Observation of Cognitive Development

For this assignment you will need to get permission to observe a 3-to-6-year old child. As you interact with the child, you will be taking objective (factual/observable) notes documenting your interactions, conversations, and the child’s actions and responses.

Include the child’s age, your relationship with the child, the setting of your observation (including time, date, location), whether or not anyone else was present/their involvement, as well as documentation of anything anyone else said or did during your observation.

Select two of the conservation tasks discussed in class to do with the child. When you make the initial presentation, be sure to have the child confirm that both items contain equal amounts of the item. Then, perform the transfer of items while the child watches and ask which has more. For your report describe in detail the task that you used, how you set it up, the child’s comments on each step, and whether or not the child appears to have grasped the
concept of conservation.

2. Ask the child to do a matching activity. You can use any developmentally appropriate materials that are available, but you must use items that can be sorted using at least two observable differences (i.e. color and shape, shape and size, size and color, etc). Is the child able to match like items?

Now using the same materials you used asked the child to put together pieces that go together in groups. After the child does that, ask the child “How are they alike?” Then, ask the child if they can put the pieces together in a different way.

“How are they alike this time?” Write down any discussion that occurs between you and the child. Was the child able to group like items based on one attribute, and then regroup according to a different attribute without guidance?

3. Tell me about the child’s language development. Is the child exposed to a language other than English at home? What did the child’s language usage look like? Were they speaking in full sentences? On average, how long were their

utterances (number of words to express a single thought)? Were they easy to understand? Did you observe any grammatical errors? How does this compare to typical language development?

4. Reflect on your observations. Were you surprised by your findings or were they consistent with what you expected? How did you feel about completing this task? What new insights did you gain into the child’s thinking?

All assignments should be submitted in 12-point Times New Roman font. Make sure to include your notes as well as the completed assignment.