Early and Middle Childhood Development

Flashcards covering key concepts from early and middle childhood development, focusing on physical, cognitive, emotional, and social aspects.

Physical Development

In early childhood (ages 2-6), physical growth slows but remains steady, with children gaining about 2-3 inches in height and 4-5 pounds in weight annually.

Gross Motor Skills

Large muscle movements like running, jumping, and balancing that develop significantly during early childhood.

Fine Motor Skills

Small muscle movements involved in activities like drawing, writing, and buttoning clothes, which significantly improve in early childhood.

Egocentrism

A characteristic of children in Piaget's Preoperational Stage where they have difficulty understanding others' perspectives.

Centration

The focus on one aspect of a situation while neglecting others, as seen in preoperational children's reasoning.

Conservation

The understanding that quantity remains the same despite changes in shape or appearance, which children do not grasp in early childhood.

Scaffolding

Vygotsky's concept where adults or skilled peers provide temporary support to help children perform tasks beyond their current abilities.

Syntax

The arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences, which develops during early childhood.

Emotion Regulation

The ability of children to manage their emotions, showing a shift from external to internal control during early childhood.

Rough-and-Tumble Play

Physical play that includes chasing and play fighting, aiding in motor skills and emotional regulation.

Selective Attention

The ability to focus on one specific task or stimulus while ignoring distractions, improving during middle childhood.

Piaget’s Concrete Operational Stage

The cognitive stage where children begin to think logically about concrete events and understand concepts like conservation and classification.

Siegler’s Overlapping Waves Theory

The idea that children use various strategies to solve problems, leading to a mix of more and less efficient strategies over time.

Erikson’s Psychosocial Theory

The theory where children face the conflict of industry versus inferiority, affecting their sense of competence and self-esteem.

Parenting Styles

The different approaches parents take, including authoritarian, authoritative, permissive, and neglectful, which shape children's behavior and development.

Sociometric Classifications

A classification system for peers, including categories like popular, neglected, rejected, and controversial, affecting social dynamics.