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Discuss Qualitative and Quantitative Changes in Children

This document defines and provides examples of qualitative and quantitative changes in children's development. Quantitative changes refer to measurable changes in amounts, like the number of friends a child has or increases in height and weight. Qualitative changes refer to changes in type or kind, like a child transitioning from pre-linguistic to using language. There is a debate between theorists about whether development is better characterized as continuous quantitative changes or discontinuous qualitative changes through distinct stages.

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269 views

Discuss Qualitative and Quantitative Changes in Children

This document defines and provides examples of qualitative and quantitative changes in children's development. Quantitative changes refer to measurable changes in amounts, like the number of friends a child has or increases in height and weight. Qualitative changes refer to changes in type or kind, like a child transitioning from pre-linguistic to using language. There is a debate between theorists about whether development is better characterized as continuous quantitative changes or discontinuous qualitative changes through distinct stages.

Uploaded by

AndersonEladseet
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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DISCUSS QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE CHANGES IN CHILDREN

INTRODUCTION
Developmental Psychology is the study of how organisms change
qualitatively and quantitatively over time. (Applebaum and McCall,
1983).
However, what exactly is a QUALITATIVE or QUANTITATIVE change?
In this submission those terms will be defined and various examples
given related to a child’s development path.

QUANTITATIVE CHANGE
A quantitative change may be defined as a “change in amount”. In
other words, something that is countable or measurable changes. For
example, a 2-year-old is likely to have no individual friends among her
playmates, while an 8-year-old is likely to have several. (Boyd & Bee,
2014, p. 11).
A related perspective is the idea that quantitative change is an
incremental change in degree without sudden transformations; for
example, some view the small yearly increases in height and weight
that 2- to 11-year-olds display as quantitative developmental changes.
Children grow taller and run a little faster with each passing year, and
they acquire more and more knowledge about the world around them.
Indicators like height or speed may be measured, knowledge may be
tested. (Shaffer & Kipp, 2013, p. 39)
QUALITATIVE CHANGE
Alternatively, a qualitative change may be defined as a “change in type
or kind”. For example, child peer relationships may experience a change
in quality, that is, from one sort of peer relationship to another.
Therefore, any friendships at 2-years old are quite different from
friendships at 8 and differ in ways that cannot be captured by
describing them solely in terms of the number of friends a child has.
(Boyd & Bee, 2014, p. 12)
A qualitative change is, therefore, a change in kind which make
individuals fundamentally different when compared to how they were
before; the transformation of a pre-linguistic infant into a language
user is viewed by many as a qualitative change in communication skills.
An infant who lacks language may be qualitatively different from a
preschooler who speaks well, and an adolescent who is sexually mature
may be fundamentally different from a classmate who has yet to reach
puberty. (Shaffer & Kipp, 2013, p. 39)
Of course, child development will not fall rigidly into either of these two
definitions. However, these definitions do lead to a bigger discussion
about theories of continuity/discontinuity.
THE CONTINUITY/DISCONTINUITY ISSUE (Shaffer & Kipp, 2013, p. 39)
A debate among theorists about whether developmental changes
are quantitative and continuous, or qualitative and discontinuous
(stagelike).
Continuity theorists generally think that developmental changes are
basically quantitative in nature, whereas discontinuity theorists tend to
portray development as a sequence of qualitative changes.
Discontinuity theorists are the ones who claim that we progress
through developmental stages, each of which is a distinct phase of life
characterized by a particular set of abilities, emotions, motives, or
behaviors that form a coherent pattern.
If development involves reorganization, or the emergence of wholly
new strategies, qualities, or skills (qualitative change), then the concept
of stages may become useful. (Boyd & Bee, 2014, p. 12)
Although there is not always agreement on just what would constitute
evidence for the existence of discrete stages, the usual description is
that a stage shift involves not only a change in skills but some
discontinuous change in underlying structure (Lerner, Teokas, & Bobek,
2005). The child in a new stage approaches tasks differently, sees the
world differently, is preoccupied with different issues.

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