Outline and evaluate research into the effects of day care on social development (aggression and peer relations). [12marks]
Many psychologists have researched into the effect of day care on both aggression and peer relations in children. Day care is a form of temporary care not given by a family member or someone known to the child. It usually takes place outside of the family. There are many forms of day care but the most common ones are nursery and childminders. Some research has shown that day care has negative effects on the social development of infants, however most importantly several factors have been identified as mediating factors which will affect the effects day care has on an infant.
Clarke-Stewart (1994) conducted a study of 150 children attending school for the first time. They had experienced different forms of day care. They found that children who had attended nurseries could cope better in social situations, and were able to interact better with peers, compared with children previously looked after in family settings. Therefore, this shows that being in day care helps social development and improves peer relationships. However, this study could be criticised as it was a relatively small study, with just 150 participants. This means we can generalise findings, but with caution.
Shea (1981) studied 3-4 year olds who spent a certain amount of days a week in day care for 10 weeks. He discovered that day care does not increase aggression in children as they became more sociable and aggression towards one another decreased. He also observed that day care improves peer relations; the children became more sociable with one another but drifted further away from the caregiver. Children who spent 5 days a week in day care showed greater changes than those that spent 2 days a week in day care. This study could be criticised as it is not specified the number of children observed; this will affect the reliability of the findings as a larger sample would be preferred, this is because the more children that are observed the
Clarke-Stewart (1994) conducted a study of 150 children attending school for the first time. They had experienced different forms of day care. They found that children who had attended nurseries could cope better in social situations, and were able to interact better with peers, compared with children previously looked after in family settings. Therefore, this shows that being in day care helps social development and improves peer relationships. However, this study could be criticised as it was a relatively small study, with just 150 participants. This means we can generalise findings, but with caution.
Shea (1981) studied 3-4 year olds who spent a certain amount of days a week in day care for 10 weeks. He discovered that day care does not increase aggression in children as they became more sociable and aggression towards one another decreased. He also observed that day care improves peer relations; the children became more sociable with one another but drifted further away from the caregiver. Children who spent 5 days a week in day care showed greater changes than those that spent 2 days a week in day care. This study could be criticised as it is not specified the number of children observed; this will affect the reliability of the findings as a larger sample would be preferred, this is because the more children that are observed the