Factors Influncing Childrens V

This paper is a literature review of the main research into the factors which influence children's conceptions of death. The developmental models of children's concepts of death as proposed by Maria H. Nagy and Sylvia Anthony are examined first. These researchers show that children go through developmental stages in their understanding of death, which is related to their age. Jean Piaget’s model of cognitive development is used to assess the validity of Nagy and Anthony’s claims, as this is a widely accepted index for issues of the cognitive development of children. Piaget’s model appears to support the findings of Nagy and Anthony.

These classic works are followed by the contemporary research of Barbara Kane as she examines how Nagy and Anthony’s research is viewed today. She is able to support their developmental models, however she disagrees with Nagy’s findings of children tending to personify death. Gerald P. Koocher’s research is examined next as he attempts to quantify the factors influencing children's concepts of death. He finds strong empirical evidence which links Piaget’s developmental framework to the development of the children's conceptualizations of death. He also notes tha

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[8] They note that boys depicted violent death much more often and also tended to represent death as emptiness and darkness. The Meaning of Death for Children and Adolescents:

A Phenomenographic Study of Drawings. In stage one, which is present until the age of five, children understand death as separation and a state of being less alive. Tallmer, Margot, Formanek, Ruth and Tallmer, Jill. Children in this stage are also unable to see the world from another’s point of view. Koocher used Piaget’s developmental model as the framework for analyzing how age and cognitive development affect the conceptualization of death. The Child’s Construction of Reality. Jean Piaget’s model of cognitive development is then used to assess the validity of Nagy and Anthony’s claims. Their findings were significant in that they found that both age and gender are important factors in children's conceptions of death. Tallmer explained the differences attributed to socio-economic status by hypothesizing that the children's direct experiences could influence their conceptualizations.

Jean Piaget’s model of children's cognitive development is widely used in research into children's conceptions of death, as it serves as an index for substantiating researchers such as Anthony and Nagy’s theoretical assertions.

Approximate Word count = 2471
Approximate Pages = 10 (250 words per page double spaced)

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