Project 1: Understanding Children and Adolescents

In 3-4 pages please write your personal theory of child and adolescent development. If you haven’t had any formal training in developmental theories—Great! You are exactly where you need to be right now. This assignment is a reflective piece, and should be based on your own thinking and life experiences. You are expected to include at least two references in the body of your paper.At least one reference must be from our textbook, and the other reference may also be from our textbook, or from a peer-refereed professional journal (not a book, web page, magazine, newspaper, etc.). Reference your work using the American Psychological Association (APA) Publication Manual. Return to the APA folder in the Orientation/Activities 1 module if you are unsure about how to do correct citations. Reference attached rubric for assignment expectations.

1. What are the most important factors in determining how a child turns out as an adult?
2. How do children’s minds grow and change over time?
3. What roles do “nature” and “nurture” play in human development?
4. If children have challenges in their early lives (for example, alcoholism in the family, poverty, abuse or neglect, and the like) does this mean that they are going to have difficulties later? If so, what kind of difficulties and why? If not, why not?

Please make sure that what you write are your own ideas and your own thinking, and to acknowledge how you ended up believing these things (experience, reading, a mentor, etc.). Remember you must use a minimum of two sources from the text and/or other reference. Please also give this assignment your best effort, because you will be revisiting it at a later date. Set yourself up for success later by trying your best now (I realize that this is an odd assignment—Its purposes will become clear as the semester develops).

As with all assignments in this course, please type and double-space with 1” margins all around and use a 12 point Times New Roman or Arial size font for your paper.