Field Of Child Development

1. The scope of the field of child development is very broad and vast. The child development field pertains to how children grow and develop from conception to the end of adolescence. Some areas of child development focus on understanding principles of development in children. This includes concepts such as the rates of which children develop, physical skills learned by children, and any neurological developments. Other areas seem to focus more on how race, culture, and other ethnic factors can affect child development. They also look into what makes each child unique and special. In other words, what makes this child different from the others. No matter what area is being evaluated, child development specifically focuses on behavior from childhood
The field of child development has many key issues and questions arising in its future. Some of these issues and concerns deal with how development is changing, whether life span approaches or focused approaches are more affective, and argument of nature vs. nurture. Child development is also concerned with whether it is continuous or discontinuous. The three topical areas of child development include physical development, cognitive development, and social and personality development. Physical development mainly focuses on how parts of the body such as the brain and senses affect the behavior of children. Cognitive development leans more towards how intellectual abilities can affect the way a child behaves. Social and personality development looks into what sets individuals apart from one another and how social relationships change and grow over a period of
Locke and Rousseau had almost opposite views on their perspectives of children. Locke used the term tabula rasa, or blank slate, to describe a child. In relation to this term, Locke believed children were born with no personalities or characteristics that set them apart from others. They were simply shaped by their environment and experiences. Locke’s perspective goes hand in hand with the nurture aspect of the nature vs. nurture argument. The nurture point of view also states that behavior is based off of environmental influences. In contrast, Rousseau believed that children were born with a sense of morality and a sense of right and wrong. Unless children were swayed by negative affairs, children were able to grow into laudable and trustworthy children and adults. Rousseau’s views correspond with the nature aspect, which says that abilities, traits, and other characteristics are already there by inheritance from