Select your targets: you will observe a child or children between the ages of 4

Select your targets: you will observe a child or children between the ages of 4 and 10 years old. Observations can be conducted live in a public place (e.g. at a park, on the train, at a library), in your home **, or virtually (e.g., Zoom call with extended family, cousins, for friends). Targets of your observations can be a parent-child dyad, siblings, older relatives, etc.
Make every effort to be unobtrusive. You can tell your targets that you are learning about naturalistic observation for your psychology class but do not given them any specific instructions. When I observe in preschool classrooms I often try to sit in a corner or out of immediate site and tell curious children “I’m doing my homework”. They get bored and leave me alone.
**If you are observing children, make sure you are not expected to be supervising them as well. Arrange for another adult or caregiver is available to ensure their safety so that you do not need to break your observation to help them.
Use the same process we modeled in class for the Babies observation:
1. Brainstorm. Review the concepts and content of the age group you’re observing. What are some behaviors and characteristics you would expect to see in of this age? What is likely to be a universal phenomenon? What is likely to be context or experience-dependent?
2. Conduct your observation: Observe your target for at least 10 minutes. Take notes about what you see that may give you information about the individuals’ physical, social-emotional, and cognitive development. Only note what you observe, do not editorialize or jump to assumptions of interpretation and infer conclusions on partial evidence.
a. What does the target do? What do other’s around them do?
b. What happens before and after?
c. What can you infer from the behavior or interaction about the target’s developmental progress?
3. Synthesize. Review your observation notes and connect them to class material
a. Describe one interaction or event that was particularly interesting to you.
b. List topics and readings from class that may be relevant. (early childhood- physical and cognitive development; early childhood- emotional competence; early childhood- parenting, friends and play; middle childhood- adverse childhood experiences and trauma; middle childhood- gender)
4. Document. Write a paragraph (6-8 sentences) that does the following:
a. Fully describes the observed behavior (2-3 sentences)
b. Identifies which theoretical frame you’re using to interpret this behavior and why (2-3 sentences)
Example of Robust Integration of Course Material
The 6 month old baby seemed very interested in playing with a toy on her mobile above her play mat. At first, she seemed to accidentally hit it, but then she seemed to be purposefully hitting it because she liked to see the lights and hear the music. This behavior is a good example of Piaget’s sensori-motor period of development (Siegler & Alibali, 2005). During this stage, babies learn through their senses and actions. It seems that her actions were first characteristic of primary-circular-reaction because she seemed to accidentally interact with the toy in the outside world, not realizing that her movement would cause the lights and music to go on. However, as I kept watching, her behavior seemed more coordinated and focused on the outside world in a purposeful way and is more likely a secondary circular reaction. She continued to hit the toy and shrieked with delight (as evidenced by smiles) that she was able to make the sound and music turn on.
Conversely, this example focuses on too many irrelevant details and does not provide any concrete evidence.
An Example of Poor Integration of Course Material.
My 6 month old niece who has brown hair, large hazel eyes, and was wearing yellow-striped footie pajamas was lying on her back in her crib. It was sunny outside and the light coming in the window provided a soothing environment for her. She seemed interested in the mobile above her bed, likely because she’s an infant and therefore in Piaget’s sensori-motor period (Siegler & Alibali, 2005).