ESSAY- CHILD & ADOLESCENT DEVELOPMENT
A. Compare and contrast the thinking of children in concrete operations with the thinking of preoperational children. In your response, give a specific example of each type of thinking and include the age range for each stage. Be sure to include the cognitive advances and limitations associated with each stage.
B. Define the term learning disability. List and describe the TYPES OF DISABILITY that are included under this heading. In your answer, explain/discuss the following terms: Mental Retardation; Dyslexia; and, Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. How do schools educate children with special needs, and those who are gifted, creative and talented?
C. What advances in information-processing skills occur during middle childhood? Also, include the role of each of the following terms in memory and development: processing speed; mnemonic strategies; external memory aids; rehearsal; organization; and elaboration. Define the term metamemory.Explain its relationship to mnemonic strategies, rehearsal, organization, and elaboration (15 points).
D. Discuss the language and literacy abilities of middle-childhood. Also, discuss the factors that influence school achievement. What is intelligence and how is the intelligence of school-aged children assessed?
Chapter 14
A. Explain the effects of divorce and various custody arrangements on a child’s development. How is a father’s role important in child development? EXPLAIN!
B. Explain the role of the child based on the following :co-regulation (please define) and discipline, effects of parent work, and the effects of poverty on family atmosphere.
C. How do children’s relationships with peers change in middle childhood, and how do they choose their friends during this period? Define friendship and popularity. Also, identify and explain the four peer status groups.
D. How do self-concept and self-esteem change in middle-childhood and how do school-age children show emotional growth? Explain. Explain the differences between hostile aggression, instrumental aggression, and relational aggression. Define and give examples of each.
E. According to child psychologist, David Elkind, how do children respond to the stresses of modern life? Include children’s age-related reaction to trauma and discuss the characteristics of resilient children and adolescents. Hint: Protective factors (15 points).
Chapter 15
A. Adolescence is a transition period. Define the term adolescence. Describe the factors that mark the beginning and the end of adolescence. What are some of the opportunities and risks of adolescence? Why is adolescence viewed as a social construction?
B. What physical changes do adolescents experience, and how do these changes affect them psychologically? Be sure to include the definition of puberty and the signs of puberty. (HINT: Discuss how puberty begins–two stages: See figure 15.1). In your explanation, include the following terms: primary sex characteristics; secondary sex characteristics, spermarche and menarche (15 points).
C. What are some common health problems and health risks of adolescence, and how can they be prevented? EXPLAIN! Define and explain obesity, anorexia, bulimia and binge-eating disorders. Describe the characteristics of adolescents who struggle with these eating disorders, as well as the interventions that have been successful in controlling the disorders. Be sure to discuss body image (15 points).
Chapter 16
A. Describe adolescent cognitive thinking based on Piaget’s theory. Identify the stage and be sure to include some of the processes they experience. Also, identify and discuss Elkind’s (6) immature characteristics of adolescent thought (15 points).
B. How do adolescents’ thinking and use of language differ from younger children? EXPLAIN! Also, discuss the (2) important changes in information processing in adolescence. Describe Kohlberg’s three levels of moral reasoning, and explain how they are linked to intellectual development.
C. What factors can affect the level of success achieved in secondary school, and what are some of the factors associated with student dropout? What influences affect adolescents’ school success and their educational and vocational planning and preparation? Provide at least four (4) important points and explain your answers.
Chapter 17
A. Define Marcia’s terms “crisis” and “commitment,” and describe their relationship to each of the following identity statuses: identity achievement; foreclosure; moratorium; and, identity diffusion. Also, include family and personality factors associated with the four identity statuses (15 points).
B. How do adolescents form an identity and what roles do gender and ethnicity play? Also, include the significance of Erikson’s crisis of identity versus identity confusion. EXPLAIN!
C. Define sexual orientation. What determines sexual orientation and what sexual practices are common among adolescents, and what factors leads some teens to engage in risky sexual behaviors? Discuss the usual outcomes of early sexual activity. Describe the issues that adolescents have to face in dealing with teenage pregnancy.
D. Adolescents’ families, schools, and communities are often witnesses to and victims of adolescent antisocial behavior. Describe the consequences of this behavior. Explain some of the root causes of antisocial behavior, and list what can be done to reduce these risks.
E. How do adolescents relate to parents, siblings and peers? Also, describe the four (4) types of parenting styles and the developmental outcomes of ach. Rank the parenting styles that tend to produce the most positive outcomes in development and why (15 points).
