Open University Malaysia HBEC3203: Child Psychology Assignment on Play

This report, prepared for a Child Psychology course, examines the impact of play on the cognitive development of children. It begins with an introduction to developmental psychology, defining its scope and dimensions. The report then reviews an article that investigates pre-service teachers' perceptions of play's influence on children's cognitive abilities. It delves into relevant theories, particularly Piaget's stages of cognitive development, and discusses how these theories relate to the role of play in children's learning and understanding. The report highlights the importance of understanding child psychology for parents and educators, emphasizing how play contributes to children's problem-solving skills, decision-making, and overall cognitive growth. The analysis includes the perspectives of pre-service teachers, highlighting their understanding of play's role in fostering critical thinking and cognitive development in young children. The report concludes with a discussion on the implications of these findings for early childhood education and parenting practices.

Child Psychology
Student Details
10-1-2019

Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................2
Article Review...........................................................................................................................3
Theory Elaborations...................................................................................................................5
Bibliography.............................................................................................................................10

Introduction
Developmental psychology is the science study of how and why people change
throughout their lives. Originally concerned with kids and babies, the field has extended to
include adolescence, growth of adults, aging, and the entire lifespan. Developmental
psychologists strive to clarify how life-long change in thinking, feeling, and behavior can
affect the thinking process of a human being as a child (Barrouillet, 2015). This field
examines the three main dimensions of change: physical development, cognitive
development, and socio-emotional growth.There are a wide variety of subjects within these
three dimensions, including motor skills, brain functions, moral understanding, spatial
cognition, social change, attitude, emotional growth, self-concept, and identity formation
(Meichenbaum, 2017).
Psychology with the sense of growth examines the effects and nurtures of nature on
the process of human development, as well as processes of transition in context and over
period. Many researchers are concerned about the interactions between personal
characteristics, individual behavior and environmental factors such as play, social context,
and constructed environment (Gareth , Carole & Marian Iszatt 2015). The psychologists
which monitor the child psychology usually focuses on how and why perception of a
childgets affected throughout the lifecycle of an individual (cognitive, social, intellectual, and
personality) and human development. In this region of psychology there are many theorists
who have made a deep contribution. For example, a model of eight stages of psychological
development was developed by Erik Erikson. He thought that throughout their lives human
beings evolved in phases and this would influence their behaviors (similar ideas to Sigmund
Freud). The development of child cognitive behavior while playing is also considered an
important part of behavioral development of human beings.
In this assignment in order to analyze the impact of playing on the development of
child, cognitive understanding is certainly percept by teachers, which will teach playgroup or
pre primary child in future. In simple words, the project has analysed the views of teachers
getting training of teaching primary students, about the statement that playing can help in
development of cognitive understanding of primary or smaller child. For this purpose a article
which is written byWirawani Binti Kamarulzaman in 2015 has been taken into consideration.
Based on that article the situation is discussed and analysed and results are drawn.

Article Review
Child psychology is the subconscious as well as the aware research about childhood
growth. Child psychologists are observing how a kid interacts with their family members,
themselves, as well as the globe in order to understand their cognitive development. It can be
one of the most rewarding components of being a parent to get to understand your kid as they
grow (Gareth Edwards, Carole Elliott, & Marian Iszatt-White, 2015). It is also considered
that the cognitive thinking process of small children is developed through the playing
process. In order to analyze this an article which is written by Wirawani Binti Kamarulzaman
in the 2015 has been taken into consideration. The article discussed all the relevant factors
regarding the deployment of child cognitive thinking while playing.
In considered article an attempt has been made Wirawani to understand the
perceptions of pre-service teachers regarding the affects of playing on cognitive thinking
process of children. It is researched by many scholars that children shape ideas of knowledge
nature that contribute to the ability to reflect on one's thinking procedures and assess others '
thinking, throughout their lifecycle, however the main influence on small kids was of their
playing nature and activities they conduct while playing. It helps them in critically thinking
about the process of perception and building behaviour accordingly. It is good for
theirphysical as well as mental development (Kendall, 2011).The study in order to understand
the perception of pre-service teachers about playing leads to cognitive behavioural
development of children, took interview of two pre-service teachers. These teachers were
taking training in Early Childhood Development Program from the Klang Valley University.
While comprehensive study has been conducted on how kids distribute resources in terms of
amount, little is known about how resource quality affects these choices and how the pre-
service teachers understanding the importance of this.
It is important for parents to learn how their kid views the globe, teaching them child
psychological understanding abilities, as well as mentoring them how they process emotions
and changes, but it is not simple.They go through progressive phases of development as their
baby grows, from birth to adulthood (O'Connor, Miller, &Salafia, 2019). Environmental,
genetic, and cultural variables can all influence the growth of a child and how fast it
progresses from one stage to the next. Children have difficulty explaining what they are
going through, much less analyzing their emotions. With the help of considered article

andthis research, the understanding process of parents and upcoming teachers of primary
students can become easy and effective.
Thebehaviour of children during social interactions frames their interpretations of the
actions of things, situations, and human beings. Many researchers found kids to be critical
thinkers and they learn through play.However, before pre-school educators could encourage
children's critical thinking capacity, their perceptions of how pre-school learning should
happen should be examined. Therefore, it is essential to understand preservice teachers '
understanding of the impact of play on children's thinking so that they can bring more hands-
on activities and play to improve critical thinking skills and how they perceive their potential
to help children believe critically (Lissak, 2018).
The research interviewed two educators who are still studying in Early Childhood
Studies in their second year of bachelor's degree. The research was performed on an
interview session at a private university in Klang Valley that lasted 20 to 30 minutes each.
After the interview, transcription was performed. The responses have been coded and the
information has produced based on thematic analysis. Almost 70 percent inter-rater reliability
score indicates that the pre-service teachers know about the phenomenon of cognitive
thinking development of children during the playing. It also facilitates current research,
which states that the topics are credible and accurate enough to be presented as influential for
the current discussion. Participants were discovered to agree that kids learn through play.
In assessing the reliability of informants, Wirawani address the consequences of the
identified results for age-based variations in the comparative weighting of trait-based against
real-time epistemic signs by children (Black, &Trude, 2019). Findings indicate that
participants showed an increase in authoritative teaching behaviors as well as a decline in
follow-up authoritarian and negligent parenting behaviors. The study also talked about the
involvement of parenting in playing and building cognitive thinking process in their children.
It is believed that declines in challenging behaviors were explained by increased parenting
behaviors, although such increases could not explain all intervention impacts. Wirawani and
others conclude that the authoritative parenting style, comparable to Western countries, is the
most efficient parenting style for handling the challenging behaviors of adolescents and help
them in building positive prospective for the concept of playing (Van Geert, 2017). This in
turn can help them in building up theircognitive thinking process.

Theory Elaborations
Every parent expects good growth of his or her baby, but it is not always evident
whether the behavior of a baby is a symptom of an ordinary developmental stage or a sign of
an abnormality. It is very important for parents to understand the psychology of their child. It
is not an easy process as its fulltime attention and involvement with child. Psychologists and
development scientists to define and explain the process and phases that kids are going
through as they evolve have suggested a number of distinct theories (Marshall, 2004). Some
tend to concentrate on the developmental milestones or particular accomplishments reached
by kids at some era.
In this study, playing has been taken as basis for development of cognitive thinking
process of children and the understanding of this concept by Pre-service teachers, which will
in future teach small children. In order to analyze this, it is first important to understand the
meaning of cognitive development.The individual facilitates with the problem solving,
remembering, decision-making, etc skills throughout life in the process. In this assignment
the positive effects of playing on cognitive process of children is discussed. There are many
theories and secondary information that already discussed by researchers in order to explain
and research cognitive process (Bjorklund, & Causey, 2017). The cognitive development
theory of Jean Piaget indicates that kids are moving through four distinct phases of mental
development (Carey, Zaitchik, &Bascandziev, 2015). The theory would be about not only
understanding how children acquire understanding but also learning the core of knowledge.
Piaget's stages are:
 Sensorimotor phase: birth to 2 years
It is the first stage that talked about the development of cognitive behavior of children from
their birth to 2 years of age. According to Piaget the main character of this stage is the kid
knows the world by sensations and movements, learn to separate living and non-living or
objects, they can move things around them, etc. This knowledge can help them in start
understanding the presence of objects, human beings and abstract things.
 Preoperative stage: ages 2 to 7

In this stage, the children tend to think about symbolical view of the world like pictures,
objects. They understand the meaning, picture, and try to remember by image and some
words. This stage builds their perceptual views about types of objects and entities present all
around them.They start getting better in analysing and thinking about various differentials
present in the environment around them.
 Concrete phase of operation: ages 7 to 11
In this stage, the children start thinking about situations and objects logically. They organize
the thinking process according to the conversations, playing, etc. the thinking process
provides the cognitive understanding of the individual that helps the child in perception
already present object in different and more understandable manner.
 Formal phase of operation: ages 12 and up
In this stage of development, the children actually gain true insights regarding their presence
and the objects present all around them. They tend to make decisions for themselves and
decide morals, philosophies, ethics etc for their life. They start deciding that the reactions are
based on some cause and understanding that cause can make the reactions more positive.
Piaget thought that kids play an active part in the learning process, acting like little
researchers doing experiments, observing, and learning about the globe. As children
communicate with the globe around them, they add fresh knowledge on an ongoing basis,
build on current knowledge and adapt earlier held thoughts to accommodate new data.
Psychologists, as well as other researchers, have placed forward a large number of
different theories focusing on children's growth. Many of these theories are considered
excellent theories and attempt to explain just over every component of how people change
and grow all across their childhood. In several instances, theories concentrated on the lower
development dimension. Child psychologists can also soon acknowledge abnormal attitudes,
help identify the root causes of common behavioral issues such as learning issues,
hyperactivity, or discomfort, and help children work through early childhood distress
(Beauchaine, & Hinshaw, 2017). The can help in prevention, evaluation, and diagnose
evolution delays or defects such as autism. Psychology of child research the communication
of a few key developmental fields physical development, development of children, and
emotional (social) growth.

Throughout the whole history of psychology, several different theories of child
development have emerged to reflect the changes that happen during much of the early part
of life.The individuals merely take for granted in the contemporary research of child
development that kids are essentially distinct from adults. Yet kids have been seen merely as
their individual counterparts ' lesser versions for much of history of mankind. The area of
developmental psychology has only recently helped to understand how children think to be
very different from the way adults think. There development during playing is a concept that
needed to be understood by parents as well as scholars present around the world. This can
help them in providing right path to development of cognitive thinking process of children
(Schwartz, & Post, 2002).
Theory and Findings Discussion
Child psychology, also recognized as a child thought process, studying the
psychological processes of children as well as, in specific, how they are different from those
of adults people, how they evolve from birth till age of adolescence, as well as how they vary
from child to adult. The topic has often combined with infants, adult age, as well as aging in
the classification of evolution of psychology (Knell, 2016). As they play, they also build
understanding. Children learn to be critical thinkers through socialization experiences with
others and also support the adult-prepared atmosphere for them. Furthermore, play is
considered as children’s work as they spend much of their time to play. Working while
playing makes kids know the world more. Play also appears to trigger children's thinking
when they are interested in what they play.
The cognitive theory, which is already discussed in above lines also discussed about
developmental process of a human being from infant to adult. The various stages of the
theory talked about the characters that children have on each stage of their development. The
task they do, things they learn, perception of them helps them in building their cognitive
behavior (Freud, 2018). The stages of this model are further related to the playing process of
children. Children play indoor and outdoor games with the change in their age and interests,
however both types of games help them in understanding about various situations and percept
things accordingly.

Emotional development makes social development extremely informed. It is right as
the manner a child understands, feels as well as expresses own feelings directly affects the
way they communicate with each others. Social advancement is about the manner in which
child develops the awareness, values as well as social skills required to communicate with the
individuals around them like their parents, authority figures, peers, and families (Braun, &
Tenenbaum, 2018). Early relationships of a child can have an enormous effect on their age-
appropriate social skills growth. Examples of social development are trust, friendship,
conflict management, and regard for power. This can be better understood by the considered
theory of Piaget.
The results of considered article as well as theory can help pre-service teachers
developing their thinking abilities such as reflection, problem solving, and decision-making,
all of which are deemed critical thinking skills (Moore, 2017). In addition, a curriculum was
discovered to assist educators in creating activities that encourage children's critical thinking
abilities. Teachers should be able to monitor the growth of children in order to apply the
appropriate teaching method and content. Teachers should not use direct learning or teacher-
centricity as this strategy hinders the advancement of critical thinking. One of the most
significant components to remember about the theory of Piaget is that it takes the opinion that
building understanding and intelligence is a method that is inherently active.The information
related to child psychology is collected from a multitude of sources (Baranowski, Blumberg,
Buday, &DeSmet, 2016). Observations by parents, educators, as well as other adult people,
direct monitoring of a baby by the psychologist and interviews, provide a lot of information.
In few cases, a one-way entry or dimension has used to allow kids to interact freely with their
environment or others without knowing they are being watched. Personality tests, intelligence
tests, and experimental techniques have also been helpful in understanding the growth of
children.
The cognitive development theory of Piaget helped to add in individual’s knowledge
of the intellectual growth of children. It also emphasized that kids are not simply passive
knowledge recipients. Instead, as children construct their knowledge of how the world
operates, they are constantly researching and experimenting.
Conclusion

Psychology of children should not be a reactive measure. Impressions of children
about the perception of things and reacting are discussed to be mainly developed by their
cognitive behavior. The study is related to child development by following the psychology
and cognitive behavior of children. For the purpose, an article based on playing helps in
cognitive development of children is discussed. The results of article indicate that the pre
service teachers are aware of the importance of playing in cognitive development of children.
In summary, kids like adults monitor situations they encounter or happen around them over
time and use this data to update their cognitive thinking process.This further helpsthem in
their overall development.

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