Observation Assignments: PSYC 2314
Caregiver-Infant Language:
For this assignment, you will examine recasting, expanding, and labeling using naturalistic
observation.
Recasting is rephrasing something the infant has said, possibly by turning it in to a
question. (Child: "Dog barking". Adult: "When was the dog barking?" or "What was the dog
barking at?" or "I heard the dog barking")
Expanding is restating, in a more linguistically sophisticated form, what the infant has said.
(Child: "Dog barking." Adult: "Yes, the dog is barking." Child: "More" Adult: "More milk,
please?"
Labeling is identifying and naming objects. The infant may point out an object (by pointing
or by saying the name of it) and the caregiver would name it for the infant or repeat the
infant’s label. (Child: "ball". Adult: "Right: ball.")
NOTE: The difference among these three is subtle. Don't worry about getting it exactly
right; just do your best, based on what you have observed.
Go to a local shopping mall or other public space and observe a caregiver with an infant 18
to 24 months old. Observe them for 15 minutes. Record two instances of speech by the
caregiver to the infant and classify each instance as recasting, echoing, or expanding. Note
the caregiver’s statements and then the infant’s response to each statement.
Infant’s Age ______ Sex ______
Infant’s speech:
Caregiver’s response:
Type of response (recasting, labeling or expanding):
Infant’s speech:
Caregiver’s response:
Type of response (recasting, labeling or expanding):
From your observations, why do you think recasting, echoing, and expanding are effective
techniques in aiding infants to learn language?
Parent-Child Observation
For this assignment, you will observe a parent-child interaction and interpret it according to
either psychoanalytic, behavioral or cognitive theoretical approaches. Go to a local
supermarket and watch a mother or father shop with a 2- to 4-year-old child. Describe the
interactions you observe, including the child’s demands, verbal exchanges between parent
and child, and ways in which the parent responds to the child’s demands. Then answer the
questions that follow, referring to your observations.
1. What was the age and gender of the child and parent you observed?
2. Describe the interactions/scene/situation.
3. What is the child learning in this situation? What does the child already know?
4. Choose one:
A. On what would a psychoanalytic theorist such as Erikson focus in this example? How
would the sequence of observed events be explained?
B. How would a behavioral psychologist analyze the situation? What reinforcers or punishers
characterized the interaction? Did specific things occur that would make a behavior more
likely to occur in the future? Less likely to occur?
C. On what would a cognitive theorist focus in this situation? Why?
You will hand a summary of your answers to these questions.
The Aging Couple
Marital relationships change throughout the duration of the marriage. Before beginning the
assignment, read the different sections of your text on marriage (use the index).
You will need to interview both members of an elderly couple. When at all possible, choose
a couple who have been married/together more than 25 years and who are over 60 years
old. You will want to first interview each person separately and then together as a couple.
Sample questions are below; however, you should create your own questions to add to the
interview.
After you have completed the interview, summarize the responses of the couple (to be
handed in). You should address the following questions in your paper:
1. How old were the members of the couple?
2. How long have they known each other?
3. If they are married, how long have they been married?
4. When interviewed separately, did they respond to any questions differently?
5. Do you believe they are happy with each other? Why or why not?
6. If they are happy, to what would you attribute their relationship success?
7. How do you think their responses would differ from a couple in their twenties, thirties
or forties?
8. What did you learn about relationships in later adulthood?
Sample interview questions:
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how did you meet your partner?
how long have you known each other?
tell me about your relationship
are you married?
how long have you been married?
what do you like best about your partner?
what do you like least about your partner?
what do you like least about your relationship?
how has your relationship changed over the years
how do you anticipate your relationship changing in the future?