Chapter 9 Developmental Psychology

piaget: preoperational intelligence (2-6 years)

includes imagination and language, internal images of experience children label with words; logical operational thinking is not yet possible, symbolic thought » major accomplishment, helps explain animism

animism

belief that natural objects and phenomena are alive, lifelike qualities, research today suggests that Piaget may have overestimated the use of this

conservation

principle that the amount of a substance remains the same - is conserved - when its appearance changes, preschoolers cannot do this

centration

focusing on only one aspect of a situation while ignoring others, while conservation describes understanding that an object's properties remain the same despite changes in appearance

irreversibility

a child's inability to mentally reverse a sequence of events or understand that an action can be undone

limitations of Piaget’s research

Piagetian conservation tasks require words, when tasks are modified - younger children may perform better, Piaget underestimated cognition during early childhood

vygotsky: social learning

cognitive development is embedded in the social context, children are curious, observant, always asking questions

the role of mentors in vygotsky’s social learning

present challenges - zone of proximal development, scaffolding, offer assistance (without taking over), add crucial information, and encourage motivation

theory of mind

involves a person’s theory of what other people might be thinking, emergent ability, become aware that someone else might have false beliefs

language learning and development

comprehension is always greater than production

fast-mapping

learning a word after one exposure

grammar - overregularization

applying the rules of grammar when they should not

grammar - pragmatics

adjusting language according to audience and context, seen in pretend play

effective strategies/experiences that aid reading

code-focused teaching, book-reading, parent education, language enhancement, and preschool programs

early childhood education - homes and schools

teacher-child interaction relates to learning, quality matters

child-centered or developmental programs

stress each child’s development and growth, allow children to follow their own interests, influenced by piaget and vygotsky » encouraged by developmentalists

teacher-directed programs

goal is to make child ready to learn for elementary school, stress academic subjects, taught by a teacher to an entire class

intervention programs - head start

originated in 1960s, belief in serving the whole child, children show immediate IQ gains, increases do not lats, benefits are strongest for children in poverty, rural areas, and with disabilities

developmentally appropriate educational practice

psychologist david elkind believed that society tends to push young children too much, believed that children require developmentally appropriate educational practice, education is based on the typical development and unique characteristics of a child; learning should be encouraged, not pushed