Session 7

• Mathematics
• Lower Secondary (Key Stage 3)
• Further Education (Key Stage 5)

Unit 7 - Child Development

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T - Levels in Education and Early Years 

ZE30601 

Session 7 

Learning Objectives 

By the end of the session all learners will: 

• Welcome Monkey Puzzle Day Nursery as our guest speakers. 
  
• Explore and recall the theory of Peggy Emerson & Rudolf Schaffer (link to research task). 
  
• Understand the structure of how to answer a long exam related question. 
  

Michael Rutter talks about Privation
in his theory what does this mean?

Which theorist can be categorised as a cognitive constructivist?

1. Jean Piaget
2. Mary Ainsworth
3. Michael Rutter
4. Maria Montessori

What are the 3 prime areas of development for a 1 year old?

1. PSED, Communication and language, physical
2. Physical, literacy and expressive arts.
3. Physical, PSED, Mathematics
4. Communication and language only

Peggy Emerson & Rudolph Schaffer

• Emerson& Schaffer based their theory on the work of John Bowlby.
  
• They focused on how young children seek proximity around familiar adults.
  
• Furthermore the importance of a social bond was considered, and they stated children can form multiple attachments that vary in length.
  
• Parent-infant attachment: Schaffer and Emerson found that infants tend to become attached to the mother first, then form attachments with other figures (such as the father) later on- usually by the age of 18 months.

The attachment stages 

• Asocial Stage (0-2 months): Infant behavior is directed at anyone or anything.
• Indiscriminate Attachment (2-7 months): Prefers people to inanimate objects, but not one person specifically.
• Specific (7 months +) : Infants show a preference for one caregiver, displaying separation and stranger anxiety. The baby looks to particular people for security, comfort and protection.
• Multiple (10/11 months +): Attachment behaviours are displayed towards several different people eg. siblings, grandparents etc.
  

 

The experiment

Schaffer and Emerson (1964) studied 60 babies from Glasgow at monthly intervals for the first 18 months of life using a longitudinal method (Observations over a period of time).

Children were all studied in their own homes and visited monthly for approximately one year. Interactions with their carers were analysed to establish if and when infants started to display separation anxiety.

Results revealed that attachments were most likely to form with carers who were sensitive to the baby's signals, rather than the person they spent the most time with.

By 10 months old, most of the babies had several attachments, including attachments to mothers, fathers, siblings and extended family. It was observed that the mother was the main attachment figure for roughly half of the babies when they were 18 months old and the father for most of the others.

The Outcome

"Based on this finding, this would suggest that being sensitive and responsive (including playing and communicating an infant) is more instrumental in attachment development than physical care."

Your exams

In June as part of your external assessments (exams) you will complete 2 x exam papers ( 2 hour each).

Part A: Elements 1 - 6 

Part B: Elements 7 - 12

Responding to a long exam questions requires some analysis techniques prior to attempting to answer the question.

How to answer a long exam question

• Underline the key words in the question
  
• Identify the main topic and discussion areas.
  
• Choose a few points/arguments about which you can write .
  
• Make a mini-plan which puts them in order before you start writing. You can cross it through afterwards.
  
• Clearly identify links to theory, clearly identifying theorist names and the relevant part of their theory. 
• Use specific terminology and always think Point - Evidence - Explanation.

Lets try a practice question analysis.