Early Childhood: Social Development

Vocabulary flashcards reviewing psychosocial development in early childhood, covering sibling dynamics, play theories, Parten's categories of play, media influences, and factors in child care quality.

Sibling Interactions

Cooperative and pretend play between younger and older siblings that teaches empathy, sharing, and cooperation.

Mediators of Sibling Relationship Quality

Factors that shape sibling interactions, specifically the quality of the parent-child relationship and the psychological adjustment of the child.

Freud's View on Play

The theory that play serves as a means for children to release pent-up emotions and cope with emotionally distressing situations in a secure environment.

Vygotsky and Piaget's View on Play

The theory that children engage in play as a primary mechanism for developing their intellectual abilities.

Unoccupied Play

Parten's least common category of play, in which a child's behavior appears random and lacks a specific goal.

Solitary Play

A type of play in which a child plays alone, does not interact with others, and does not participate in activities similar to those of nearby children.

Onlooker Play

A form of play in which a child observes others playing and may offer comments or suggestions without directly joining the activity.

Parallel Play

A form of play in which children play side by side with similar toys but do not directly interact with one another.

Associative Play

A form of play in which children interact and share toys with each other but do not coordinate their efforts toward a common goal.

Cooperative Play

A form of play in which children interact and collaborate to achieve a common goal, often taking on distinct roles or tasks.

Age Trend in Play Types

The developmental shift where younger children engage more in non-social play, while five-year-olds most commonly engage in associative and cooperative play.

Generation M

A term referencing modern children who watch significantly more media and television than children did in the 1960s.

Background Television Effects

The negative impact of passive TV viewing, which impairs young children's focus on active play, hinders cognitive and language development, and correlates with attention problems later in childhood.

American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Media Recommendations

Guidelines stating that children under age two should engage in hands-on exploration and real-world social interaction rather than digital media, and advising against using mobile media to soothe children.

Predictors of Child Development

Family and parent characteristics—such as higher education, higher income, and emotionally supportive/cognitively enriched environments—which are stronger predictors of child outcomes than child care facilities.

Higher Quality Care

Child care characterized by low adult-to-child ratios, small group sizes, and high caregiver education levels, resulting in enhanced cognitive performance, language skills, and school readiness.

Lower Quality Care

Child care that predicts higher levels of behavioral problems as well as lower cognitive, language, and school readiness performance in children.