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UNIT 6
PHYSICAL, MOTOR AND COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT
1. Explain what Piaget meant when he referred to children as scientists.
2. Your friend Shereka has a 4-year-old son named Jerome. Jerome occasionally wets the
bed at night and Shereka is afraid that this will be a problem for Jerome when he is older.
What can you tell Shereka about bedwetting in preschool children that might put her
mind at ease?
3. Reggie is quite athletic, and he would like his 3-year-old daughter Cheryl to be athletic
also, but he is concerned that she is a klutz. When she runs, she doesn’t have the fluid
motion that most good runners have; when he plays catch with her, she doesn’t move to
the ball; and when she throws the ball, she only uses her forearms rather than her whole
body. What can you tell Reggie about motor development that might relieve some of his
worries?
4. Your friend Regina is quite worried that her 3-year-old son Randall cannot dress himself
and tie his shoes. Whenever Randall goes to the bathroom, Regina needs to help him get
his clothes back on properly. What can you tell Regina about the development of fine
motor skill that will help her understand Randall’s ability to dress himself?
5. Your daughter has been diagnosed with asthma and your spouse is worried that she won’t
be able to participate in sports and other activities. What can you tell your spouse about
asthma and children’s activities that might alleviate your spouse’s concern?
6. What are some environmental factors that can contribute to illness and injury in children?
.
UNIT 7
PERSONALITY AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
1. Explain what is meant by basic emotions and complex emotions and give examples of
each.
2. Your brother and his wife had their first baby, Alyssa, two weeks ago. Your brother is
upset because he cannot make Alyssa smile. He is worried that either he is a bad father or
Alyssa is emotionally delayed. What can you tell your brother that might give him more
realistic expectations about Alyssa’s emotional development in terms of when she will
start smiling and laughing and how they can be stimulated during the first year of life?
3. Recently, your friends went out for the evening and got a babysitter. They have had
babysitters in the 7 months since their baby was born, but this time the baby cried when
the babysitter came in the door and rushed to pick him up. A few weeks ago when the
same sitter came to the house, the baby was willing to go to her. Your friends can’t figure
out what happened to the baby or the babysitter to change the situation. What can you
tell your friends about stranger wariness that might explain the baby’s behaviour?
4. Name the four primary types of attachment relationships observed by Ainsworth.
Describe the typical reaction of infants with each type of attachment to the separation
and reunion episodes of the Strange Situation procedure.
5. Your friend Beth has a 9-month-old baby and she is considering returning to work full-
time. She has heard that infants who are in daycare full-time have a slightly higher risk of
forming an insecure attachment. She told you that she is willing to take that risk because
attachment only lasts a few years and doesn’t affect other behaviours. What can you tell
Beth about the relationship between attachment and later social behaviour?
6. In the SECD reading, “ Self-Regulation: The Early Years ”, what are the five steps to self-
regulation? Describe ways that you could implement these steps in a child care setting.
