• Write a 2-3 page paper that summarizes a member of the Washington family and applies at least one cognitive or psychosocial theory, using scholarly research and your textbook to support your claims.
Introduction
When working with clients representing different age groups, you will need to be able to analyze their cognitive or psychological development to know how to most effectively help them deal with an identified problem. You will need to be able to identify why the client is displaying attitudes and behaviors and identify ethical issues to consider when working with clients.
Preparation
Complete the Riverbend City: Meet the Washingtons interactive media piece.
Make sure you have done the following before starting the assessment:
• Choose a character from the case study media piece to study.
• Select at least one cognitive or psychosocial theory to apply to your chosen family member and review your textbook for information on the theory.
• Choose a theoretical concept for the age group of your member and find at least one scholarly research article that supports this concept.
• Review the brain activity for the character.
• Review the APA code of ethics to identify ethical issues to consider when working the character.
Below are the steps that will help to make sure you have the pieces to complete the assessment. It may be helpful to review the assessment instructions for context.
Choose Your Theory
In the assessment, you will apply at least one cognitive or psychosocial theory to your chosen family member. Possible theory choices include, but are not limited to, the following. Review your textbook for information on these theories.
Liam Washington (Age 5)
• Piaget’s theory of cognitive development.
• Vygotsky’s social development theory.
Ava Washington (Age 9)
• Piaget’s theory of cognitive development.
• Erickson’s psychosocial stages.
Emma Washington (Age 13)
• Marcia’s identity status theory.
• Erickson’s psychosocial stages.
Kyla Washington (Age 16)
• Marcia’s identity status theory.
• Erickson’s psychosocial stages.
Choose Your Theoretical Concept
You will also need to find one scholarly article in the Capella library studying the effect of a theoretical concept for the age group of your chosen family member. Below is a list of theoretical concepts you could choose that may be easier to research.
Theoretical Concepts to Consider
Liam Washington (Age 5)
• Pretend play.
• Egocentric speech.
• Private speech.
• Non-social activities.
Ava Washington (Age 9)
• Classification industry.
• Inferiority.
• Perspective taking.
Emma Washington (Age 13)
• Identity.
• Personal fable.
• Decision making.
• Self-esteem.
Kyla Washington (Age 16)
• Identity.
• Idealism.
• Decision making.
• Self-esteem.
Review Brain Development
Along with theory and concepts, you will also consider how the brain is physically developing at the age of your chosen character. Review the appropriate chapters in your textbook.
Instructions
For this assessment, write a 2–3-page paper using the information you found related to your chosen family member’s development. Analyze your chosen family member’s cognitive or psychological development and their physical brain development. Based on the theory you choose, the research article that supports the theory, and the brain development of the family member you select, describe why the character is displaying the attitudes and behaviors depicted in the case study media piece. Describe ethical issues to consider when working with your family member.
Refer to the Bachelor’s in Psychology Library Research Guide: Finding Articles page for further assistance with searching the library for this assessment.
Submission Requirements
Use the APA Paper Template [DOC] to complete the following:
• Write a 2–3-page paper.
• Use in-text citations in the paper and create title and reference pages.
Additional Requirements
Your assessment should also meet the following requirements:
• Written communication: Writing should be free of errors that detract from the overall message.
• APA formatting: References and citations should be formatted according to current APA style and formatting.
• Paper length: 2–3 typed, double-spaced pages, not including the title page and references page.
• Resources: One peer-reviewed, scholarly article; your textbook; and the APA code of ethics.
• Font and font size: Times New Roman, 12 point.
Competencies Measured
By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the course competencies through the following assessment scoring guide criteria:
• Competency 1: Apply information literacy skills to topics in human lifespan development.
o Evaluate research from scholarly articles.
• Competency 2: Interpret human behaviors using theories of human lifespan development across developmental domains.
o Apply a psychological theory to a case study.
o Provide examples of contributions of biological, cognitive, or sociocultural domains.
• Competency 3: Explain research found in scholarly articles related to human lifespan development.
o Apply research findings to a case study.
• Competency 4: Apply ethics to problems in human lifespan development.
o Apply ethics to problem presented in assessment.
• Competency 5: Communicate with clear purpose, organization, evidence, tone, and sentence structure.
o Include APA-style citations when including references.
o Write an organized presentation with clear purpose, proper grammar, and with a scholarly tone.

• The middle childhood stage spans about 6–10 years old.
RESOURCE :

Physical and Cognitive Development
At this stage in development, children are experiencing significant changes in their bodies and their motor skills. Read the following chapter in your textbook to learn more specifically about these changes, and to explore defining and measuring intelligence, the concept of concrete operational thought and related research, and the role of student-teacher interaction at this stage in development.
• Santrock, J. W. (2021). Life-span development (18th ed.). McGraw-Hill. Available in the courseroom via the VitalSource Bookshelf link.
o Chapter 9, “Physical and Cognitive Development in Middle and Late Childhood,” pages 267–304.
Emotional and Social Development
Chapter 10 of your text will help you understand Erikson’s stage of industry versus inferiority and the personality changes that take place at this stage. You will also read about emotional understanding, the types of changes in social interactions and friendships, and parent-child communication.
• Santrock, J. W. (2021). Life-span development (18th ed.). McGraw-Hill. Available in the courseroom via the VitalSource Bookshelf link.
o Chapter 10, “Socioemotional Development in Middle and Late Childhood,” pages 305–338.

• Physical and Cognitive Development
The majority of physical changes from childhood to adulthood occur during adolescence. The following textbook chapter will cover these changes such as body growth, brain development, and sexual maturation. You will also read about the impact of advancing cognition on adolescents and major characteristics of formal operational thought.
• Santrock, J. W. (2021). Life-span development (18th ed.). McGraw-Hill. Available in the courseroom via the VitalSource Bookshelf link.
o Chapter 11, “Physical and Cognitive Development in Adolescence,” pages 339–372.
Emotional and Social Development
The emotional and social development for adolescents can be equally as significant. Read the following chapter in your textbook to learn about Erikson’s viewpoint on personality attainment of adolescence, Kohlberg’s theory of moral development, and the four identity statuses.
• Santrock, J. W. (2021). Life-span development (18th ed.). McGraw-Hill. Available in the courseroom via the VitalSource Bookshelf link.
o Chapter 12, “Socioemotional Development in Adolescence,” pages 373–404.