Essay Instructions: Infant Development observation
5-page MAX, typed, double-spaced paper, 1 in. margins.
The observation paper is based on at least one hour of thoughtful observation of an infant/toddler two years of age or younger.
1)Choose an infant to observe.
2)Once you are in the setting with the infant, just observe. Don't interact with the infant directly; but of course, smile pleasantly and say ?hi? if the baby approaches you, but do not try to intervene or "run an experiment" with the baby.
3)Make a detailed, record of the infant's behavior in two domains of development (e.g., language, social, emotional, motor, cognitive, perceptual). Be certain that you understand what is meant by the domains that you choose (e.g., know what constitutes cognition, language, etc.). As you watch, you will need to take notes on the behaviors relevant to your domains. Write down specific examples of what the baby is doing, saying, by him/herself and with others. Pay attention to what is going on around the baby and write down what others are doing to/with the baby and how the baby reacts. Do not interpret what you see while you are taking the notes; try to stay objective.
4)possible observable behaviors that are relevant to particular domains:
Emotional -- Which emotions do you see the baby express? Which behaviors and expressions inform your decision about the emotions being expressed? Are these emotions simple, complex, positive, or negative? Are there signs that the baby/toddler is regulating his/her emotions? (1) Stranger wariness: Observe baby?s reaction to the approach of a stranger (is the baby wary? interested?). Note contextual factors too (is the baby tired? With mother or a familiar person present? Did the stranger approach quickly?) (2) Temperament ? how does the baby react to various situations? Is the baby easy and adaptive, fussy and difficult, or slow to warm up to new or altered situations? How intense are the baby?s reactions? Is the baby in a pleasant or unpleasant mood? How do you know? How distractible is the baby? How high is the baby?s activity level?
Social ? How does the baby interact and respond to other people? Does the baby engage (initiate? respond?) in social games? (1) Attachment -- How does the baby react when mother/father leaves the home? When mother/father return? Does the baby smile? fuss? Reach out for contact? Note contextual factors (was baby left in a familiar room? How long was the baby separated from the parent? Were the others people in the room familiar to the baby?
(2) Peer relations ? How does the baby interact with other babies and young children? Does the baby look at, smile, touch other young children? Do they play interactive games? How do they interact over toys (turn-taking, fighting over, hitting with?)?
Language ? (1) Expressive language ? what sounds does the baby make? How many different utterances did you hear? Was the baby cooing? Babbling? How did the baby?s gestures and the context make the meaning clearer? Were sounds connected to the baby?s apparent feelings at the moment (happy sounds, angry sounds)? Were the baby?s vocalizations related to what adults were saying or doing? Did the baby utter words? How many? What were they? What parts of speech were they? Does the toddler speak in two or three word phrases? Sentences? (2) Receptive language ? Did the baby appear to understand more than he or she could say? How does the baby respond to verbal requests? Which behaviors and responses let you know that the baby apparently understood what was being said? Does the toddler follow simple directions?
Perceptual ? What does the baby look at? What sights (e.g., colors, patterns, people) and sounds (e.g., music, children?s voices) does the baby seem to prefer? What makes you think so?
Motor ? Young baby: can the baby lift own head without support? Roll over? Hold small object in hand? Sit with support? Lift cup by handle? Older baby: can the baby sit alone without support? Crawl? Raise self to sitting position? Stand up by pulling self up on furniture? Bang two objects together? Sit down unaided? Stand alone? Walk alone? Walk up stairs? Jump off floor with both feet?
Cognitive ? How does the baby explore objects (mouthing, grasping, shaking, banging, inspecting)? How does the baby respond if an object goes out of sight? If the object is out of reach? How does the baby explore effects of its own body movements? Does the baby imitate the behavior of others? Does the baby look at pictures in a book? Turn the pages? Does the older baby engage in goal-directed actions on objects? Does the toddler show understanding of categories (e.g., animals, vehicles)? Of concepts? How do you know?
5)Include:
*Introductory paragraph (where you observed the infant, how you selected the infant, age of infant, use initials or first name only of infant, domains that you observed, how long you observed).
*Brief description of setting (physical environment and social environment).
*Discuss the infant's range of behaviors and level of functioning in each of the two domains that you selected. Try to characterize the infant?s current functioning in each domain. Use textbook, lecture, handouts to help gauge the infant's level of development.
*Link the two domains of development?.how do the infant's abilities in one domain affect functioning in the other domain?
*How did the social and physical environment affect the infant's behavior when you were observing?
*Conclusion. What did you learn about infant development from observing this infant?
