PSY 210: Developmental Psychology | Module 4 Assignment: Early Childhood Development in the Digital Age
Hello everyone. Building on our class discussions from earlier this week, we are now transitioning into the practical application of developmental theories. I noticed during our seminar that many of you had strong, personal observations regarding toddlers and iPads in public spaces around the UAE and wider Gulf region. We are going to channel those observations into formal academic inquiry. For this module, you will step into the role of an early childhood care consultant to evaluate a realistic childcare scenario.
1. Assessment Context & Guidelines
- Course Code & Title: PSY 210 – Developmental Psychology: Early Childhood
- Assessment Type: Case Study Analysis / Written Essay
- Required Length: a 1,200–1,500-word paper (excluding references and title page)
- Citation Format: APA 7th Edition
- Weighting: 20% of your final semester grade
Recent studies suggest that childhood development trajectories may be shifting due to the rapid integration of touch-screen technology in everyday parenting. Your objective is to apply core developmental frameworks—specifically Piaget’s stages of cognitive development and Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory—to assess how early digital media exposure impacts cognitive and social-emotional milestones.
2. Task Description & Requirements
Read the provided vignette titled “The Al-Fayed Family: Navigating Toddlerhood and Technology” (available in your Week 4 Canvas folder). The case details a two-year-old child attending a day-care facility in Dubai, whose primary engagement at home involves unsupervised tablet use.
You need to draft a formal case study assignment details report addressing the following prompts:
- Developmental Assessment: Identify two potential cognitive delays and one social-emotional challenge the child might face based on the case notes. Ground your claims in current developmental psychology literature.
- Theoretical Application: Explain how Vygotsky’s concept of the “Zone of Proximal Development” could be applied by the childcare center to encourage cooperative play and reduce screen dependence.
- Intervention Strategy: Propose three realistic, evidence-based recommendations for the parents and the daycare staff. Ensure your suggestions respect regional cultural dynamics, such as the involvement of extended family members or domestic caregivers in the child’s daily routine.
You should write carefully and format your document logically with clear headings. I expect you to move beyond basic summaries. Show me that you can critique the literature; if a study claims screen time is universally harmful, you might want to question the sample size or the specific type of media consumed.
3. Grading Rubric / Marking Criteria
I will use the following breakdown to mark your papers during our moderation meetings. Please review it before submitting.
| Criteria | Excellent (90-100%) | Proficient (75-89%) | Developing (60-74%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Application of Theory | Demonstrates a highly nuanced grasp of Piaget and Vygotsky. Connects theories to the case study with exceptional clarity and specific realistic details. | Applies theories accurately to the scenario. Most connections are clear, though some explanations could be more specific. | Mentions developmental theories but struggles to link them directly to the child’s behavior or relies on vague examples. |
| Evidence-Based Interventions | Proposes highly practical, culturally sensitive childcare interventions. Justifies choices with strong, current peer-reviewed research. | Provides reasonable recommendations. Uses academic sources to back up most claims, though cultural context may be slightly overlooked. | Interventions appear generic or impractical. Lacks adequate scholarly backing for the proposed strategies. |
| Academic Tone & Structure | Varies sentence structure beautifully. Uses academic hedging appropriately. Smooth, human wording flows logically from start to finish. | Generally clear writing. Sentence rhythms are mostly varied. Good structural organization with minor flow issues. | Writing feels disjointed or heavily repetitive. Frequent grammatical errors or poor paragraph transitions. |
| APA 7th Formatting | In-text citations and the reference list are flawless. | Minor mechanical errors in APA formatting that do not distract the reader. | Frequent citation errors or missing references. |
4. Submit a 4-to 5-page paper evaluating toddler cognitive milestones and proposing evidence-based childcare interventions.
Early childhood screen exposure appears to influence emotional regulation patterns among preschoolers in urban environments. Parents frequently report that interactive applications keep toddlers engaged, yet passive viewing often correlates with increased behavioral outbursts. Researchers highlight the necessity of co-viewing practices to mitigate potential developmental delays associated with solitary screen time. Moderate digital consumption might not inherently harm cognitive milestones provided that caregivers actively scaffold the media experience. For instance, a recent longitudinal study indicates that excessive early screen exposure negatively predicts executive function skills in toddlerhood (McHarg et al., 2020). Cultural contexts ultimately shape how families integrate technology into daily routines and childcare strategies. Educators must therefore consider local family dynamics when recommending digital limits for developing minds.
5. References & Learning Materials
Please utilize the following core texts as a starting point, alongside your independent database research:
- Bergmann, C., Dimitrova, N., Alaslani, K., Almohammadi, A., Alroqi, H., Biesbrouck, E., … & Mani, N. (2022). Young children’s screen time during the first COVID-19 lockdown in 12 countries. Scientific Reports, 12(1), 2015. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-05840-5
- Hutton, J. S., Dudley, J., Horowitz-Kraus, T., DeWitt, T., & Holland, S. K. (2020). Associations between screen-based media use and brain white matter integrity in preschool-aged children. JAMA Pediatrics, 174(1), e193869. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2019.3869
- Madigan, S., McArthur, B. A., Anhorn, C., Eirich, R., & Christakis, D. A. (2020). Associations between screen use and child language skills: A systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA Pediatrics, 174(7), 665-675. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2020.0327
- McHarg, G., Ribner, A. D., Devine, R. T., & Hughes, C. (2020). Screen time and executive function in toddlerhood: A longitudinal study. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 570392. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.570392
