Life Span Observation

For our Life-Span Development class we had the opportunity to observe the physical, cognitive, and social development of Jonas, a four year old boy. The observation was conducted by Professor Christians here at Dordt College in room classroom building 260. The infant’s parent consented to participate in the live observation. During the observation, I was able to notice a lot about Jonas. With the knowledge I have gained from psychology and the observation of the child, I am now able to explain why children act the way they do.
Jonas has an average number of family members including his mother, his dad, and his two brothers. When Professor Christians asked him about his brothers, Jonas didn’t even know their ages. He said one of his brothers was six, when he really was thirteen. According to Piaget's theory, Jonas would fall under the preoperational stage
He uses the Legos to build characters and action figures that he then plays with. Jonas’ mom said that she would allow him to use the tablet in order to keep him under control. When Professor Christians explained the board game to Jonas, it took him a while to understand the concept, but he finally accomplished the task. You could say that allowing your child to use too much technology at a young age is dangerous because kids can very easily get dependent on technology. This causes children to rely less on other important activities like exercise or reading. However, Jonas does seem to be interested in sports and playing outside. For kids who are introduced to shortcuts and are dependent on technology are wrongfully taught to take the easy way out in life. For an example, most children would prefer watching a movie or television show instead of reading a book. Although Jonas watched a lot of television shows and used the tablet a lot, he was also able to read. His reading was not the best, but with a little assistance from his mom Jonas was able to read his