Chimp and Child Compared. Watch this research study session with the chimp and the child. Notice the differences in the response and learning behavior of the chimp and the child. Use the Grade Rubric as a guide for your report.
Watch this research study session with the chimp and the child. Notice the differences in the response and learning behavior of the chimp and the child. Use the Grade Rubric as a guide for your report.
Clearly explain the behaviors you notice. Identify the psychological factors that are evident in this study. In respect to what this research shows and what you know about child development, explain what action can be taken in the classroom to help children become better at learners. Write a report about your observation.
The study session is between a young chimp, named Katie, and an older child, named Adam. The purpose of the study was to compare the learning behavior of the chimp and the child. The study had a grade rubric that provided specific criteria for both the chimp and the child to meet. Katie was able to meet all of the criteria on her own. Adam only met half of his criteria.
The study began by showing Adam how to solve simple addition problems. He solved them successfully. Katie was then introduced into the session and given the same problems to solve with Adam as her partner. She wasn’t able to answer any of them correctly.
The researcher then tried giving Katie one problem at a time and she still wasn’t able to solve any of them correctly, but she did seem to understand what they were asking her to do because she turned over some of the cards after being instructed to do so by Adam.
After watching this study session I noticed a few differences in their response and learning behavior. One difference is that Katie seemed like she wanted to be involved with everything that Adam was doing when it came time for her turn instead of just sitting back and watching him work on each problem individually.
The study session further showed how a young chimp and a young child reacted to the teaching strategies of their respective teachers. The chimp, named Katie, was exposed to a computer that displayed two images that were continuously changing.
The child, named Sarah, was also exposed to a computer that displayed the same kinds of images, but she had the advantage of working with a live adult who orchestrated the session with various activities that encouraged Sarah’s exploration of the images in front of her.
Throughout the session with Sarah, the adult (researcher) demonstrated constant attention toward Sarah, frequently commenting on what she was doing (“Sarah, take one more look at this image before we show you something new”), as well as providing praise for Sarah’s accomplishments (“That’s perfect! You’re such an amazing little girl!”).
In contrast to this kind of praise and attention from her teacher, Katie received none from her teacher whose face was hidden behind a computer screen. As such, Katie began to lose interest in exploring the images on the computer screen and began to explore other areas throughout her enclosure.
During both sessions, when either child or chimp achieved mastery over a particular skill or task, they were then presented with new tasks that required them to apply what they had just learned.
Child development is the process of physical and psychological growth that begins at conception and ends with adolescence. The study of child development focuses primarily on the growth of cognitive, emotional, and social aspects of a child.
More than any other factor, children learn through play, which is a major component in their psychological development. A study conducted by Dr. Roger Fouts (1973) illustrated the importance of play in fostering language and cognitive development. In this study, he observed a young chimpanzee named Washoe (Fouts, 1973).
He raised her from birth to become familiar with American Sign Language as well as to teach her how to communicate and engage in human-like behavior. Washoe had begun learning American Sign Language at the age of three months old.
During this time, she was taught to sign words like “food” or “drink,” as well as actions like “eat” or “drink.” Dr. Fouts and his wife were Washoe’s primary caregivers and teachers (Fouts et al.1973). After observing Washoe for a few years and watching her interact with other chimpanzees, Drs. Fouts noticed that she was able to use more than 400 signs in both English and ASL.
Early childhood educators are a selfless group of people who inspire children to be the best they can be and give them the best opportunity in life. School-aged children spend most of their days in school.
Although most of the teachers are great, there are some that do not have any idea what they are doing. A great example of this is the chimp and his young student counterpart the child. The chimp is much more advanced at learning than the little boy.
The chimp does exactly what the teacher tells him to do. He listens to her and performs every task perfectly. The child, on the other hand, does not listen to his teacher very well at all. He does not take directions very well and struggles with learning how to follow through with tasks given to him by his teacher; he just does not learn how to do things on his own.
The actions taken by early childhood educators in certain situations can make all the difference in a child’s education and development. This is true because a lot of people growing up go through different problems that affect their mental health or physical wellbeing, both can cause issues in school, but if the educator takes action towards their child’s problems, then it can have a positive outcome on their grades.
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