Virtual Child Case Study

(1) At 8 months, my baby, Melody, was a slow to warm up baby. Like Chess and Thomas’s description of the slow to warm up temperament, she was less physically active in comparison to others her age, could be temperamental, and showed low mood intensity (Santrock, 2015, p.172). Continuing to 12 months, Melody began to get easier. She seemed to have negative moods only when there was a specific reason for them and had increased her physical activity. Though she started off as difficult, she became easier, a characteristic of slow to warm up babies (V. Rajan, PS200 lecture, Fall 2016). Though there were little to no signs, the Virtual Child Program pointed out that compared to other babies, Melody was not as physically active. While this is a sign …show more content…
I believe that she will learn more by being able to explore and follow her interest than force her into what I may believe is the “perfect” child. I find that my own view points of the development of an infant follows Piaget’s Constructivist Theory where children are seen as “little scientists,” or active learners (V. Rajan, PS200 lecture, Fall 2016). Another principle that impacted my decisions was neuroscience, specifically synaptic pruning. Experiences shape which synaptic connections stay or are eliminated (V. Rajan, PS200 lecture, Fall 2016). I wanted to open Melody to as many experiences as possible to increase the number of synaptic connections that she kept, which may help her later in life as well. Though today’s society may not require attachment to physically survive, John Bowlby’s Attachment Theory still is applicable (V. Rajan, PS200 lecture, Fall 2016). It may not result in either life or death, but it may equate to survival, or success, in society. Mary Ainsworth furthered this theory with her study The Strange Situation (V. Rajan, PS200 lecture, Fall 2016). In the study, it is found that the children who do the most exploring are those who are securely attached. It is only with secure babies where the caregiver is used as a safety buffer during their exploring; many insecurely attached babies may never leave the caregiver’s side (Santrock, 2015, p.181-182). I wanted to create a secure attachment to give Melody a sense of safety no matter what she was doing. Overall, I just wanted to create as many opportunities as I could for her while maintaining a safety net on which she could always