Child Psychology
What is child psychology? Child psychology is the study of all aspects of development in childhood. It studies what affects that development and what the impact of childhood experiences might be on an individual’s cognitive, social and emotional development and how it may affect them later in their life.
This approach to psychology looks at infancy, childhood and adolescence, but is particularly interested in the earlier years of infancy, as the main focus of child psychology is looking at early relationships with the principle carers. Child psychology is considered to be a branch of what is known as developmental psychology (one approach to psychology).
Course outline This unit is separated out into the following sections.
Methodology:
•The observational research method (including naturalistic and structured observations)
•The case study as a research method
•Application of observations and case studies to child psychology
•Cross-cultural and longitudinal methods of studying children in psychology
Content:
•What is child psychology?
•Define the terms: attachment, deprivation, privation, evolution, daycare and separation anxiety
•Bowlby’s theory of attachment
•Bowlby’s maternal deprivation hypothesis
•The work of Ainsworth
•Research into deprivation and separation, and how the negative effects can be minimised
•Research into privation, and the debate of whether or not the negative effects are reversible
•Characteristics and explanations of one of: severe learning difficulties, ADHD and autism
•How such developmental disorders may affect a child’s development
•Research into the advantages and disadvantages of using child daycare
Studies in detail: You must be able to describe and evaluate:
•Curtiss (1977), a case study of extreme privation
as well as one of the following:
•Bowlby (1946), Forty-four juvenile thieves
•Belsky and Rovine (1988), a study of non-maternal care in the first year of life
•Rutter et al (1998),
This approach to psychology looks at infancy, childhood and adolescence, but is particularly interested in the earlier years of infancy, as the main focus of child psychology is looking at early relationships with the principle carers. Child psychology is considered to be a branch of what is known as developmental psychology (one approach to psychology).
Course outline This unit is separated out into the following sections.
Methodology:
•The observational research method (including naturalistic and structured observations)
•The case study as a research method
•Application of observations and case studies to child psychology
•Cross-cultural and longitudinal methods of studying children in psychology
Content:
•What is child psychology?
•Define the terms: attachment, deprivation, privation, evolution, daycare and separation anxiety
•Bowlby’s theory of attachment
•Bowlby’s maternal deprivation hypothesis
•The work of Ainsworth
•Research into deprivation and separation, and how the negative effects can be minimised
•Research into privation, and the debate of whether or not the negative effects are reversible
•Characteristics and explanations of one of: severe learning difficulties, ADHD and autism
•How such developmental disorders may affect a child’s development
•Research into the advantages and disadvantages of using child daycare
Studies in detail: You must be able to describe and evaluate:
•Curtiss (1977), a case study of extreme privation
as well as one of the following:
•Bowlby (1946), Forty-four juvenile thieves
•Belsky and Rovine (1988), a study of non-maternal care in the first year of life
•Rutter et al (1998),