Human Dev: Chapter 5

Physical developments of early childhood

• slower growth (they have adultlike body proportions)

• improved coordination and fine motor skills

• brain maturation

• by age 2, brain weighs 75% of what it should

what is the corpus callosum + left and right hemisphere

long, thick band of nerve fibers that connected the left and right hemisphere of the brain 

• Grows rapidly in early childhood, which is why starting at 5, they can use both sides of their brain (hop, skip, gallop are examples) 

• Left hemisphere: logic, language 

• Right hemisphere: creativity, emotions 

what is lateralization

specialization in certain functions by each side of the brain; left side controls right side and so on 

 

What are the concepts learned in preoperational stage

• symbolic thought

• animism

• centration

• egocentrisim

wat is symbolic thought

major accomplishment of preoperational intelligence that allows a child to think symbolically, including understanding that words can refer to things not seen and that an item, like a flag, can symbolize a country

what is animism

belief that natural objects and phenomena are alive 

• ex: children's stories, the sun and clouds 

what is centration

tendency to focus on one aspect of a situation rather than the whole thing

what is egocentricism

tendency for children to see the world from their perspective only

what is static reasoning

belief that the world is unchanging and stable, whatever is now will always be

what is conservation

amount of a substance will always be the same

children cannot grasp this yet at this stage

what is theory of mind

 

a person's theory of what others might be thinking 

• Needs self-awareness and awareness of others 

• Usually happens in children after age 4 

what is executive function

cognitive ability to organize and prioritize many thoughts that arise from the various parts of the brain 

• Happens AFTER age 2 and as the child begins to grow 

• Protects adolescents from destructive emotional outbursts 

• Promotes coping skills 

what 3 abilities are needed for executive function

• Memory: working memory, remembering what happened recently 

• Inhibition: ability to control responses and think before taking action 

• Flexibility: ability to see things from another perspective 

at what age is language learnign hard for a child

after 10

what is fast mapping

speedy and sometimes imprecise way that children learn words; they learn it after 1 exposure 

• Allows children to learn words in broad categories, leading to logical extension 

what is overregulization

application of rules in grammar even when exceptions occur 

• Age 4, children overregulize the rule of s for plural (mouses, foots, tooths) 

what is private speech

children talk to themselves for self-guidance and behavioral regulation

• happens at around 3 and stops around 8

what is pragmatics

nowing which words, tones, and grammatical forms to use with whom

Zone of proximal development

an area where new ideas/skills can be mastered. Believed they can only learn these skills with assistance and not by themselves

• vygotsky

what is scaffolding

providing temporary support to help kids master skills. kids complete small, manageable steps in order to reach the goal. examples are…

• modeling; demonstrating how to solve a problem

• visual aids

• hints and clues

• collaborative grouping