Abstract
This paper provides two essays on child development, the first on the argument over whether the development of behavior is governed more by nature or nurture and how each affects child development; and the second on two of the stages offered by Piaget, the pre-operational stage and the concrete operational stage, and the differences between them as reflected in child behavior.

From the Paper
"The argument over whether the development of behavior is governed more by nature or nurture has been ongoing for many decades. Which force is seen as dominant governs how one decides a number of biological and sociological issues. The debate over nature versus nurture means do inherent traits or the power of training and socialization in a cultural setting decide behavior. The debate has been seen in a wide variety of contexts, from gender roles to criminal activities. Studies of gender, for instance, suggest that as with most human behaviors, both nature and nurture play a role, and gender emerges in the interaction of the two. This can be seen in studies comparing different societies and showing that human behavior develops based on genetic factors creating a beginning framework that is then modified by the environment. Other studies have addressed criminal behavior and whether it is to any degree genetic."

Tags:child, development, stages

Abstract
Does play a role in child development? Are some toys better than others for child development? What role does the mother play in play and child development? The paper shows that these are questions that Doris Pierce focuses on in the article, "Maternal Management of the Home as a Developmental Play Space for Infants and Toddlers". The paper shows that play is an important part in child development and mothers play a vital role in play and child development including choosing what toys and creating space for play.

Tags:play, infants, mothers

Abstract
Child development has always remained under tight scrutiny by various psychologists and sociologists. In this regard, a large number of theories exist which highlight various factors involved in the development of a child. This paper examines various theories of child development by analyzing view points of three important theorists Piaget, Freud and Vygotsky. It also encompasses the stages and factors affecting the child development.

Outline:
Abstract
Introduction
Stages of Child Development
Factors Affecting Development of Children
Conclusion

From the Paper
"Various theorists have diverse opinions on the child development. Some theorists accord lot of importance to the developmental stages but there are theorists who contest the same. Erikson (1997, pp. 55-77) dwelled on a theory describing eight developmental stages through which a healthily developing human should pass from infancy to late adulthood. A person going through these developmental stages needs to master challenges being presented by that stage. A challenge of a particular stage not successfully completed reappear as problem in the next stage. According to Erikson, a child passing through the age of 6-10 years has to confront the Middle Childhood Stage which offers various challenges like acquiring of skills for and developing competence in work, developing friendships, self-evaluations, and team-play etc."

Tags:piaget, freud, genetics, vygotsky

Abstract
This is an admissions essay to be placed in a research institute thats research focuses on child development. The essay discusses the writer's acceptance into prestigious universities and turning them down for a university much closer to home. This decision, notes the writer, still introduced its own benefits by creating the circumstances to learn that the results we see are because of the effort and interest we place into them. Additionally, the paper discusses two independent social research studies the writer was involved in and their involvement with children of many different backgrounds.

From the Paper
"As a supplement to my undergraduate courses, I have participated in two research studies. The first was part of an independent study - Social Interaction Among Juvenile Ground Squirrels, a collaborative project through A Larger State University that tested social reward as a motivational factor in juvenile rodents. In this study, data from ground squirrels undergoing social conditioned place preference (SCPP) and social interaction tests were compared to similar data, previously recorded using laboratory mice. An undergraduate collaborator and I carried out the experiment, which demonstrated that ground squirrels respond to social reward much like mice but display dissimilar patterns of social interaction. Through this valuable opportunity, I learned to follow specific protocol and research guidelines, maintain accurate data, take video recordings of experimental tests, use a computer program to document interactions, and make independent decisions regarding lab procedures. While I was not directly involved in analyzing the data (this was done at the Lab for Comparative Neurobiology at the Larger State University), I did write a final paper discussing the background, purpose, methods used, and my role in the experiment.
"The second project, entitled Factors Influencing the Motivation to Benefit the In-group, examined the effects of cohesion with a religious group on deviant behavior. Deviance was defined as cheating on a puzzle for the benefit of the in-group. For this experiment, I took an online course to become certified to work with human participants. To date, I have contributed to the conception and design of the study, which is currently undergoing IRB review, and we anticipate running participants in May 2008. My further involvement will consist of collecting data from participants, debriefing, analyzing the data, and collaborating on writing up the results for submission to a peer-reviewed journal. I have gained several skills from this project, including research design and methodology, working in small groups, and expanding my overall collaborative experiences. "

Tags:deviance, behavior therapist, admissions

Abstract
This paper consists of three article reviews of research done to examine how gender is constructed within and throughout various stages in child development. Each of the three articles considers how factors in socialization affect how gender is constructed for children. One looks closely at how masculinity in boys is structured. Another article addresses how language in nursery rhymes influences gender norms in children. The last article considers how social networks of children are different depending on gender.

From the Paper
"Barbara Kantrowitz and Claudia Kalb's article, "Boys Will Be Boys," discusses the ways in which gender has a formative role in child development. In the early stages of studying how children develop, gender was a factor not often considered. Then came a strong focus by researchers on how girls change and grow through childhood and adolescence. "Boys Will Be Boys" suggests that boys need to be studied just as meticulously as girls, since they have distinctive developmental milestones based on both biological and social differences. The authors argue that some boy behavior is controlled by physiological..."

Tags:gender, psychology, children

Abstract
Hypothesis testing is an extremely crucial aspect of the scientific process, for without being able to prove a hypothesis a given theory can be considered an inaccurate hypothesis, or a failure. Therefore, the need to demonstrate the accuracy of a given hypothesis is crucial to proving the accuracy of the theory itself. This paper explains how this type of testing is applied to child development.

Abstract
The paper looks at the work of Kohlberg, the early behaviorists (Skinner and Watson), Jean Piaget and at the work of Lev Vygotsky. The paper details the theoretical framework of each with regards to child cognitive/moral development and how these theoretical schemas explain the situation confronting two unlucky students plagued by certain developmental shortcomings. The paper concludes that the theoretical frameworks of Kohlberg, the early behaviorists, Jean Piaget, and Lev Vygotsky are all worthwhile in their own unique ways if applied properly.

From the Paper
"A student in a fifth-grade class (eleven years of age) has submitted a book report that has been plagiarized from an internet site. Given the nature of the offense, a credible explanation is needed; in fact, an explanation from Kohlberg is needed - but an explanation is only possible by looking at his stages theory of moral development in detail. To wit, in the first stage the child is pre-moral: he or she does something simply in obeisance to authority; the infant is afraid of being sanctioned, in other..."

Tags:child, development, vygotsky

Abstract
This paper offers a broad overview of what has been read in a psychology course focusing upon childhood development. The paper specifically notes the persistent confusion among academics with regard to the phenomenology of childhood psychopathology. It also reviews Bowlby's four phase developmental model in the maturation of the mother-child relationship.

From the Paper
"We have been fortunate during the course of our studies this year to have read a number of excellent materials relating to early childhood development. The following paper will summarize what I have read and what I have gleaned from our course readings. Most of all, what I hope the reader will take away from the following pr?is of our course work is a recognition that academics agree on many things in the area of childhood development, however much they may disagree about the particulars. Beyond that, my interpretation of our course material leaves me with the distinct impression that much of what we are is not shaped by our genetic predispositions but by our external environment. While it is wrong to take the view that human children are "blank slates" upon which can be written anything ..."

Tags:child, development, readings

Abstract
This paper considers the proposition that cognitive and intellectual development in children is the beginning of the process of maturation. It explains that the child's biological development occurs through organization and adaptation to the environment and the same occurs for cognitive development, as various researchers have shown. The author claims that the process of cognitive development begins as soon as the child begins to interact with his or her environment and with the social group he or she finds each day.

From the Paper
"As Hock (2005) notes, cognitive and intellectual development in children is the beginning of the process of maturation (p. 134). The child's biological development occurs through organization and adaptation to the environment, and the same occurs for cognitive development, as various researchers have shown. The process of cognitive development begins as soon as the child begins to interact with his or her environment and with the social group he or she finds each day. The process begins early in development, and it has been shown that even very young children, 2 and 3 year olds, grasp the existence of the mental world, the realm of mental states and processes that are marked off from that of physical objects or behavioral acts. Research has shown that children of this age and younger also understand much about the distinction between reality and not reality, and they can easily distinguish, in certain clear cases ..."

Tags:cognitive, learning, maturation

Abstract
This paper explains that healthy child development features normal development in three areas of human development: physical, mental, and social. This paper discusses these three spheres in detail and the importance of each aspect in ensuring a well-balanced child.

From the Paper
"Physical growth is the most obvious change occurring in child development. This occurs in spurts between the ages of zero to around fifteen. As one source notes, "it has been recognized that the physical development occurs in which the stretching of the limbs is alternated with a filling-out in breadth" (Lievegoed 1997, p. 23). By the time the child reaches maturity, they have grown around eight times their original size. For these changes to be managed the child requires both energy and the right nutrients. This is dependent on the child's diet. Therefore, the first important part of healthy child development is a suitable diet."

Tags:nutrition, cognitive, parent