PSY 4190: Child Development

Goodness of fit involves creating child-rearing environments that recognize each child’s temperament while simultaneously encouraging more adaptive functioning. Before making your initial post, you should read about the different types of temperament in Chapter 10 of your textbook, as well as the section on goodness of fit and parental behavior. 

Then consider the following scenario: Aiden is a difficult 2-year-old whose parents both work long hours for low pay and do not have reliable child-care arrangements. They sometimes use angry, punitive discipline, and Aiden typically reacts with defiance and disobedience. His parents respond inconsistently. For instance, sometimes they reward his noncompliance by giving in to it, but at other times, they continue their coercive tactics.

(1) For your initial post, use your textbook to help you identify at least 5 age-appropriate things that Aiden’s parents could do differently to encourage a better goodness of fit with Aiden. Each instance should be stated in your own words and referenced with a page number.

(2) Identify why what they are doing now is not effective. In other words, what are they doing (or not doing) that is “wrong” for Aiden?

(3) What are the implications for Aiden if his temperament/behavior doesn’t change? 

(4) What are the implications for his parents?

(5) What are the implications for the parent-child relationship?

Link to Textbook: https://achieve.macmillanlearning.com/courses/x56u…