Chapter 1 introduced the concept of dividing child development into several interrelated domains. The chapter goes step-by-step explaining each of the domains we learned about: physical, cognitive, emotional and social. I noticed the chapter did not single out language or aesthetics as domains in and of themselves. However, they were covered, just in the context of an included domain. Chapter 1 detailed a lot of the history of the field of child development. It traced the development of our thought on how children grow and think. Childhood was a concept of interest as far back as the medieval ages. During the Enlightenment period (and up until fairly recently) people believed that children were blank slates. Now we have theories that show children have an innate ability to learn language – they come equipped for it. Piaget helps us think about the different stages children go through before becoming formal abstract thinkers. At the same time, Vgotsky extends that theory of “learning by interacting” with the importance of social interaction in learning.

Child development is a field devoted to understanding the child from conception through adolescence. Within this field there are five periods of development: the prenatal period (from conception to birth), infancy and toddlerhood (from birth to 2 years), early childhood (from 2 to 6 years), middle childhood (from 6 to 11 years), and adolescence (from 11to 18 years). In the field of child development, there have been many historical influences. John Locke (1632-1704) was a British philosopher who provided the basis for twentieth century behaviorism. Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) was a French philosopher whose philosophy included two concepts: stage and maturation. Darwin (1809-1882) was a British naturalist whose famous “theory of evolution” had two related principles: natural selection and survival of the fittest. Freud (1856-1939) was a Viennese physician who became famous for his psychosexual theory. And finally Jean Piaget (1896-1980) whose Cognitive Developmental Theory was divided into four stages: Sensorimotor stage, preoperational stage, concrete operational stage, and formal operational stage.

Chapter 2 discusses the research process and the different kinds of research methods. The reason we do research is to learn more. We either want to test a theory or have a specific question we want to answer. Naturalistic observations help researchers see what actually goes on in a child’s everyday environment and behaviors that would occur normally. Structured observations are conducted in laboratories which don’t have the same natural appeal, but provide an opportunity for every participant to display the behavior of interest. Some research consists of interviews, self reports, and even case studies of single participants. All have benefits and drawbacks depending on what the researcher is trying to accomplish. It is of utmost importance that the methods of collecting data are reliable and valid. Reliability means the degree to which a research method is consistent. We want research methods to be reliable – give similar results each time the same thing is addressed. We also want our methods to be valid, or measure what it is intended to measure. If research is not valid then we cannot rely on it. It doesn’t tell us anything and our efforts are futile.

Why learn about research strategies? Each of us must be a wise and critical consumer of knowledge. Individuals who work with children may be able to build bridges between research and practice. (Berk, 2006) Research can be very valuable to those that know the benefits. There are several methods used to study children. Examples of systematic observations would be naturalistic observation, structured observation, event sampling, and time sampling. Examples of self-reports would include a clinical interview or structured interview. Other methods used to study children include psychophysiological measures, clinical or case studies, or ethnographies.

There were many important terms that were introduced in this chapter.  Some of the terms being scaffolding, guided practice, zone of proximal development and hypothetico-deductive reasoning.  Also some of the terms were refreshed in my mind.  I think this chapter did a good job of breaking down the levels of development.  It went into details explaining how each stage affects the development of a child.  There was a lot of insight into Piaget’s Cognitive Developmental Theory.  This chapter was centered quite a bit around Piaget and the foundation that he set for the stages of development.  However the chapter also did a good job of comparing and contrasting other theorist with Piaget such as Vygotsky.  I also liked the introduction of different theories such as the theory theory.  Basically that is when children are viewed as theorists.  Overall this chapter was a good way to get a foundation into the minds of Piaget and Vygotsky.

Chapter 7 covered a lot of ground when dealing with cognitive development.  It discussed how the mind processes information and it introduced various models.  As expected it listed several models and theories.  There was information presented about the store model and connectionist model.  The store model stated that we hold information in three different parts.  The connectionist model alludes to the fact that our brains operate like computers.  It also uses computer simulations to model how neurons work in the brain.  Also in this chapter memory was discussed in great detail.  It gave examples of how our memory is affected at different stages in our lives.  The information presented explained how a small child might remember something totally different then a larger child with greater metacognition.  This chapter is wide spread when it comes to presenting information.  I do think however that it was very beneficial in preparing to understand early child development and how it is affected everyday.

Chapter nine dealt with Language Development. It gave you a little insight on how language is development through out the early childhood, birth and beyond. The chapter starts by breaking down the true components of language, which are phonology, semantics, grammar, and pragmatics. This was refreshment to me, because it has been awhile since the terms have been mentioned to me. The text gives you a description of what the development for these components should look like and how it plays a role in the development of the child. The text also was set up so that the key word that was most important to truly understand what really causes language development would be easily accessed. The one thing that I found very interesting was the fact that Bilingual students were more advanced than most American students in these components.

Chapter ten was a little bit different from chapter nine for it dealt with the Emotional Development of child. It broke down the function of emotions, and how they are to look and how they are needed in order for a child to grow. I covered the different levels of temperament and how to regulate and control temperament. It also introduced some unfamiliar terms that I had to stop and really look at to truly get the meaning that it was trying to get across. Terms such as altruistic and Interactional synchrony are terms that I had not been exposed to. Chapter ten was very insightful, but I feel that emotion development is a stage within a stage for there are so many gray areas when you are dealing with the emotional state of any child.

Chapter 10 is focused on the development of emotions.  Emotional development begins with infancy newborns do not show much emotion.  They have two global arousal states: attraction to pleasant stimulation and withdrawal from unpleasant stimulation. (Camras et al., 2003; Fox, 1991; Sroufe, 1979 as cited in Berk, 2006 pg. 400)   For the first six months babies are learning their caregiver’s faces and how to communicate and obtain responses from those caregivers.  Normally, a baby between six to ten weeks old will give a social smile, a broad grin evoked by a human face.  At three to four months is when a baby will have its first laugh.  The second half of the first year infants develop a much more sophisticated system of signals that represent meaning for events.  During this time fear and anger are developing.  This leads to stranger anxiety a child will often hide behind their caregiver when introduced to an unfamiliar person.  During this time children also begin to display sadness, especially in response to pain, removal of an object, or separation from caregiver.   As these emotions begin to occur parents and caregivers need to help the child to self-regulate their emotions.  By helping the child to understand their emotions and giving them guidance on appropriate actions adults can help children’s emotional self-regulation.  At the end of the first year infants begin to understand social referencing, being able to read other emotions.  By the middle of the second year they can appreciate other’s emotional reactions may be different from their own.  Empathy also develops during this time.  The chapter spends a lot of time discussing temperament.  It is important for parents and caregivers to understand their own temperament.  By knowing their own temperament they will be better suited to handle their child.  The text describes three patterns of temperament: the easy child, the difficult child, and the slow-to-warm-up child.  They go on to describe a goodness-of-fit model, that describe how parenting practices that fit well with a child’s temperament will be the most successful in helping that child to become well rounded.  The last part of the chapter focuses on attachment.  It starts with a discussion of Bowlby’s ethological theory which states that babies have innate signals that call adults to the baby, this ensures survival and creates a bond between the baby and it’s caregiver.  Bowlby’s theory has four stages: preattachment, attachment-in-the-making, “clear cut” attachment, and formation of a reciprocal relationship.  The chapter also discusses two assessments for attachment the Strange Situation and the Attachment Q-Sort.  The chapter ends with a discussion of high quality versus poor child care and its’ effects on attachment security.

The chapter addresses the development of social cognition, the study of how children’s understanding of themselves, other people, and relationships between people changes with age.  The first sense of self to emerge is the I-self.  This self emerges as infants realize that their own actions cause people and objects to react in predictable ways.  At two years old the me-self begins to emerge, this self is a sense of self as object of knowledge and evaluation.  The development of I-self and then me-self shows the progress from concrete to abstract.  Children start by noticing physical characteristics, observable things like their appearance or other’s appearance.  Later they become aware of internal proceses: emotions, desires, and feelings.  As children learn about their own feelings and other people’s feelings they begin to organize their behaviors and appreciate their own personality and identity as well as other people’s.  In the beginning children see causes of behavior as very simple and one sided, but as their social cognition develops they begin to understand that behaviors are often complex and involve people interacting in their relationships.  Finally, as children mature social cognition moves toward metacognitive understanding, meaning they are able to think about their own and other people’s social thoughts.  Two important concepts discussed in this chapter are the development of self-esteem and constructing identity.  Generally, self-esteem declines slightly in the first few years of school and then pick up and rises throughout adolescents.  Self-esteem refers to the way we perceive ourselves and is often determined by the way the adults around a child treat them.   Adults also play an important role in helping a child construct their sense of identity, it is important for parents to be supportive and create an environment where their child feels free to express themselves and explore different opportunities.  It is also helpful for children to have the support of close friends and their community during this time.