Child Development

Child Development

Chapter 1: Cultural, Political and Economic Values Affect on Children's Development and Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory

Ecological System Theory explains the influences of various surrounding factors on child development and growth. However, Urie Bronfenbrenner has categorized his theories with respect to various social, political and cultural walks of life. According to the four levels of social hierarchy proposed by Bronfenbrenner that includes Microsystem, Mesosystem, Exosystem and Macrosystem, it is the combination of individuals, surrounding environment and various different platforms or institutes that help in character and personality building of Children.

Cultural Values

The innermost and initial environment and surrounding, defined by Microsystem, experienced by the children are basically the cultural values that he is to inherit from his ancestors. The language an individual learns, the clothing he prefers, the food he eats and lifestyle he leads are all defined by the cultural patterns and styles he will most likely find followed by his offspring.

Political Forces

The various political influences on a child include the conditions of peace and stability in the sociopolitical structure practiced around the children. Children living in regions with violence, conflicts and political instability will have a negative impact on their personality.

Economic Resources

Availability of resources remains constant for all the four systems proposed by Bronfenbrenner's Theory. For example, children belonging from an economically unfortunate and instable household will most likely be studying in institutions that will lack the funds to teach subjects like art, music etc. Hence, the deprivation of economic resources in Microsystem level will be experienced in all supreme levels by a Child that will have a strong influence on his personality (Berk,2009).

Child Development Research Affect

The research conducted over the years on the issues regarding Child Development, their consequences on Children character and personalities and methods and means proposed to inform parents and teachers to adapt to refrain from acts that will have negative impacts in children has helped in the progress and development of the field over the years.

Chapter 2: Research Design in the Study of Investigating Antisocial Boys and Their Friendship

A primary research method was adapted while analyzing the natural behavioral characteristics of children as individuals and as a pair while using the methods of Structure Observation. Observations of this nature help the researchers to use real laboratory situations in order to study the behavioral display of the subjects as a result of the tests that are planned and designed solely by the researchers themselves (Feldman, 2007).

Hence, approximately one hundred, 10 year old boys along with their best friends were the participants and the subjects of the experiment. The boys were asked to play a board game in pairs with their best friends. The results showed that aggressive individuals displayed a violent behavior even towards their best friend.

Therefore, the structured observation in combination with the research design helped the research in two primary ways. First of all, it allowed the investigators to independently exercise their own experiment and decide several other parameters involved and associated with ...