Developmental Psychology

Achieve Test Prep: Developmental Psychology

3. Dramatic play: using imaginary situations and games with rules

The Media: The media, particularly television, has a considerable effect on society. It is estimated that by age sixteen, the average child spends more time in front of a television than in a classroom. The average US household has at least one TV, which is on for approximately seven hours per day. The television is a tool which can harm or benefit due to its ability to affect the ideas and behaviors of individuals. One of the most pressing concerns with the influence of media is violence. Studies have looked into the effects of viewing violence directly and indirectly (in person or via media, respectively). One study involved two groups of children: one of which viewed violent cartoons, while the other watched nonviolent cartoons. After the study, the children who viewed the violent cartoons were more aggressive than their peers who viewed nonviolent cartoons. The general fear of introducing gratuitous violence to children is that they will become desensitized to it. Studies have shown that if children become desensitized to violence, they may start to believe it is acceptable to act in violent ways. Childhood Fears: Generally speaking, fear is an anxious response to objects or stimuli. Some fears are ‘healthy’ because they serve for purposes of self-preservation (e.g. having a fear of fire). Some children have fears which lead to a child being withdrawn, clingy, or anxious. Fear of tangible objects or stimuli (e.g. dogs or moving vehicles) tends to decrease during early childhood, while fear of intangible objects or anticipated events, such as accidents, tends to increase. Childhood fears are often unpredictable and differ from one child to the next. It has been shown that intelligence may influence the likelihood that a child will develop a fear to an object or entity. The number of fears expressed in children from the age of two to five was positively correlated to IQ levels. Female children are more likely to exhibit fearful behaviors than males. Children may also acquire fears from observing their parents, specifically their mothers. If a mother shows fear towards large dogs, a child may pick up on that fear and acquire the fear of large dogs, even if they have had no frightful experience related to dogs. Concerns which may arise during Early Childhood: There are significant events which may arise during early childhood and affect development: 1. Child Maltreatment :

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