutrition, regular school and other mentally stimulating activities. If the child has parents that are present, attentive and responsible, the effects of the drug might diminish over time.