For my observation, I chose my niece Chevie who is 24 months old. I thought that her birthday
would be a great opportunity to observe her interactions with adults and other children her age
during a festive gathering. It did not disappoint and I feel like I was able to gain significant
insight into the behaviors of this age group.
The observation took place at Chevie’s home with her parents, grandparents, other adult family
members and friends and 5 other children approximately Chevie’s age. The home was
decorated in a festive manner for an adolescent female in a Disney theme featuring Minnie
Mouse. There is a pink Minnie Mouse cake with matching cupcakes and party favors. A wide
array of food is available including an assortment
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When comparing Chevie’s behavior to his theory, I
do believe she has become self-sufficient in many areas. She displayed independent behavior
and wanted to do many things for herself, such as opening her own gifts with no help. She is
able to feed herself, as she did with her snack. Chevie also walks, talks and expresses herself
well for a 24 month old.
Chevie’s age of 2 years falls right between Piaget’s periods of cognitive development for birth
through 2 years and 2 through 6 years. Although I can apply his cognitive theory as it relates to
birth through 2 years to Chevie in that she uses her senses and motor abilities to experience the
world, his next period of Preoperational applied best in this observation. Chevie uses language
to communicate her needs and desires. She can tell her mother when she is
hungry and needs to use the restroom, which I observed while at her birthday party. She
expressed her anger at another child when that child tried to take her potato chip and she
verbally told him “no”.
I was able to associate Pavlov’s theory of behaviorism and classical conditioning to an