Psych 2: Piagets theory

Psych 2: Piagets theory

Psychology assignment on the Piaget theory
Lifespan Development: Research Assignment Title: Assessing Preoperational and Concrete Operational Thinking in Two Children. Purpose: The essay topic was developed to help students 1) gain experience in conducting psychological research using human subjects; 2) understand Piagetian terminology, key concepts, and processes; and 3) further develop critical thinking skills. Instructions: This assignment requires that each student assess two child subjects, a 3- to 5-year-old and an 8- to 10-year-old, using three different Piagetian tasks (see below). In the event that there is difficulty locating subjects, two students may together test the same child but no child can be tested more that once. Also, the tasks must be administered to each child separately without the other child in the room. Each student is expected to collect and evaluate their own data, formulate their own report, and write and submit their own paper. They must carefully note the younger and older child’s responses, compare these responses, and interpret them in view of Piaget’s work. It is important to understand that the primary purpose of this assignment is not to prove Piaget’s theory but rather to evaluate a few of his key concepts using real children as subjects. No matter what the results, a critical approach is expected and encouraged. Format: Each student will submit a 10 page, double-spaced paper with sub-headed introduction, method, results, discussion, and conclusion sections. The paper must also have a title page, reference page, and appendices (containing the signed Free and Informed Consent Forms and copies of the three views of the Three Objects Task). Things to remember when testing each child: 1) Introduce yourself to the child and let them know that they are helping you with a school project. Assure them that there is no right or wrong answers to your questions; 2) You are assessing, not diagnosing the child; 3) Children progress at different rates so you may find anomalies in a child subject’s response. For example, the younger child might show conservation skills or the older child might fail to grasp the concept of conservation; 4) If the child shows any of the following signs of discomfort, ask them if they would like to stop participating. – unnecessarily long pauses after being asked to carry on a task or answer a question – – – – – Even if they say they want to continue, stop the assessment if it is in the best interest of the child. excessive fidgeting appearing overly tired or frustrated asking for their parent walking away from the testing situation showing signs of fear, anger, or sadness 5) Thank the child and parent(s) for their help.
Tasks: Conservation Task 1: This is a conservation of number task. Show the child two identical rows of 7 evenly-spaced coins where the rows are aligned horizontally. Ask the child if they are the same and adjust the rows until the child agrees that they are. Now spread the coins in one row further apart. Ask the child if both rows have the same amount of coins or if one row has more. If the child says that one has more, ask which one. Have the child justify the judgment of there being the same or a different amount of coins in the two rows. Record all responses. Conservation Task 2: This is a conservation of volume task. Pour an identical amount of juice or coloured water into two identical clear glasses. Ask the child if the two glasses have the same amount, and adjust the volume in each glass until the child agrees that both have the same amount. Now pour the liquid from one of these glasses into a taller, thinner clear glass. Ask the child if the amount of juice is the same in both glasses or if one has more. If the child says that one has more, ask which one. Have the child justify the judgment of there being the same or a different amount of liquid in the two glasses. Record all responses. The Three Objects Task: This task tests egocentrism. Set up three objects on a empty table (a round one is ideal) and have the child walk around the table to become familiar with what the objects look like from different perspectives. Then evenly space three chairs around the table and have the child sit in one directly viewing the objects. Place a doll (or another individual) in each of the other chairs and ask the child to select from a series of three pictures the one that best represents the view that the child is seeing, you are seeing, and the doll/other individual is seeing. Record all responses.
Expectations: Students are expected to review lecture and text material before approaching the families of potential child subjects . After receiving written parental consent, they will proceed to separately assess the 3- to 5- year-old child and 8- to10-year-old child. The completed essay will be well-organized and well-written, with important terms like “operations”, “conservation”, “centration”, “egocentrism”, etc. fully defined. Ideally, students will view their findings with a critical lens. IMPORTANT NOTE: In accordance with Humber’s policy and procedures for research involving human subjects, child subjects must not be identified in the final research report. Pseudonyms can be used to refer to the children Any material identifying a child or their family, including rough notes, are to be handed in along with the completed essay. These materials will be destroyed by May 1, 2015. Evaluation: This assignment will be graded out of 25 points, assigned as follows: 4 – 3 – 3 – 6 – 2 – 4 – 2 – 1 – for a well-written Introduction section where 1) Piaget’s theory is efficiently outlined, particularly the difference between pre- operational and concrete operational thinking and 2) the intention of the author(s) is clear; for a succinct Method section; for a clear Results section; for a thoughtful Discussion section; for an appropriate Conclusion section; for defining important terms and concepts. for complete Appendices; for complete Title and Reference Pages
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