PSY 211 Project One
1. Describe the ways in which Piaget’s research applies to Kelly’s development.
Piaget’s cognitive developmental theory can be applied to better understand Kelly’s
development by viewing Kelly’s behavior through the lens of constructivism. Piaget’s
constructivist approach, or the perspective that a child constructs their understanding of
their environment from their interactions with it (Sigelman & Rider, Theories of Human
Development, 2018). Kelly’s understanding of the world is distorted due to her cognitive
deficits, poor social relationships, and dysregulated mother which has caused her to
experience delays in her cognitive development.
2. Describe the ways in which Vygotsky’s research applies to Kelly’s development.
Vygotsky’s sociocultural perspective applies to Kelly’s development because of her
exposure to her mother’s behaviors. In Vygotsky’s theory, he stated that a child’s
cognitive development is tied to their social interactions (Sigelman & Rider, 2018).
Kelly’s mother has issues with substance abuse and poor mental health which is reflected
in Kelly’s diagnosis of anxiety and depression. In Vygotsky’s theory of cognitive
development, the application of scaffolding, or the “more-skilled” individual provides
support for the “less skilled” learner and reduces the amount of support that is provided
to the learner (Sigelman & Rider, 2018), can be used to assess Kelly’s development; if
1
, Kelly’s mother was not providing scaffolding support to her development, likely Kelly
was not given the tools to regulate her emotions and build bonds with her peers.
3. Identify factors that could have influenced Kelly’s physical well-being during the
prenatal, birth, and early childhood stages of development.
Kelly’s mother’s inattention to healthy lifestyle practices is one factor that may have
negatively impacted Kelly’s development. Although this case study does not explicitly
say if her mother was excessively drinking throughout her pregnancy with Kelly, that
would be another factor that could have impacted Kelly’s physical development.
Alongside that, we are unsure if Kelly’s mother was receiving proper prenatal care,
which could have affected Kelly’s physical development.
4. Identify factors that could have influenced Kelly’s cognitive well-being during the
prenatal, birth, and early childhood stages of development.
The two factors mentioned above, malnutrition while in utero and substance abuse, may
be factors that influenced Kelly’s cognitive development during the prenatal stage. If the
mother was not receiving adequate prenatal care and was abusing substances throughout
her pregnancy with Kelly, it could be a reason for her attention deficit and her anger
outbursts (Sigelman & Rider, Prenatal Development and Birth, 2018).
2
1. Describe the ways in which Piaget’s research applies to Kelly’s development.
Piaget’s cognitive developmental theory can be applied to better understand Kelly’s
development by viewing Kelly’s behavior through the lens of constructivism. Piaget’s
constructivist approach, or the perspective that a child constructs their understanding of
their environment from their interactions with it (Sigelman & Rider, Theories of Human
Development, 2018). Kelly’s understanding of the world is distorted due to her cognitive
deficits, poor social relationships, and dysregulated mother which has caused her to
experience delays in her cognitive development.
2. Describe the ways in which Vygotsky’s research applies to Kelly’s development.
Vygotsky’s sociocultural perspective applies to Kelly’s development because of her
exposure to her mother’s behaviors. In Vygotsky’s theory, he stated that a child’s
cognitive development is tied to their social interactions (Sigelman & Rider, 2018).
Kelly’s mother has issues with substance abuse and poor mental health which is reflected
in Kelly’s diagnosis of anxiety and depression. In Vygotsky’s theory of cognitive
development, the application of scaffolding, or the “more-skilled” individual provides
support for the “less skilled” learner and reduces the amount of support that is provided
to the learner (Sigelman & Rider, 2018), can be used to assess Kelly’s development; if
1
, Kelly’s mother was not providing scaffolding support to her development, likely Kelly
was not given the tools to regulate her emotions and build bonds with her peers.
3. Identify factors that could have influenced Kelly’s physical well-being during the
prenatal, birth, and early childhood stages of development.
Kelly’s mother’s inattention to healthy lifestyle practices is one factor that may have
negatively impacted Kelly’s development. Although this case study does not explicitly
say if her mother was excessively drinking throughout her pregnancy with Kelly, that
would be another factor that could have impacted Kelly’s physical development.
Alongside that, we are unsure if Kelly’s mother was receiving proper prenatal care,
which could have affected Kelly’s physical development.
4. Identify factors that could have influenced Kelly’s cognitive well-being during the
prenatal, birth, and early childhood stages of development.
The two factors mentioned above, malnutrition while in utero and substance abuse, may
be factors that influenced Kelly’s cognitive development during the prenatal stage. If the
mother was not receiving adequate prenatal care and was abusing substances throughout
her pregnancy with Kelly, it could be a reason for her attention deficit and her anger
outbursts (Sigelman & Rider, Prenatal Development and Birth, 2018).
2
