Investigating Aspects of the Development of Children - Dissertation Example

?LITERATURE EVALUATION # 4 s Introduction This paper covers three papers that investigates development of children and how various aspects influences their development as they continue to interact with the environment. The first research is a bout imitation of aggressive model by Bandura and Ross 1961. This model confirms that children learn through imitation and this influences their behavior. The second research is about how different neurocognitive functions regulate physical aggression and hyperactivity in early childhood. This research aims at proving that the exposure and increasing development of verbal skills, self-awareness, and goal-oriented behavior leads to cognitive development. It is therefore important that parents are become good role models and expose their children to the right environment. The third research I chose is about the developmental trajectories of aggression from late childhood through adolescence. This research aims about proving that children exhibiting aggression behavior in their childhood are more likely to show these behaviors at their adolescent stage. The above three research culminates from the works of cognitive developmental works by past researchers and founders like Jean Paget, B.F Skinner, Sigmund Freud, and other great psychologists. Through imitation of Aggressive Models (Bandura, Ross,&Ross,1961) Previous studies and data indicate that the phenomena of identification through accidental learning show ready behavior imitation of children from adults. Many researchers and authors who have conducted this experiment have ended up with the same results after the experiments. This is a convincing evidence that behavior is influenced and controlled through imitation using the behavior model technique. Research indicates that children under exposure of aggressive conditions produced the same aggression mainly after imitating their models (Bandura, 1961). Similarly, children exposed to non-aggressive conditions imitated their models and exhibited non-aggressive behavior. We can therefore assume that the behavior imitation is due to subject’s subsequent reinforcement. Research also indicates that there is a difference in terms of behavior transmission with regard to sex. Children perceive their parents differently concerning awarding their modes of behavior. Research indicates that parents tend to reward imitation of appropriate behavior of sex and at the same time punish or discourage sex inappropriate behaviors. For example, a child of male gender is more likely to receive an award by the parents for performing female activities such as cleaning of dishes, cleaning the house, and cooking (Baillargeon RH, 2007). Behavior transmission therefore tends to take a different direction depending on the kind of reinforcement in terms of reward and punishment that the parents offer to children. However, we can assume that since boys are more masculine than girls are, and that aggression is more likely a motor effect, boys tend to imitate aggressive behaviors more than girls do. Research also indicates that children who are exposed to non-aggressive male models are more likely to exhibit less aggressive behavior in comparison to their female counterparts. This explains the kind of influence the female models have on their children in terms of behavior transmission. The ability of a child to observe certain cues and behavior elicit certain kind of responses that a child is likely to exhibit. Adult males fail to influence children behavior more so since they do not spend so much time with their children. Female parents however show a greater probability of influencing children behavior due to the amount of time and affection that children develop towards their female parents. The developmental Trajectories of Aggression from Late Childhood through Adolescence Developmental psychology has proved that there is a difference in terms of aggression exhibition. There are those children that show aggression during their entire life. There are those children who exhibit aggressive behaviors only while still young. There is also a group of interest and this includes the type of adolescents who exhibit aggressive behaviors at this stage. This research also indicates that boys who come from a highly childhood physically environment are more likely to exhibit this behavior at their adolescent age as compared to those boys who come from a less aggressive childhood environment (Cote S, 2006). Most of the children tend to increase their aggression during adolescent stage mainly due to the complex challenges that adolescent children face. Adolescent stage faces with many problems ranging from peer influence and diminishing parental care. Adolescent children also tend to be searching for identity and all this factors in one way or the other influences the aggressive behavior that adolescents acquire at this stage. Adolescents spend most of their time with their peers and this influences their behavior. Through imitation and observation, adolescents attain the aggressive behavior mainly by imitating adults since that is their next stage of development immediately after adolescent hence they tend to identify themselves with adults too (Egger HL, 2006). The substantial argument in this conclusion is that why is the aggression developing at this stage if the pre-school age period had no resemblance with aggression. Most researchers agree that childhood antisocial behavior is more likely to be exhibited at adolescent and become evident. However, not all childhood antisocial behaviors become evident at adolescent stage. Most of the researchers and authors also agree or find very little combination of onset of highly aggressive behaviors at old age. We therefore conclude that children with no any background history of physical aggression at their preschool age become minorities of adolescents who engages in most of the high levels physical aggression. Different Neurocognitive Functions Regulating Physical Aggression and Hyperactivity in Early Childhood Early childhood is a stage where most of the cognitive development occurs and the social-emotional domain occurs. The exposure and increasing development of verbal skills, self-awareness, and goal-oriented behavior increasingly leads to cognitive development. Parent at this stage pose rules and regulations that the child must adhere. The rules and sanctions by the parents create conflict, frustration, and upsets. This is the reason as to why some aggressive behavior develops at early ages. A series of studies have been conducted regarding aggressive behavioral activities in children. The following neurocognitive processes have been examined. Receptive vocabulary, Visio spatial organization, and the short-term memory, hyperactivity, attention deficit- hyperactivity disorder, and conduct disorder (Hughes C, 2008). There is a close association with regard to early childhood and late childhood psychiatric disorders. However, is not substantially clear whether antisocial or disruptive behaviors in children at preschool age are associated with the kind of neurocognitive processes in older children and adults. Through simultaneous consideration of behavioral problems, it is evident that histories of physical aggression and hyperactivity right from the preschool age accounts for unique variance in the functioning of the neurocognitive processes at early ages. Many scientists believe that this kind of behavior and trend results from the fact that the disruptive behaviors are considered normal at that tender age (Shaw DS, 2005). Relatively high stable levels of aggression and hyperactivity from the tender ages may be a clear indication of developing mental health problems. Children showing development of aggression most likely end up showing patterns of violent delinquencies. Language development is very important and plays a role in cognitive development (Jacques S, 2005). The ability of the child to coordinate language processes regulates behavior. Once children begin learning linguistic control, they are able to comprehend and understand several things within h environment. With constant communication, the children are able to control their behavior especially by listening and observing their parents and teachers. One important theory that asserts this argument is the Cognitive Complexity and Control Theory, which proposes that children tend to regulate their behavior by formulating potential rules through silent speeches. For example, a child will keep telling him/herself that she should not hit others and this eventually controls and regulate behavior. This behavior control continues all the way through kindergarten and even at adolescent stages. It is also evident that disruption of visual-spatial abilities affects behavior regulation. Many scientists argue that if a child possesses poor spatial abilities at an early stage, then there is a high risk of the child developing anti-social behavior. The effects of poor spatial abilities are observed to be far much greater than those of poor verbal development processes. Conclusion In conclusion, children who develop poor verbal skills at early stages tend to develop anti-social behaviors at later stages of their development. There is also a direct correlation between aggression and observation at early stages of children development. There is also a close correlation between poor visual and spatial development processes with aggressive and anti-social behaviors in children. References Baillargeon RH, N. C. (2007). The evolution of problem and social competence behaviors during toddlerhood: A prospective population-based cohort survey. Infant Mental Health Journal, 28:12–38. BANDURA, A. &. (1961). Identification as a process of incidental learning. J. abnorm. soc. Psychol, 63, 311-318. Cote S, V. T. (2006). he development of physical aggression from toddlerhood to pre-adolescence: A nation-wide longitudinal study of Canadian children. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology., 34:68–82. Egger HL, A. A. (2006). Common emotional and behavioral disorders in preschool children: Presentation, nosology, and epidemiology. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 47:313–337. Hughes C, E. R. (2008). Does executive function matter for preschoolers’ problem behaviors? ournal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 36:1–14. Jacques S, Z. P. (2005). Language and the development of cognitive flexibility: Implications for theory of mind. In: Astington JW, Baird JA, editors. Why language matters for theory of mind. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Shaw DS, L. E. (2005). evelopmental trajectories of conduct problems and hyperactivity from ages 2 to 10. . Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 46:931–942. Read More