Nature vs Nurture in Child Development Psychology Discussion

Take any modern psychological issue (e.g., psychotherapy vs. medication in treatment of mental illness) and look at it from the perspective of two theorists or theories discussed in this course. The goal of this assignment is to learn about different sides of an argument from the perspectives of different theories or theorists, and then to apply that knowledge to pertinent topic in psychology today. You may write your paper as an actual debate, or simply write a traditional paper comparing and contrasting the different perspectives. The main goal is to be able to take knowledge learned in this course and to apply it to some more recent idea or issue. Remember to make your topi and your debate as specific as possible since this is only a 5-page paper。Feel free to choose any two theorists or theories discussed in the text. Just a few examples may be:

Freud vs. Skinner on the causes and treatments of addiction
Erikson vs. Freud on nature-nurture issues in child development
Skinner vs. Bandura on school learning environments
Skinner vs. Rogers or any humanistic theorist on how to shape behavior and growth
Piaget vs. Watson on how learning and creativity

Any two theorists on whether emotions are helpful or harmful in decision making

The speedy physical and psychological changes that children undergo from birth through adolescence can leave parents and caregivers wondering how best to support them. The process of child development includes everything from sensory awareness and fine motor skills to language acquisition and socialization. Parents and medical professionals typically rely on developmental milestones, such as

when a child learns to speak or read, to track their growth relative to their peers. These milestones are important markers but parents must keep in mind that every child develops at their own pace, and while one may take their first steps earlier than most, or say their first words later than most, neither is likely to affect their ultimate capabilities. However, when the benchmarks suggest that a child may be significantly delayed, it is important to consult a doctor who can identify developmental disorders and begin treatment as early as possible. For more, see Developmental Disorders and Delays.

It is widely believed that a child’s personality and intelligence are “locked in” by age 3, but there is no deadline for human social or cognitive development and the brain develops throughout one’s life. But decades of research in developmental psychology, pediatrics, and neuroscience have converged on the conclusion that the first five years are especially critical. During these years, children begin to explore their environment, learn verbal and reasoning skills, socialize with others, and, eventually, take steps toward asserting independence from their family. Other research has led to expert guidance on how parents and caregivers can manage a child’s expectations, and their own, and nurture their best qualities. For more, see Cognitive Development and Social Skills.

Children have varying physical and emotional needs, depending on their age, personality, and developmental stage. Over the past several decades, the age of puberty has been dropping for many young people, bringing an increasingly early end to childhood. Both genetic and environmental factors influence the onset of puberty, and observers believe that its early onset may to some degree reflect the stresses a child has experienced.

Important information for writing discussion questions and participation

Welcome to class

Hello class and welcome to the class and I will be your instructor for this course. This is a -week course and requires a lot of time commitment, organization, and a high level of dedication. Please use the class syllabus to guide you through all the assignments required for the course. I have also attached the classroom policies to this announcement to know your expectations for this course. Please review this document carefully and ask me any questions if you do. You could email me at any time or send me a message via the “message” icon in halo if you need to contact me. I check my email regularly, so you should get a response within 24 hours. If you have not heard from me within 24 hours and need to contact me urgently, please send a follow up text to

I strongly encourage that you do not wait until the very last minute to complete your assignments. Your assignments in weeks 4 and 5 require early planning as you would need to present a teaching plan and interview a community health provider. I advise you look at the requirements for these assignments at the beginning of the course and plan accordingly. I have posted the YouTube link that explains all the class assignments in detail. It is required that you watch this 32-minute video as the assignments from week 3 through 5 require that you follow the instructions to the letter to succeed. Failure to complete these assignments according to instructions might lead to a zero. After watching the video, please schedule a one-on-one with me to discuss your topic for your project by the second week of class. Use this link to schedule a 15-minute session. Please, call me at the time of your appointment on my number. Please note that I will NOT call you.

Please, be advised I do NOT accept any assignments by email. If you are having technical issues with uploading an assignment, contact the technical department and inform me of the issue. If you have any issues that would prevent you from getting your assignments to me by the deadline, please inform me to request a possible extension. Note that working fulltime or overtime is no excuse for late assignments. There is a 5%-point deduction for every day your assignment is late. This only applies to approved extensions. Late assignments will not be accepted.

If you think you would be needing accommodations due to any reasons, please contact the appropriate department to request accommodations.

Plagiarism is highly prohibited. Please ensure you are citing your sources correctly using APA 7th edition. All assignments including discussion posts should be formatted in APA with the appropriate spacing, font, margin, and indents. Any papers not well formatted would be returned back to you, hence, I advise you review APA formatting style. I have attached a sample paper in APA format and will also post sample discussion responses in subsequent announcements.

Your initial discussion post should be a minimum of 200 words and response posts should be a minimum of 150 words. Be advised that I grade based on quality and not necessarily the number of words you post. A minimum of TWO references should be used for your initial post. For your response post, you do not need references as personal experiences would count as response posts. If you however cite anything from the literature for your response post, it is required that you cite your reference. You should include a minimum of THREE references for papers in this course. Please note that references should be no more than 5 years old except recommended as a resource for the class. Furthermore, for each discussion board question, you need ONE initial substantive response and TWO substantive responses to either your classmates or your instructor for a total of THREE responses. There are TWO discussion questions each week, hence, you need a total minimum of SIX discussion posts for each week. I usually post a discussion question each week. You could also respond to these as it would count towards your required SIX discussion posts for the week.

I understand this is a lot of information to cover in 5 weeks, however, the Bible says in Philippians 4:13 that we can do all things through Christ that strengthens us. Even in times like this, we are encouraged by God’s word that we have that ability in us to succeed with His strength. I pray that each and every one of you receives strength for this course and life generally as we navigate through this pandemic that is shaking our world today. Relax and enjoy the course!

Hi Class,

Please read through the following information on writing a Discussion question response and participation posts.

Contact me if you have any questions.

Important information on Writing a Discussion Question

• Your response needs to be a minimum of 150 words (not including your list of references)
• There needs to be at least TWO references with ONE being a peer reviewed professional journal article.
• Include in-text citations in your response
• Do not include quotes—instead summarize and paraphrase the information
• Follow APA-7th edition
• Points will be deducted if the above is not followed

Participation –replies to your classmates or instructor

• A minimum of 6 responses per week, on at least 3 days of the week.
• Each response needs at least ONE reference with citations—best if it is a peer reviewed journal article
• Each response needs to be at least 75 words in length (does not include your list of references)
• Responses need to be substantive by bringing information to the discussion or further enhance the discussion. Responses of “I agree” or “great post” does not count for the word count.
• Follow APA 7th edition
• Points will be deducted if the above is not followed

• Remember to use and follow APA-7th edition for all weekly assignments, discussion questions, and participation points.
• Here are some helpful links
• The is a great resource