Infant Observation
For this assessment I chose to observe my six- month old daughter, Abigail, interacting with her mother, Melissa. Abigail is our third child and Melissa is comfortable with her role as mother. Abigail was born full term and is a healthy baby. All developmental milestones have been reached up until this point. She is a happy baby.
Abigail and her mom began the morning with Abigail getting dressed. She smiled and cooed at her mother as soon as she saw her and was taken out of her crib. Melissa said, “good morning” to her in a pleasant tone and Abigail squealed with delight and began moving her arms and legs in excitement. They hugged for a bit and then Abigail was placed on the bed to have her diaper changed and get dressed. She was very alert and happy focusing on her mothers face. Abigail’s reaction to the presence of Melissa demonstrates that there is a strong emotional bond between them. This directly correlates with Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development of trust versus mistrust. The stimulation that is presented to Abigail is warm and pleasant which allows for Abigail to feel safe and secure. She responds to this with smiles and moving her body.
Melissa sang “The Itsy Bitsy Spider” using hand gestures and tickling her. Abigail responded with shrieks of laughter with her eyes focused on her mother’s hand gestures. Abigail was aware of when she would be tickled and was delighted with this routine as it was repeated several times as she got dressed. Mother kissed her on her neck which delighted her and made her laugh. It appeared that they were in tune with each other. This short interaction demonstrated that Abigail was familiar with the routines that take place while Melissa sings the song. She was able to anticipate when she would be tickled and would almost wait for the action to happen and begin laughing. It is evident that this duo has created a secure bond with each other. Piaget’s substage 3 in the sensorimotor stage is also
Abigail and her mom began the morning with Abigail getting dressed. She smiled and cooed at her mother as soon as she saw her and was taken out of her crib. Melissa said, “good morning” to her in a pleasant tone and Abigail squealed with delight and began moving her arms and legs in excitement. They hugged for a bit and then Abigail was placed on the bed to have her diaper changed and get dressed. She was very alert and happy focusing on her mothers face. Abigail’s reaction to the presence of Melissa demonstrates that there is a strong emotional bond between them. This directly correlates with Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development of trust versus mistrust. The stimulation that is presented to Abigail is warm and pleasant which allows for Abigail to feel safe and secure. She responds to this with smiles and moving her body.
Melissa sang “The Itsy Bitsy Spider” using hand gestures and tickling her. Abigail responded with shrieks of laughter with her eyes focused on her mother’s hand gestures. Abigail was aware of when she would be tickled and was delighted with this routine as it was repeated several times as she got dressed. Mother kissed her on her neck which delighted her and made her laugh. It appeared that they were in tune with each other. This short interaction demonstrated that Abigail was familiar with the routines that take place while Melissa sings the song. She was able to anticipate when she would be tickled and would almost wait for the action to happen and begin laughing. It is evident that this duo has created a secure bond with each other. Piaget’s substage 3 in the sensorimotor stage is also
References: Clearfield, M., & Nelson, N. (2006). Sex differences in mothers’ speech and play behavior with 6-, 9-, and 14-month old infants. Sex Roles, 54 (1/2), 127-137. Davies, D. (2004) Child development: A practitioner’s guide (2nd ed.). New York: Guilford Press. Hutchison, E., & Contributors. (2011). Dimensions of human behavior: The changing life course (4th ed.). California: Sage Publications.