PSYCHOSOCIAL DEVELOPMENT IN EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY

SELF-CONCEPT

Sense of self; descriptive and evaluative mental picture of one’s abilities and traits.

SELF-DEFINITION

Cluster of characteristics used to describe oneself.

REAL SELF

the self one actually is.

IDEAL SELF

the self one would like to be.

SELF-ESTEEM

is the self-evaluative part of the self-concept, the judgment children make about their overall worth.

SOCIAL EMOTIONS

Emotions involved in the regulation of social behavior that require self-awareness and the understanding of others' viewpoints.

GENDER IDENTITY

Awareness, developed in early childhood, that one is male or female.

GENDER ROLES

Behaviors, interests, attitudes, skills, and traits that a culture considers appropriate for each sex; di!er for males and females.

GENDER-TYPING

Socialization process whereby children, at an early age, learn appropriate gender roles.

GENDER STEREOTYPES

Preconceived generalizations about male or female role behavior.

THEORY OF SEXUAL SELECTION

Darwin’s theory that gender roles developed in response to men’s and women’s differing reproductive needs.

IDENTIFICATION

In Freudian theory, the process by which a young child adopts characteristics, beliefs, attitudes, values, and behaviors of the parent of the same sex.

LAWRENCE KOHLBERG

pioneered Kohlberg's Cognitive-Developmental Theory.

KOHLBERG’S COGNITIVE-DEVELOPMENTAL THEORY

Children actively search for cues about gender in their social world. As they realize which gender they belong to, they adopt behaviors they perceive as consistent with being male or female.

GENDER CONSTANCY

a child’s realization that his or her gender will always be the same.

GENDER IDENTITY

awareness of one’s own gender and that of others typically occurs between ages 2 and 3.

GENDER STABILITY

awareness that gender does not change.

GENDER-SCHEMA THEORY

Theory, proposed by Bem, that children socialize themselves in their gender roles by developing a mentally organized network of information about what it means to be male or female in a

particular culture.

SOCIAL COGNITIVE THEORY

Albert Bandura’s expansion of social learning theory; holds that children learn gender roles through socialization.

FUNCTIONAL PLAY

sometimes called locomotor play, consisting of repeated practice in large muscular movements, such as rolling a ball.

CONSTRUCTIVE PLAY

also called object play, is the use of objects or materials to make something, such as a house of blocks or a crayon drawing.

DRAMATIC PLAY

also called pretend play, fantasy play, or imaginative play, involves imaginary objects, actions, or roles.

FORMAL GAMES WITH RULES

organized games with known procedures and penalties, such as four square and freeze tag. 

RETICENT PLAY

a combination of Parten’s unoccupied and onlooker categories, is often a manifestation of shyness.

UNOCCUPIED BEHAVIOR

The child does not seem to be playing but watches anything of momentary interest.

ONLOOKER BEHAVIOR

The child spends most of the time watching other children play. The onlooker may talk to them but does not enter into the play.

SOLITARY INDEPENDENT PLAY

The child plays alone with toys that are different from those used by nearby children and makes no effort to get close to them.

PARALLEL PLAY

The child plays independently beside rather than with the other children, playing with similar toys, and does not try to influence the other children’s play.

ASSOCIATIVE PLAY

The children talk, borrow and lend toys, follow each other around, and play similarly. 

COOPERATIVE OR ORGANIZED SUPPLEMENTARY PLAY

The child plays in a group organized for some goal—to make something, play a formal game, or dramatize a situation. 

GENDER SEGREGATION

Tendency to select playmates of one’s own gender.

DISCIPLINE

refers to methods of molding character and of teaching self-control and acceptable behavior.

EXTERNAL REINFORCEMENTS

may be tangible (treats, more playtime) or intangible (a smile, a word of praise, or a special privilege).

INTERNAL REINFORCEMENT

a sense of pleasure or accomplishment.

CORPORAL PUNISHMENT

harsh form of parenting that involves “the use of physical force with the intention of causing a child to experience pain, but not injury, for the purpose of correction or control of the child’s behavior” 

INDUCTIVE TECHNIQUES

Disciplinary techniques designed to induce desirable behavior by appealing to a child’s sense of reason and fairness.

POWER ASSERTION

Disciplinary strategy designed to discourage undesirable behavior through physical or verbal enforcement of parental control.

WITHDRAWAL OF LOVE

Disciplinary strategy that involves ignoring, isolating, or showing dislike for a child.

AUTHORITARIAN PARENTING

emphasizes control and unquestioning obedience.

PERMISSIVE PARENTING

emphasizes self-expression and self-regulation.

AUTHORITATIVE PARENTING

emphasizes a child’s individuality but also stresses limits. 

NEGLECTFUL OR UNINVOLVED

describe parents who, sometimes because of stress or depression, focus on their needs rather than on those of the child. 

ALTRUISM

Behavior intended to help others out of inner concern and without expectation of external reward; may involve self-denial or self-sacrifice.

PROSOCIAL BEHAVIOR

Any voluntary behavior intended to help others.

INSTRUMENTAL AGGRESSION

Aggressive behavior used as a means of achieving a goal.

OVERT (DIRECT) AGGRESSION

Aggression that is openly directed at its target.

RELATIONAL AGGRESSION

Aggression aimed at damaging or interfering with another person’s relationships, reputation, or psychological well-being.