exam 2 (early childhood)

physical, cognitive, and social development in early childhood

Early childhood

“preschool years”; ages 3-6.

How much height & weight do young children gain each year?

about 2.5 inches in height & 5-10 pounds in weight

How much does a 2 year old weigh & how tall are they (on average)?

25-30 pounds & 3 feet tall

How much does a 6 year old weigh & how tall are they (on average)?

40-50 pounds & 4 feet tall

Physical Changes

• longer body, more adult-like proportions

• toddlers are more round; by age 6 they’re more slender

• muscle size increases; bones become sturdier; & sense organs develop

Brain Development

• the brain grows quickly in infancy & early childhood

Where does the most rapid brain growth occur?

The frontal areas (regulate planning & goal setting)

Corpus Callosum

a bundle of nerve fibers that connect the two hemispheres of the brain

What happens to the Corpus Callosum by the end of early childhood?

it becomes thicker to help coordinate functioning between the two hemispheres of the brain

Lateralization

two hemispheres of the brain become increasingly differentiated & specialized

Left hemisphere

right side of the body; tasks that require verbal competence

Right hemisphere

Left side of body; nonverbal tasks

gross & fine motor advances at age 3 (3)

• able to walk up stairs, alternating feet

• unable to stop or turn suddenly

• able to jump a length of 15-24

gross & fine motor advances at age 4 (4)

• able to walk down a long staircase, alternating feet with assistance

• have some control in starting, stopping, & turning

• length of jump increases to 24-33 inches

gross & fine motor developments at age 5 (3)

• able to walk down a long staircase, alternating feet

• capable of starting, stopping, & turning in games

• able to make a running jump of 28-36 inches

gross motor achievements (~3 years)

jumping, hopping, skipping, running

gross motor achievements (~4 years)

throwing, catching

gross motor achievements (~5 years)

biking, climbing

Signs that young children are ready for potty training

• staying dry

• regular bowel movements

• indicate they need to go

• can undress alone

• uncomfortable with soiled diapers

• ask to use potty or wear underwear

When do most children show signs that they are ready to potty train?

about 18-24 months old

• if they are resistant, just wait and try again later

fine motor achievements at ~3 years

• drawing

• eating with utensils

fine motor achievements at ~5 years

buttoning & other small manipulations

fine motor achievements at ~6 years

print their own name

what are young children’s eating behaviors influenced by?

their caregivers’ eating behaviors

how to create healthy eating behaviors in young children

• choose nutritious foods

• eat on a regular schedule

• make mealtimes positive

• look for nutritional variety: fruits, veggies, whole grains, meats, dairy

Vitamins to monitor in young children

• iron: deficiency causes fatigue

• vitamin A: promotes growth

• vitamin C: supports healthy tissue and skin

• Calcium: promotes bone and tooth growth

How do young children develop food preferences?

Exposure to different foods

How to create food acceptance in young children

repeated exposure & familiarity; may take up to 15 tries to get a child to accept a new food

How to help young children grow out of their pickiness

• maintain mealtime routines

• offer variety

• praise healthy choices

• do not use food as a threat or a bribe

How many hours of quality sleep do young children need per day?

10-13 hours; consistent sleep & wake times

Why 10-13 hours of sleep is important

young children concentrate, learn, and cope better when they get enough sleep

How to support quality sleep for young children

• make the bedroom cool, dark, and comfortable

• maintain consistent bedtimes and wake times

• help young children slow down before bed time

When should young children give up naps?

When they stay up and engaged throughout the afternoon

How many colds do preschoolers catch each year?

Preschoolers catch and recover from 7-10 colds or other minor illnesses each year

Vaccines

small dose of an inactive virus is injected into the body to stimulate the immune system to produce antibodies that will fight the disease if exposed in the future; many serious and contagious diseases are preventable through vaccines

Unintentional injuries

Unintentional injuries (falls, burns) are more common in early childhood than at any other point in life

Cognition in the Preoperational Stage

Piaget’s Cognitive Development Theory

Preoperational (2-7 years)

• Children understand the world through mental representations

• Perspective is egocentric (self-focused)

Conservation

The amount of a substance remains the same despite changes in its shape or form

Reversibility

an operation can be repeated in the opposite direction; young children are still developing their understanding of this

Centering

Young children tend to center their perceptual style; interpret according to what first catches their eye

Egocentrism

the inability to understand that other people have different points of view

Theory of Mind

the understanding that others have their own thoughts, beliefs, intentions, & desires

Theory of Mind: around 2 years old

understand that people’s preferences differ

Theory of Mind: around 4 years old

understand that people can believe things that are not true (even when the child knows the truth)

Information processing

focus on changes in the mental programs young children use when approaching problems

How young children process information

Encoding (initial recording of information) —> storage (information saved for future use) —> retrieval (recovery of stored information)

When do children start to understand one-to-one correspondence?

Around 3 years old

One-to-one correspondence

Matching one object to each number word while counting

When do children start to understand cardinality?

around 4 years old

Cardinality

the last number in the count represents the total number of objects in the set

Sociocultural theory

cognitive development is a product of social interactions

• young children are “apprentices”, learning skills from “mentors”

• Institutions, like preschools, promote development

Zone of Proximal Development

children’s cognitive abilities increase through exposure to information that is new enough to be intriguing but not too difficult to absorb

Scaffolding

assistance or structure provided by others, removed when the skill is mastered

Grammar

knowing the structure of words and sentences

Structure of words and sentences

• noun & verb

• subject-verb-object pattern

Pragmatics

knowing how to use language in socially appropriate ways

• conversational turn-taking

• adjusting language to the context or who you’’re talking to

How do children combine and produce words?

when children start to combine words, they produce words and sentences using the usual rules for grammar in their native languages

• e.g., plural noun = add “s”

Overregularization 

while learning the rules, young children sometimes make mistakes 

e.g. “I goed to the store with mommy”

How bilingual young children combining languages

Bilingual young children sometimes say words from one language in a sentence mostly compromised of words from the other language, but do not mix grammar styles

Grammar at around 3 years old

full sentences including negations & questions

Grammar at around 4 years old

complex multi-clause sentences, future & past

Grammar at around 2-3 years old

toddlers start to learn and apply the social rules for verbal interactions

• e.g. initiating conversations, taking turns, correcting miscommunications

Grammar around 3-4 years old

young children learn and apply the rules for verbal interactions

• e.g. understand which styles of speech to use with which people, select the appropriate language to use

*Social Development in Early Childhood*

Erikson’s Psychosocial Theory

develop a sense of responsibility and ambition

• initiative vs guilt

Aggression

behavior that is intended to harm or injure someone

functions of aggression

intentions behind an aggressive act

forms of aggression

methods used to achieve aggressive goal

Proactive aggression

motivated by a desire to achieve a specific goal

• pushing someone off swing to get a turn

Reactive aggression

motivated by anger in response to a threat, attack, or frustration

• getting pushed off a swing, turning around and punching them

Form: physical aggression

inflicting physical harm on another person

• hitting, kicking, tripping someone

Relational aggression

harming a person’s social relationships

• excluding someone, spreading rumors

Which form and function of aggression do young children primarily engage in?

Proactive (function) and physical (form)

Which gender is more aggressive?

Young boys

Emotion regulation

involves monitoring and modifying emotional displays to match family or societal expectations

• help children make themselves feel better without outside help, helps other people respond positively

Emotion regulation: young children’s tactics

approach or retreat from a situation, distraction, shift attention

What helps with emotional regulation in early childhood?

development of the prefrontal cortex

• increasingly able to think flexibly, control responses, direct attention, plan

Prosocial behavior

voluntary behavior intended to help or benefit another person

• comforting, sharing, helping

What are some causes of more aggressive children?

biological factors: temperament type: difficult- more likely to behave aggressively

environmental factors: attachment: secure attachments- more likely to behave prosocially

How children play with their peers?

peers (other children of the same age) play a big role in how children learn social skills in early childhood

Types of play: onlooker play

young children watch other children who are playing, but do not attempt to join

Parallel play

young children play similar activities, side-by-side, but do not engage with one another

Associative play

young children share toys or materials, but do not share goals or collaborate

Cooperative play

young children share goals, collaborate on shared activity

Do preschoolers often play with others who are the same or different gender than them?

the same

What type of play do boys mainly engage in?

rough and tumble play; pretend play that involves danger/competition

• their play is more strongly gender-stereotyped than girls play

What type of play do girls mainly engage in?

They tend to be more nurturing in their play styles

• more structured, adult-supervised activities

• focus on social relationships; highlight domestic roles

Why is play important for children?

it is important for physical, cognitive, and social development

Friend

peer with whom a child has a special relationship; must be recognized and affirmed by both, involved reciprocity of affection, and be voluntary

Children’s goals of friendship

• Have fun

• play

• expect that friends will play, resolve conflicts

How young children act in friendships

• prefer to play with friends over other peers

• resolve conflicts more constructively

• more likely to befriends same-gender, same-behavior peers

How many hours a day do young children engage with screens?

3 hours

Is there an association between violent media content and behaving aggressively?

Yes; particularly when they idnetify with aggressive characters & aggressive behavior is rewarded

What does Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood focus on that is educational?

focuses on understanding emotions and helping others

What does Sesame Street focus on that is educational?

evidence-based focus on cognitive development, social & emotional skills & pretested with volunteer preschoolers

Family

a social unit in which individuals share economic, social, & emotional rights and responsibilities and a sense of commitment and identification

Socialization

the process by which children acquire the skills they need to function

Family systems theory

• parent-child system, couple system, sibling system

Each family system is interconnected

changes in one can affect the functioning of others