Most children in middle childhood abandon any belief in fantasy figures such as Santa Claus. How do the cognitive developments outlined in Chapter 11 support this disbelief?
Are there any times when a child might perform better than an adult on a memory task? Provide an example and a rationale for your answer.
Discuss how children's ideas about friendship and behaviour toward their peers change between the preschool years and the end of elementary school.
Discuss why sibling relationships are an important context for development in middle childhood, especially in learning how to deal with conflict in an ongoing relationship.
What cognitive changes would explain the interest teens can have in fantasy, utopian, or science fiction books and movies such as Lord of the Rings?
While Kohlberg's theory of moral development is enormously influential, various criticisms have been levelled against it. Describe two of these criticisms.
A group of teenagers is having a party. Describe how adolescent egocentrism, imaginary audience, and personal fable concepts could lead to a party with lots of problems.
Parents are usually nervous about their children entering adolescence, anticipating a period of "storm and stress." Discuss to what extent this expectation is valid.
Describe each of James Marcia's four identity statuses and for each provide a brief description of a hypothetical teen that typifies each status.
Based on what you have learned in the course, consider the following question and participate in the WebCT discussion for the topic.
Post your response to the discussion before you submit your assignment to your tutor. Indicate in your assignment the date you posted your contributions. (Refer to the detailed instructions posted in WebCT for participating in Web discussions.)
You have now reached the end of your course, having covered development from conception to adolescence. Reflect on what you have learned and identify one topic or research finding in the course that you found particularly valuable. In your own words, identify and briefly describe the topic/research finding and discuss why it has been significant to you. What question or area of research would you like to learn more about in the future?