Psychology
Dora the explorer is an educational adventurous television series created by Chris Gifford and Valerie Walsh Valdes; it was directed by George S. Chialtas. Dora is an adventurous and curious Latina girl who while on her adventures is accompanied by her monkey named boot; a talking backpack and a map who sings which is very unusual. This is mind activating series where in some series; Dora asks questions and the children who are the audience provide the answer. The series aims at teaching English speaking children Spanish. In other instances; Dora encounters puzzles or educational obstacles where the children viewing help in providing solutions as they watch. Solving the obstacles usually involves travelling and this is where Dora uses her map and backpack, the trips involve use of landmarks and the viewing kids assist Dora remember names of the various landmarks; puzzles are solved at each landmark.
The characters in this movie for example Dora are inanimate but are portrayed as human beings instance; Dora talks, plays games encounters challenges and wears clothes like them. This makes the series not only exciting for the children but also enjoyable since young children are easily bored. Children at the age of between 2-yrs. are curious and want to learn many things; this series therefore enables children to exercise their cognitive skills as they try to find solutions to Dora’s puzzles and other challenges. Psychology of human development mostly focuses on the motor skills, problem solving, moral understanding, language acquisition, self-concept, identity formation and psycho-physiological processes that occur at the infantry stage to childhood; this is because this is the foundation of adulthood. Problem solving abilities in the children viewing therefore develops as they find solutions to the various problems, their language acquisition abilities are also enhanced as they to try learn Spanish; Dora being a child makes learning more interesting to the children, interest on the other hand facilitates retention of acquired knowledge.
According to Piaget’s sensory skills develop from birth to two years; at this stage infants and children at a younger age are able to sense things like danger etc. children that are able to watch the series Dora and understand are those at the age of between 2-years, this stage is known as the preoperational thought stage according to page; it is the stage where children start reasoning but mostly from what they see, they learn new things in that process. Children that are able to reason and comfortably solve problems at the concrete operational thought and formal operational thought and this is between the ages 7-12 years. In this case the majority of children that are able to understand and solve the puzzles in the ‘Dora the explorer’ series lie between 7-12 years. Parents therefore ought to help their children develop their cognitive and language acquisition skills by allowing them watching such series (Cook, Littlefield, and Greg, 151).
Vygotsky’s sociocultural view of cognitive development focuses on the role of speech and language mediation. He emphasized on the development of cognitive functions that enabled children to reason; this is facilitated by practical activities in a social environment in this case the practical activity being watching the series and solving the problems or puzzles. Vygotsky argues that in almost all circumstances; acquisition and retention of knowledge depends on previous learning therefore continuous exposure of the children to positive and challenging activities enables them to easily find solutions to challenges they encounter in future.
Works Cited
Cook, Joan Littlefield, and Greg L. Cook. Child development: principles and perspectives. 2. ed. Boston [u.a.: Pearson AB, 2009. Print.
