Comparison of Developmental Stages, Essay Example

Movie: Home Alone

Young boy, Kevin, who is only eight years old, is left alone in the New York Airport after getting on the wrong plane. At this early age, Kevin is able to maneuver his way to a hotel, check in and then stops burglars from breaking into a toy store. Throughout the movie, Kevin exhibits the presence of mind and ability to find shelter, food and fight crime whereas most children would be greatly upset that they were alone. Fear does not set in with the child, which is not a normal or common response for children at this stage in development. Another uncommon stage exhibited by Kevin can be seen in the fact that children between the ages of six and eight are not yet capable of highly logical tasks. For example, the average eight year old may have the ability to understand what a credit card is, but it is highly unlikely that they would have the cognitive ability to use it correctly. Children at this stage are aware that products cost money, however would not be able to count out money to make a purchase in a store. Along with financial aspects, Kevin also was able to figure out what time, two burglars were planning to rob a toy store. Through this he was able to physically escape them and also rig contraptions that hindered the criminal’s plans. This would be inconsistent for a young boy to understand and be able to identify the tools and mechanisms needed to create the numerous traps. He was able to electrify a toilet in one of his schemes, which again would not be a normal cognitive ability or function of a young child. In conclusion, the movie was a fantastic representation of a young boy with an active imagination; however it would have to be a super-hero child that pulled off the many activities and stunts that the young boy engaged in, based on normal stages of development.