Please answer the following question in full and complete sentences.

Question

Please answer the following question in full and complete sentences. Make certain to respond to each element in sections A and B of the question.

The Dailey family is planning for their first baby. Both parents have degrees in Psychology and are eager to apply all the theories and research that relate to their developing child.

A. Summarize one main idea or finding from the following four researchers that could help the Dailey family.
Skinner’s operant conditioning
Piaget’s stages of cognitive development
Vygotsky’s social cultural theory
Erikson’s challenges of development

B. Provide one piece of advice that will help the Dailey family based on what we know about the following:
Long-term memory
Heuristics
Drive Reduction Theory
Happiness

Answer 1

Skinner’s operant conditioning:

1. When the child is old enough, the Dailey parents could reward their child for engaging in desirable behaviors, consistent with the principle of positive reinforcement. For example, the child could receive a sticker every time they put their toys away.

Piaget’s stages:

1. After the baby is born, there may come a time in the first several months of its life when it explores the world by crawling, grabbing, putting items in its mouth, looking around, etc., all of which is characteristic of Piaget’s sensorimotor stage. If the baby seems distressed when a favorite item or person is out of their line of sight, this would confirm that the baby is in the sensorimotor stage because it lacks object permanence.

Vygotsky’s theory

1. The Dailey parents would do well to remember that children can be capable of more advanced skills with the help of an adult. For example, if an adult walks through each step of how to bake cookies alongside their child, the child is capable of doing much more than if they had to bake the cookies all by themselves with no instruction. Over time, this scaffolded cultural learning will lead to the child performing the skill independently.

Erikson’s stages:

1. When the baby is born, the crisis they will face is called “Basic trust vs. Mistrust” according to Erikson. Therefore, it is incumbent upon the parents to consistently meet the child’s basic needs so that it learns it can rely on others and develop trusting relationships.

Long-term memory:

1. In order for information to be stored in long-term memory, it needs to be encoded properly. Therefore, make sure you pay strict attention to the advice of your pediatrician and use mnemonic devices to assist you if need be.

Heuristics:

1. Remember, just because a piece of information is readily available in your mind does not mean it is the summation of what is important to know. Hearing about child trafficking on the news might make you feel as though your child is vulnerable, but the news does not report on all the children who are not trafficked.

Drive Reduction Theory:

1. In many ways, babies are simple creatures. They will demonstrate a need (hunger, exhaustion, hygiene) by crying, and you will be driven to meet their needs (feeding, rocking to sleep, changing diaper) until they are old enough to meet their own needs. Once needs are met, they are in homeostasis for a while, until another need presents itself.

Happiness:

1. Remember, “Fake it ‘till you make it” is real! If you are having a rough day as a parent, you can actually improve your mood by smiling, even if you don’t genuinely feel happy to begin with. The smile will send signals to your brain to feel happier.