“PEPSI”

Screening

Physical  Emotional  Philosophical  Social  Intellectual

Ashley Smith
EDU 220
Principles of Educational Psychology

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 Biography
th
Aiden was born on October 5 , 2009 in a small rural town in Montana. He was born to a

single mother, who fell in love at first glance. Aiden was immediately surrounded by his loving

aunts and grandparents, who had been eagerly awaiting his arrival. When he was able to go

home, he was greeted by his family, and dog, Roxy. He lived with these family members until he

was five years old.

At five years old, Aiden’s mother decided it was time to embark on a new journey. They

moved across the country to Tennessee, where Aiden would live with his mom, her boyfriend,

and her boyfriend’s daughter, who was five years older than him. Aiden’s favorite things to do

were, play soccer, spend time with his grandma and grandpa, and play on his tablet.

Unfortunately, he would have to be apart from his grandparents for months at a time, and only

visit them twice a year. This proved to be hard on him.

As Aiden got older, he developed new interests, like Xbox games, computer games, and

Anime. However, he still loved spending time with his grandparents and enjoyed playing soccer.

He would go on to play soccer each year in a soccer club, and he learned more about the game

and improved his athletic skills each season. When Aiden is not playing soccer, you can find him

inside his bedroom playing Xbox games with his friends, playing computer games, or watching

Anime on Netflix.

Recently, Aiden became a big brother, and he loves his new role. His baby brother adores

him, and they spend time together each day when Aiden comes home from school. Aiden’s

favorite subject in school is Social Studies and he also enjoys learning about Mythology. He is

very smart and likes to learn new and interesting things. Soon, he will be a teenager, and it will

be interesting to see what kind of human he turns into.

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 Physical Development

Aiden is an 11-year-old boy, who currently weighs roughly 110 pounds and stands at 4

feet 11 inches. With these measurements, he is considered to have a BMI (body mass index) of

22.2, which states that he is overweight (BMI Calculator). Along with this information, the

Center for Disease Control claims that Aiden is in the 93rd percentile, which translates to him

weighing more than 93% of other children the same age and sex (BMI Calculator).

Due to the fact that he is 11 years old, Aiden could be showing signs of early puberty.

This could be the cause of his current status as “overweight”. In addition to this, Aiden was just

recently able to go outside for recess at school again. On account of the global pandemic,

Aiden’s elementary school was not allowing children to go outside for recess. Recess provided

him with the necessary hour of activity recommended to children his age (MedlinePlus). Without

this hour, Aiden would get little to no activity each day, because his hobbies require little

physical exertion. Some days Aiden spends hours in front of an electronic screen, which can also

be a cause to his weight gain.

Along with recess, soccer was added back into his weekly routine. Aiden goes to two

soccer practices a week and plays one soccer game each week. This makes certain days more

chaotic and busier for him, and sometimes effects how many hours of sleep he receives.

However, Aiden has a set bedtime of 9:15 PM and wakes up at 7 AM, allowing him ten hours of

sleep each night. Children aged five to eleven years old should get nine to eleven hours of sleep

each night (Raising Children Network).

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 Emotional Development

At 11 years old, Aiden falls into Erik Erickson’s Industry vs. Inferiority, which means

that his “behavior is dominated by intellectual curiosity and performance” (Psychology Applied

to Teaching). Unfortunately for Aiden, he is not praised or congratulated regularly, or at all by

his father figure. It seems as though he can never do enough to warrant an “I’m proud of you”,

which has some correlation to his sense of inferiority.

In addition to his sense of inferiority, Aiden has some body image issues. Although this is

more common in girls, boys can also feel poorly about their bodies. This is something that could

be corrected or stopped with encouragement and love from loved ones.

Aiden is going through a stage of wanting independence. This is normal for the average

11–14-year-old, as they are growing up. Parents like to hold on to adolescence which can shine a

negative light on children grasping for independence (Emotional and Social Development). Until

Aiden’s little brother was born, he was the baby in his mother’s eyes. He has been given

responsibilities now, like household chores. This is great for him and his development of

independence and growth.

One of Aiden’s favorite things to do is play video games. Some of these games can be

very violent, bloody, and even show sexually explicit content. According to J’Anne Ellsworth,

there is a strong probability that the child has been or is choosing to be exposed to much of adult

life – including sex, drugs, illicit lifestyles (Ellsworth). This is fairly normal, especially in

modern times with the types of games and content children are exposed to. Aiden gets excited

when he gets the “kill streak” or “headshots”, which could be alarming to some parents.

However, Aiden has spoken about how it’s just a video game and that killing is how you win that

game.

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 Philosophical Development

Aiden has been more curious about abstract things, like God. Before Easter, we were

talking and he asked, “How did God come back from the dead?” It is common for children to ask

questions about religion, the nature of God, and worship (Ellsworth). I believe that children his

age do ask more questions about things that they can’t necessarily touch or see. They become

more aware of these things and want to understand them.

The way he follows or breaks rules is different than it used to be. Piaget claims that after

the age of eleven, children become increasingly capable of grasping why rules are necessary

(Psychology Applied to Teaching). I have noticed on different occasions that Aiden will try to

make his own rules. An instance of this occurred when his 11-year-old cousin, who is

intellectually disabled, wanted to play Xbox with him. He came up with his own rules, such as:

“Be gentle with the remotes”, “Don’t sit too close to the TV screen”, and “Ask me if you don’t

know how to do something so I can help you”. These rules of course were obvious, and she had

already heard similar rules from her mother, but he liked the idea of governing his gaming

console.

After interviewing Aiden and asking him, “If someone dropped their money in front of

you would you tell them, or would you keep it?”. He responded, “I would tell the person they

dropped the money because it’s not mine.” His response shows that he is at the Conventional

Morality Stage. Kohlberg says, “Typical of nine to twenty-year-olds, most conform to the

conventions of society because they are the rules or society.” (Psychology Applied to Teaching).

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 Social Development

In my observations, Aiden is a friendly, outgoing child. He welcomes other’s into

conversation and likes to make them feel comfortable. I’ve seen him include other children that

normally wouldn’t be and has even made close friendships with some of these children. His best

friend, who he currently spends most of every weekend with, has a lot of the same hobbies as

him and isn’t part of the “cool kids” crowd. Children Aiden’s age tend to form strong, same-sex

friendships, and it is important for their social development (Milestones for Ages 11 to 14).

Aiden will often ask for certain clothing brands, because other kids are wearing it

(Ellsworth). In my own experience, this is very common, and I also asked for designer brand

clothing because the popular girls were wearing it. Fitting in to certain crowds is something a lot

of adolescents struggle with. Wearing similar clothing to other children can make you feel more

secure and more accepted.

Children at eleven years old often become more independent or want independence, and

it is important to let them have it (Middle Childhood). However, I think it is equally as important

for families to bond before it is too late to do so. Bonding with your children is vital because

their young years are when they are the most moldable. Independence is good for children to

gain, but they also need the proper direction so that they can make good choices. I believe that

Aiden’s stepfather should take the time to teach him certain things that he should know as a boy

soon going into his teenage years.

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 Intellectual Development

Something that is a regular discussion in Aiden’s household are his grades. He is a very

smart child, but sometimes does things too fast and incorrectly that it reflects on his grades. He is

very competitive, hence why he does things fast, but at the same time his grades and success are

important to him (Ellsworth). This somewhat cancels each other out. He has not fully understood

that just because you’re done with an assignment first doesn’t necessarily mean that it was done

accurately.

Aiden is, however, beginning to understand that issues and answers aren’t always black

and white, and they can be interpreted in different ways (Emotional and Social Development).

This was something I noticed when talking to him about the theory of evolution. I was discussing

the science side of our creation, but Aiden asked about God and how he has a role in the creation

of us. After explaining that people believe different things and that he can believe in either, both,

and neither, he decided that it had to be a combination.

According to Piaget, Aiden is in the formal operational stage of his cognitive

development. Piaget states that children after eleven years and older are “able to deal with

abstractions, form hypotheses, solve problems systematically, and engage in mental

manipulations” (Psychology Applied to Teaching). After spending time with, observing, and

talking to Aiden, I believe that he is in this stage and is able to solve problems, form hypothesis,

and deal with abstractions.

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 Aiden’s PEPSI Graph

Average 11-Year-old

Physical Emotional Philosophical Social Intellectual

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 Recommendations

Based on Aiden’s physical development, I would recommend less screen time and more

physical activity each day. Along with that, I would suggest a healthier diet. However, Aiden

will be going through puberty soon and this may cause a growth spurt.

Based on Aiden’s emotional development, I would recommend that he and his stepfather

develop a better relationship. I think this could help with a lot of self-doubt issues that Aiden

seems to suffer with.

Based on Aiden’s philosophical development, I would encourage Aiden to keep being

curious and ask questions. I also think that he should be praised for his answer on the moral

question I asked, and for how he was so sincere in his rules for his cousin. He wasn’t

condescending, but helpful.

Based on Aiden’s social development, I would recommend that he bonds more with his

stepfather. I think he should be encouraged to spend more time with his friends, especially his

best friend, who he loves hanging out with. Social interaction is never bad and should happen

often for young children.

Based on Aiden’s intellectual development, I would recommend less screen time. I think

that more time actively learning, reading, playing outside, exploring, drawing, etc., would be

very beneficial to him. I think he would also benefit from slowing down and taking his time to

do things.

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 References

“BMI Calculator Child and Teen.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, 4 Apr. 2019,
www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/bmi/result.html?
&method=english&gender=m&age_y=11&age_m=0&hinches=59&twp=110. 

Ellsworth, J'Anne. 11th Year, Northern Arizona University, 1999,

jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jde7/ese504/class/pepsi/PEPSIObserv/year11.html. 

“Emotional and Social Development, Ages 11 to 14 Years.” Emotional and Social Development,

Ages 11 to 14 Years, CS Mott Children's Hospital, Michigan Medicine, Healthwise, 27
May 2020, www.mottchildren.org/health-library/te7262. 

“Middle Childhood (9-11 Years Old).” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, 22 Feb. 2021,
www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/childdevelopment/positiveparenting/middle2.html. 

“Milestones for Ages 11 to 14.” Milestones for Ages 11 to 14 | CS Mott Children's Hospital |

Michigan Medicine, Healthwise, May 2020, www.mottchildren.org/health-
library/abo8758. 

“Psychology Applied to Teaching.” Psychology Applied to Teaching, by Jack Snowman and R.

R. McCown, Wadsworth, 2015. 

“School-Age and Pre-Teen Sleep: What to Expect.” Raising Children Network, 26 Aug. 2020,
raisingchildren.net.au/pre-teens/healthy-lifestyle/sleep/school-age-sleep. 

“School-Age Children Development.” MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of Medicine,

medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002017.htm. 

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