U5 Observation (#4)

Class/section: FHS 1500-004

Your Name:
Bridget Phillips
Assignment: Observation 4
Background Information
Childs age:
13 years
Fictitious name: Peter
Location:
The Open Classroom
Brief
I interviewed Peter for 30 minutes and asked him around 15 questions for
Description:
each type of development or 45 questions in total.
Physical Development
Peter seemed to be average level in his motor skills. For instance, Peter can walk very well for an
adolescent and didnt seem to be the least bit clumsy while I interviewed him. Peter talked about his
agility and how while he wasnt the fastest runner in his grade, he had the most endurance and could
sometimes run longer than other adolescents. According to the textbook, Peter had an under developed
diurnal rhythm or day cycle because he rarely ate breakfast and might have an unbalanced appetite.
(Berger, 2014, p. 327). However, Peter did seem be good with his reflexes because he stated he had
reflexes, like a ninja and quickly answered my questions. Peter also talked about how he wasnt the
best at drawing and seemed to have the worst handwriting in his grade. Although Peter had great gross
motor skills, his fine motor skills may need improvement.
Peter had a very good sleeping schedule and talked about how he would get eight hours of sleep
a night. Peters circadian rhythm was also healthy because he seemed to have a set sleeping schedule
and as shown in the textbook, would rarely be sleep-deprived. (Berger, 2014, p. 322). Not only that, but
he discussed how he enjoys being active, has always enjoyed running, and still plays active games with
others during recess. As I interviewed Peter, he was very enthusiastic with his answers and would
sometimes use hand gestures while talking or replying to a question whenever he had a lot to talk about
the topic asked. Thus, Peters physical development is far from being underdeveloped and his
excitement to answer each question shows he is very active and lively, both traits that are sadly
uncommon in adolescents.
Cognitive Development
Peter had a very well developed prefrontal cortex for being an adolescent. For example, as stated
in the textbook due to the limbic system being more mature than the prefrontal cortex, emotional
regulation is used more often than logic and analytical thinking. (Berger, 2014, p. 331). This was not the
case for Peter who was able to think before answering every question and would contemplate his
responses thoroughly. However, this didnt stop Peter from talking about how he had a couple
assignments overdue by a few days in literacy and how he was stressed about it. This lead to a
conversation about how he would set goals and tried to complete all assignments on time last year, but
because he couldnt balance social life and academics, he ended up being depressed for about a month.
As shown in the textbook, Peter showed adolescent egocentrism during that time because he thought that

if he was productive at school then he would be cool and worried what others were thinking of him
being behind. (Berger, 2014, p. 333).
On the other hand, Peter discussed how he would rarely think before acting and would end up
occasionally being where he wasnt supposed to be. For example, while Peter tends to think of himself
as the center of attention, he isnt always and can overthink and stress about school work rather easily.
Peter seemed to be driven by new experiences, very adventurous for his age, and was always eager to
learn new information. Thus, he seems to be very well developed in cognitive development for his age
and while he did develop adolescent egocentrism last year, he can control his emotions and doesnt
stress over things he cant control.
Social/Emotional Development
Peter seems to be a very enthusiastic adolescent and was almost always happy because he
seemed to be great with emotional regulation. For instance, Peter seemed to have made great friendships
with some of his classmates and talked about how the friendships he has made, could last a long time
and was very serious about it. Likewise, Peter talked about how he also has a good relationship with his
parents because they rarely argue and encourage his autonomy. According to the textbook, Peter showed
moratorium because he is postponing his identity-achieving decisions for later in life when he can find
his identity. (Berger, 2014, p. 357). Peter is also very extroverted because he dislikes being alone and
loves being in groups of others. Not only that, but Peter talked about how when he realized he might
have been mean to a girl a few days ago, he went to her the next day and apologized.
Peter also discussed how he rarely gives into peer pressure or as stated in the textbook an attempt
to conform a friend to dress, behave, or act like them. (Berger, 2014, p. 364). Peter is a very happy
person and even managed to be very confident yet rarely boastful or annoyingly excited when replying
to the questions in the interview. Peter would often give examples about his group and how they are a
clique that doesnt exclude others and how they are composed of some of his class. Thus, Peter seemed
to be very well developed in his social as well as emotional development and can befriend others easily,
not give in to peer pressure, and control his emotions so well that he seems to almost always be in a
positive mood.
Reference List
Berger, K. S. (2014). Invitation to the life span (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Worth Publishers.