My Virtual Child Application: The Strange Situation Application

3272 Words7 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Child development theory reseach

My Virtual Child Application
Kylee Fox
Harrisburg Area Community College
Abstract
In this application paper, I talk about the child that I raised through My Virtual Child. I’m going to be applying what I’ve learned through class, power points, lectures, and research to my parenting style and the development of my child. I will explain in detail the theories that are taken into consideration while describing my child’s development. My child’s name is Piper. I chose to breast feed, and her eating habits started off on a bad foot. For the first week she wasn’t very hungry and lost a little weight but finally she began to eat more and gain some weight back. Around 3 months, Piper will occasionally get fussy after meals, but is …show more content…

Mary Ainsworth was known as the mother of attachment research, she tested Bowlby’s theory of attachment. She conducted a stress test better known as The Strange Situation Procedure. This consists of a series of staged episodes that illustrate the strength of attachment between a child and usually his or her mother. “The “strange situation” follows an eight-step pattern: (1) The mother and the baby enter an unfamiliar room; (2) the mother sits down, leaving the baby free to explore; (3) an adult stranger enters the room and converses first with the mother and then with the baby; (4) the mother exits the room, leaving the baby alone with the stranger; (5) the mother returns, greeting and comforting the baby, and the stranger leaves; (6) the mother departs again, leaving the baby alone; (7) the stranger returns; and (8) the mother returns and the stranger leaves.” (Cite) There are four different attachment patterns: secure, avoidant, resistant/ambivalent, and disorganized. A secure attachment is defined when the child uses the mother as a home base and the mother is responsive to the child’s needs. They are comfortable in the Strange Situation as long as the mother is there. Exploring independently, checking in with …show more content…

My partner and I set rules for her because we both work so we weren’t able to drive her everywhere or pick her up from places, but we would usually let her do what she wanted as long as she could always be reached on her cell and if it would be that she wouldn’t answer or follow curfew or lie about where she was going, she would be grounded. Erikson talk’s about how “adolescents strive to discover their strengths and weaknesses and the roles that best suit their future lives” (Feldman) and Piper is pretty good at concentrating in class “and is usually able to keep her activities. Occasionally she gets too busy and gets stressed out” (My virtual child, at age 16). She had one instance where she had gone to a party then called me to pick her up and I smelled alcohol on her breath and she had a hangover the next morning. I didn’t scold her because I knew it was bound to happen eventually, so I told her I was proud of her for being responsible and called me to pick her up rather than driving home drunk or riding home with someone who had been drinking also. I also went over the dangers of underage drinking and made her she understood. While she was becoming more and more independent, she thought it would be a good idea to run off with her boyfriend and get matching tattoos, thankfully they were small and in a spot that is not visible. Our relationship actually got a lot better after she had started taking a psychology class

Show More
Related

  • My Virtual Child Project: The Birth Of Ivan Trejo

    2386 Words  | 5 Pages

    My virtual child experience began with the birth of Ivan Trejo. Throughout this journey I learned parents have great influence over their child before it’s brought into the world. For example, the biological parents determine their child’s genes that are passed down to them and the environment that impacts the child. With these factors in mind, it gave me a new perspective to parenting. I have adopted an authoritative parenting strategy to raise Ivan. Authoritative parents are parents who are firm, setting clear and consistent limits, but who try to reason with their child, giving explanation for why they should behave in a particular way. (Feldman, 2014). When raising Ivan, I made my decision based on previous encounters and positive results from authoritative strategies.

    Read More

  • My Virtual Child Case Study

    1446 Words  | 3 Pages

    The purpose of this assignment is to answer the three posed questions in regards to my Virtual Child, who I will refer to as Kieran though out my assignment. I will be describing changes in his exploratory or problem solving behaviors as well as analyzing his temperament. I will also summarize his developmental assessment at nineteen months old that may differ from my perception than what was assessed through his developmental examiner.

    Read More

  • Comparing John Erikson And Mary Ainsworth And John Bowlby

    1061 Words  | 3 Pages

    The attachment theory, presented by Mary Ainsworth in 1969 and emerged by John Bowlby suggests that the human infant has a need for a relationship with an adult caregiver, and without a subsequent, development can be negatively impacted (Hammonds 2012). Ainsworth proposes that the type of relationship and “attachment” an infant has with the caregiver, can impact the social development of the infant. As stated by Hammonds (2012), attachment between a mother and a child can have a great impact on the child 's future mental

    Read More

  • Virtual Child Parenting Style

    1496 Words  | 3 Pages

    Start your paper by sharing a little information about your virtual child: name, gender, birthing information, infant’s sleep habits, infant’ eating habits, infant’s temperament, child’s results from intelligence reports, and your adolescent’s physical health. Add in additional information from the virtual child program that would also tell me more about your child’s development.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of My Virtual Child

    976 Words  | 2 Pages

    It has been shown that children are heavily influenced by their parents and the way they choose to raise their children. My Virtual Child gives people the opportunity to see the outcome of their child through the kind of parenting techniques they decided to use. With my virtual child, I employed an authoritative style of parenting, which means being involved while still allowing some independence, just as my parents have used on me. It was not until I saw the psychological analysis of my eight year old that I realized how much I had been influencing my child, Delilah. Her verbal, mathematical, and visual-spatial abilities are at an extraordinary level. All of these skills progressed to where they are because of Delilah’s interest and my encouragement.

    Read More

  • Virtual Child Assignment

    749 Words  | 2 Pages

    Throughout the course of the class and completing the My Virtual Child assignment, I have been given new information in regards to childhood development through the lifespan. Starting with infancy, we had the opportunity to raise our own child online and test our parenting skills while applying the knowledge we learned from class. I believe this program has helped me grasp the concepts we learned in class and fully understand the different aspects of development throughout childhood.

    Read More

  • My Virtual Child Assignment

    583 Words  | 2 Pages

    The purpose of this assignment is to answer the questions in regards to the Virtual Child I raised up to the age of 8 months given specific scenarios to answer. This in turn, gave me a progress report of how my Virtual Child was doing through the Bayley Scales of Infant Intelligence and Observations at 9 months. I will answer how his eating, sleeping, and motor developmental patterns compares to the typical developmental patterns. I will also explain his classic temperance as well as his attachment relationships and any areas that might or might not have affected his attachment securities. I will refer to the Virtual Child as “Kieran” throughout this assignment to answer the above questions.

    Read More

  • John Bowlby's Attachment Theory On The Bond Between A Caregiver And A Child

    841 Words  | 2 Pages

    Attachment theory focuses on the bond between a caregiver and a child and how these fragile bonds, if not attended to properly have psychological and social effects on the child’s future. The attachment process itself responds to the developing identity of the child, which is very dependent on the sensitivity and guidance of the caregiver. John Bowlby takes attachment theory in a more biological/ evolutionary perspective, in which he views these formations of bonds as a survival mechanism in which the infant ensures its survival by attaching themselves to an adult (caregiver) who can meet their needs. This take on the attachment theory suggests that parents and infants may be biologically programmed to form an attachment and that every interaction and behavior thereafter facilitates the creation of this bond (Ashford 2013, 266). On a bio-social level children look for this attachment because they are biologically wired to be related to others and be social creatures. Regardless if the attachment theory is taken through a biological,

    Read More

  • Criticisms Of Attachment Theory

    1185 Words  | 3 Pages

    Criticisms of attachment theory have come mainly from the feminist schools of thought since the theory has been used to argue that no woman with a young child should work outside the home or spend time away from her baby (Goodsell and Meldrum, 2010). Children’s experience and development also depend on what happens after early years, whether bad or good later in life may change a child’s emotional development, e.g. lack of basic needs, diet, education, stimulation such as play might affect a child’s development (Rutter, 1981). Differences in cultures have to be taken into consideration as well. A study by Schaffer and Emmerson (1964) provided contradictory evidence for Bowlby’s attachment theory. They noted attachment was more prominent at eight months, and afterwards children became attached to more than one person.

    Read More

  • My Virtual Child

    1108 Words  | 3 Pages

    My virtual child’s name is Dominic. He is a white male of average height and weight with blonde hair, green eyes and pale skin. Cognitively he seems younger than his chronological age up until sixth grade. Physically Dominic has always seemed older than his chronological age. The first few months of Dominic’s life were rough at times. I decided from the beginning to feed with formula, and I would respond to different types of cries. At three months he would cry after each bottle and have frequent diarrhea, we then decided to switch to a different formula rather than introducing food (My Virtual Child).

    Read More

  • John Bowlby's Attachment Theory

    2162 Words  | 5 Pages

    John Bowlby’s attachment theory established that an infant’s earliest relationship with their primary caregiver or mother shaped their later development and characterized their human life, “from the cradle to the grave” (Bowlby, 1979, p. 129). The attachment style that an infant develops with their parent later reflects on their self-esteem, well-being and the romantic relationships that they form. Bowlby’s attachment theory had extensive research done by Mary Ainsworth, who studied the mother-infant interactions specifically regarding the theme of an infant’s exploration of their surrounding and the separation from their mother in an experiment called the strange situation. Ainsworth defined the four attachment styles: secure, insecure/resistant, insecure/avoidant and disorganized/disoriented, later leading to research studies done to observe this behavior and how it affects a child in their adolescence and adulthood.

    Read More

  • Infant Attachment

    1419 Words  | 3 Pages

    Infant attachment is the first relationship a child experiences and is crucial to the child’s survival (BOOK). A mother’s response to her child will yield either a secure bond or insecurity with the infant. Parents who respond “more sensitively and responsively to the child’s distress” establish a secure bond faster than “parents of insecure children”. (Attachment and Emotion, page 475) The quality of the attachment has “profound implications for the child’s feelings of security and capacity to form trusting relationships” (Book). Simply stated, a positive early attachment will likely yield positive physical, socio-emotional, and cognitive development for the child. (BOOK)

    Read More

  • The Importance of Attachment for the Children's Development

    865 Words  | 2 Pages

    Psychologist, Mary Ainsworth expanded upon Bowlby's original work. She conducted a study labelled the ‘Strange Situation’. In the study, based upon the children’s reactions, Ainsworth described three major styles of attachment: secure attachment, ambivalent-insecure attachment, and avoidant-insecure attachment. Work by Stroufe and Waters in 1977, further supported Ainsworth's attachment styles and have indicated that attachment styles also have an impact on behaviours later in life (Birns, 1999, p. 13). Researchers have found strengths in attachment patterns established early in life can lead to a number of outcomes. For example, children who are securely attached as infants tend to develop stronger self-esteem and better self-reliance as they grow older. These children also tend to be more independent, perform better in school, have successful social relationships, and experience less depression and anxiety (Birns, 1999, p. 13).

    Read More

  • Bowlby’s Attachment Theory

    1167 Words  | 3 Pages

    “Attachment is as essential for the child’s psychological well-being as food is for physical health,” claimed Bowlby, B (2001, p.54). Bowlby claimed in this statement that attachment is a necessary thing that a child needs in order to develop healthily. There is evidence from other theorists who support Bowlby’s theory of attachment, such as Harlow, whose approach is based upon a caregiver’s sensitivity and attachment. Ainsworth is another theorist whose research supports Bowlby’s theory of attachment. In her strange situation study, she tested for the attachment types and what effects they had on a child’s behaviour.

    Read More

  • Parenting Styles

    1395 Words  | 3 Pages

    Parenting, which is somewhat akin to teaching, should be regarded as one of the three cooperative arts. Thus conceived, it calls upon parents to assist their offspring in the process of growing up, doing so by observing carefully the steps the children themselves take in the process and doing what is necessary to facilitate their progress. Parenting departs from being a cooperative art, as teaching does also, when it tries to be the active and dominant factor in the process -- when parents or teachers think that what they do should be like the molding of passive, plastic matter.

    Read More

More about My Virtual Child Application: The Strange Situation Application

Open Document