Field Assignment: Field Experience Assignment & Case Study

FieldExperienceAssignmentandCaseStudy
MichaelA.Dosch
Psychology103
CCBC

Field Assignment: Field Experience Assignment & Case Study

FieldExperienceAssignment
FortheFieldExperienceAssignmentIobservedLittleLarry.LittleLarryisa5year
oldCaucasianboywithbrownhairandbrowneyes.Heseemedtobeveryextroverted.Ichose
toobserveLittleLarryinhishomeenvironment.Thereasonbehindthechoiceoflocationwas
thatIbelieveditallowedthechildtobeconfortableandreactashenormallywouldifhewasnot
beingobserved.Ifthelocationwassecludedandprivateitcouldcausethechildtoactshyand
actinwaywherehewouldnot.ThemainideawasIwantedthechildtoopenuptomerather
thanmetryingtogethimusedtotheunfamiliarenvironment.Iwillbeexploringmyresults
fromtheobservationthroughphysicaldevelopment,cognitivedevelopment,developmentof
language,andsocialdevelopment.
AChildoftheageoffiveisexpectedtobephysicallydevelopedinthefollowingways.
Fromtheages26thebrainincreasesfrom70percentto90percentofitsadultweight.Children
ofthisagealsoseeimprovementinmanydifferentkindsofskills,whichincludeperception,
memory,attention,physicalcoordination,logicalthinkingandimagination.(Development
throughtheLifespanpg.217)LittleLarryhadbeenmeasuredthreedayspriortotheobservation
andwasrecordedtobeing41inchestallandweighing38pounds.Thisbeingslightlyundersized
incomparisontotheaveragesizeforaNorthernAmericanbeing43inchestalland41pounds.
(DevelopmentthroughLifespanpg.216)GrossMotorskillsandFinemotorskillssee
improvementswhenenteringtheagesof45inchildhood.GrossMotorSkillssee
improvementswithexampleslikealternatingfeetwhenwalkingdownthesteps,runningismore

Field Assignment: Field Experience Assignment & Case Study

smooth,canGallopononefoot,whenthrowingshowsanincreasedbodyrotationandtransferof
weightonfeet,cancatchaballwiththeirhandsandshowssmoothridingwhenridingatricycle.
Examplesoffinemotorskillsincludeusingaforkeffectively,cutscissorsfollowingalineand
cancopytrianglesandsomeletters.LittleLarryshowedtobeonpacewiththegrossmotorskills
bywhenplayingbeingabletocatchtheballwithhishandsinsteadofhavingtotrapitagainsthis
chestaswellaswhenhewalkeddownthestairsheusedalternatingfeet.Heshowedthathisfine
motorsskillswereabovebybeingabletotiehisshoesandwhenwritingshowedthathecould
formwords.
Childrenfromtheages27findthemselvesinthePreoperationalstageamongPiagets
stagesofCognitiveDevelopment.Inthisstagethechildisseentouselanguageandsymbols,
whichincludeslettersandnumbers.MakeBelieveisveryimportantinthisstage.Piaget
believedthatwhenpretendingchildrenarepracticingandstrengtheningrecentlyacquired
representationalschemes(DevelopmentthroughtheLifespanpg.226).Furtheringthisidea,play
canalsobeseenasacontributorinchildrenscognitiveandsocialskills(Creasey,Jarvis&Beck,
1998).Studieshaveshownthatchildrenwhospendtimeatsociodramaticplayaremoresocial
aroundtheirteachers.(Connolly&Doyle,1984).Egocentrismisalsoseenduringthisstage.
Thisiswherechildrenfailtodistinguishotherssymbolicviewpointfromonesown.
(DevelopmentthroughtheLifespanpg.228).InmyobservationLittleLarryshowedmuch
evidencetohimbeinginthePreoperationalstageamongPiagetsstagesofCognitive
Development.RightoffthebackfromobservinghimIsawthathewasabletounderstandthings
inamounts.AnexampleIwasabletoseewaswhenshowingmehistoyshewouldcounthow
manyhehadineachspecificcategory(cars,balls,dinosaurs).Makebelievewasveryevidentas

Field Assignment: Field Experience Assignment & Case Study

LittleLarrysfavoritethingtodowasplayfirefighter.Heatalltimeshadhistoyfirefighterhat
onandhismothersaidhehasbeenoflatelywearingitmosttimesoftheday.Egocentrismwas
alsoshownduringtheobservationdotothefactofLittleLarryconstantlychangingwhatwas
beingplayedanddictatinghowitwasbeingplayed.Hedidnotmeananythingbyitbutwhenhe
wantedtoplaywitheithercarsordinosaurshedecidedwhatwasbeingplayedandwhattoy
everyonewasplayingwith.Thisshowingthathethoughthowhewantedthingstogowashow
everyoneelsealsowantedthingstogo.
Vygotskytheorizedthesocioculturaltheory,whichstressedthesocialcontextof
cognitivedevelopment.Childrenfromtheages45speakmoreclearlyandfluentlyandina
voicethatisnotdifficulttolistentoincomparisontopreviousyears.TheChildcanform
sentencesthatarefullofdetailandarelongerthaninpreviousyears.Imaginativestoriesthat
stayonaspecifictopicimitatingadultlikegrammarisoftenseen.Pronunciationofwordsare
beingalotmoreaccuratealthoughlispingmaybeseenwithsoundsofrvandth.
Altogethercommunicationwithadultsandpeershasbecomeeasierwithchildandamazing
madeupstoriesmaybecreatedintheefforttoengageandintereststrangers(Bowen2014).
ConnectingthesemilestonestoLittleLarryhewasabletotellstoriesinavoicethatmadeiteasy
tolistentoandonethatallowedforhimtoexpressfullywhathemeant.Heshowedthisby
tellingastoryofhowhimandhisfriendsbuiltalargetoweroutofblockspreviouslythatdayin
school.Withthesamestoryhealsoshowedhowhecouldstretchthetruthtryingtofurther
interestandengagewithsomeoneinthiscasebeingmedescribingtheblocktowertobesohigh
thatittouchedtheceiling.LittleLarryspronunciationforthemostpartisprettyaccurate.He
hasaslightstruggleonthersoundswheretheyattimessoundlikeawsound.Thisisntto

Field Assignment: Field Experience Assignment & Case Study

belookedatasproblembecauseheisaroundtheagewherelispsarejuststartingtobreakand
himbeinginvolvedwiththespeechclassatschoolhewillbegettingalotofhelptocorrecthis
pronunciation.
EriksonwouldviewthechildIobservedtobeintheinitiativevs.guiltpsychological
conflict.Thisiswherechildrenareseentohaveanewsenseofpurpose.Childrenwanttodo
activitieswithpeers,getinvolvedinnewtasks,andseewhattheycandowiththehelpofadults.
Thisisalsowherechildrenareseentoimproveinconsciousdevelopment(Developmentthrough
theLifespanpg.256).Fromtheagesof26Eriksondescribedhowchildrenbegintoshowto
haveemotionalabilities,whichincludeemotionalunderstanding(DevelopmentThroughthe
Lifespanpg.258).ForthemostpartwithLittleLarryIsawlittleofthis.Ibelievehecouldshow
thisbutinthesituationhewasinhereallydidnothavetofeelfortheothersintheroombecause
ofitbeingarelaxedstableenvironment.Hispersonalitywasveryextroverted.Idescribehimas
thisbecauseevenwithothersintheroomhewasntshyaboutplayingwithhistoysorgetting
othersintheroomtoplayalongwithhim.Asforhisrelationshipshesattheage
wherehedependsonhisparentsforsupportandhasaverylovingrelationshipwiththem.He
describesplayingwithhisfriendsoftenatschool,whichshowshesmakingfriendsandisable
tocreatestablerelationshipswithothersthatareofsimilarage.
OverallLittleLarryhasbeenandisdevelopingatnormalpacethata5yearoldshouldbe
developingatintermsofthepsychologicaltheorysIvebeencomparingtheobservationto.
LittleLarryshowedthathealignedwiththenormalphysicaldevelopmentforhisageintheways
ofhismotorskills.Withhimbeingabletowalkdownthestepsalternatinghisfeet(Grossmotor
skill)andbeingabletowhilebeunassistedtiehisshoes(finemotorskills).Healignedwith

Field Assignment: Field Experience Assignment & Case Study

Piagetscognitivestagesbyplayingmakebelieveasthefirefighter.Healsoalignedwiththe
developmentoflanguagebybeingabletoformdetailedsentences.Althoughforthemostpart
healignedwiththedifferentpartsofchilddevelopmentheshowedpartswherehedidnot.In
LittleLarrysphysicalsizehewassmallerthanthatoftheaveragechildtohisage,raceand
gender.Thelackofabilityinpronouncingrsoundscouldbeseenasanotherareawherehe
couldbeseentobedevelopingatadelayedrate.Althoughitssaidthatsomemaystillhave
troublewithseveralsoundshestillisalittledelayedinfixingthosesoundsincomparisontothe
majorityofchildren.LittleLarrysdevelopmentatthispointIbelievesetshimupforgreat
successforthefuture.Hispositiveattitudeandgreatsocialskillsaloneeliminateany
communicationissueshewillhavemakinghimbeabletoinvolvehimselfintothecontentin
schoolandbeabletoseekouthelpasheseesaneedto.Whendecidingonacareerwhetherit
istobeafirefighterorwhateverhegrowsupandwantstodobeingabletocommunicateisa
vitalskillneededinmostlyanyprofession.Jobsarebasedaroundpeopleandtheirneedsandin
ordertoknowwhattheneedsareweneedtocommunicateandfigureoutwhateveryoneistruly
feeling.Leadingintohisplaceinsocietywhichwithgreatcommunicationskillswillallowhim
toreachouttoothersandhelptofulfilltheirneeds.Thisassignmentwasagreatwayformenot
onlytoseetheexamplesofthetheoriestobeseenupcloseanddirectlybutalsoallowedforme
tounderstandhowcrucialtheearlyyearsofachildaretoshapetherestoftheirlives.

Field Assignment: Field Experience Assignment & Case Study

References

Berk,L.(2007).PhysicalandCognitiveDevelopmentinEarlyChildhood.In
Developmentthroughthelifespan(6thed.,p.216,217,226,228,).Boston,MA:
AllynandBacon.
Berk,L.(2007).EmotionalandSocialDevelopmentinEarlyChildhood.In
Developmentthroughthelifespan(6thed.,p.256,258).Boston,MA:Allynand
Bacon.
Bowen,C.(2014,December29).AgesandStagesSummaryLanguage
Development05years.RetrievedMarch24,2015,fromhttp://www.speech
languagetherapy.com/