Research Project 1 Parten's Play Styles

This project is an observational study of children's play. Pick a partner from the class and go to a neighborhood playground. Observe two children, one about 3 years old, the other about 5 years old for 10 minutes each. Determine for each child the amount of time spent in each of Parten's categories of play. Compare the differences as a function of age. Use the following data sheet for recording your observations. After making your observations, answer the questions that follow.

One student should act as observer, the other as recorder. Enter the amount of time each child spent in each type of play for the 10-minute observation period. Then calculate the percentage of time spent in each category for the time period.

DATA SHEET

Category Child 1 Child 2

Sex___Age Sex __ Age

Unoccupied play

Solitary play

Onlooker play

Parallel play

Associative play

Cooperative play

Questions

1. For the 3-year-old child, in what category was the largest amount of time spent? What category of play was the least frequent?

2. For the 5-year-old child, in what category was the largest amount of time spent? What category of play was the least frequent?

3. What were the differences between the children in the kinds of play in which they engaged? To what do you attribute this difference? (Use information about cognitive, physical, and social development to answer this question.) Are there variables besides age that could account for the differences you observed?

4. How do your findings compare with those of Parten and Barnes?

Research Project 2 Altruism-Empathy Observations

In this exercise you will observe two children playing on a playground for 20 minutes each and note any evidence of altruism or empathy. One child should be about 2 years of age, the other about 5.

Make observations and record any behavior relevant to altruism or empathy you see (you may see both operations m the same situation). Record observations in the spaces provided and answer the questions that follow.

DATA SHEET

Child 1 Sex Age;

Child 2 Sex Age

Questions

1. How many instances of empathy did you observe in the 2-year-old? In the 5-year-old?

2. How many instances of altruism did you observe in the 2-year-old? In the 5-year-old?

3. What seems to be the developmental progression in empathy and altruism from 2 to 5 years of age? How would you account for this? Could your data be explained on the basis of Individual differences rather than on the basis of developmental changes? Why or why not?

Chapter 10

Research Project 1 Current Exercise Levels

In this exercise, interview three people about their current exercise levels. (If you are between 18 and 20 years old, you may use yourself as^; one of the subjects.) One subject should be 5 years old, one 10 years old, and one 18 to 20. Use the interview questions on the data sheet, record each person’s responses, and then answer the questions that follow.

DATA SHEET

Person 1 Person 2 Person 3

Sex____ Age____ Sex____ Age____ Sex____ Age

1.How often do you exercise a week?

2.What kinds of activities do you do?

3. How much time do yon spend exercising each week?

Questions

1. In what kinds of activities does the 5-year-old engage? How much time a week does the 5-year-old spend exercising? How often does the 5-year-old exercise?

2. In what kinds of activities does the 10-year-old engage? How much time a week does the 10-year-old spend exercising? How often does the 10-year-old exercise?

3. In what kinds of activities does the 18-year-old engage? How much time a week does the 18-year-old spend exercising? How often does the 18-year-old exercise?

4. What differences do you find in activity level between the three different ages? Are there differences in the kinds of exercise engaged in at the different ages? If so, what are these?

5. Could variables other than age determine differences between your subjects reported activity levels? What are these?