SOCI 233 Week 5: Childhood Study Notes

Piaget's Stages

• Knowledge acquisition through exploration, thinking, and learning

• Four distinct stages of cognitive development:

  • Sensorimotor (0-2 years): Learning through senses/actions

  • Preoperational (2-7 years): Egocentric thinking, symbolic thought

  • Concrete Operational (7-11 years): Logical thinking about concrete events

  • Formal Operational (12+ years): Abstract thinking, morality

Intellectual Development

• Nature vs. Nurture: Intelligence's definition is complex

• Intelligence measured through IQ tests: Stanford-Binet and Wechsler Scales

• Changes in environment affect IQ scores

• Howard Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences:

  • 8 main intelligences (linguistic, logical-mathematical, bodily-kinesthetic, spatial, musical, interpersonal, intrapersonal, naturalist)

Nutrition

• Increased portion sizes affecting children's nutrition

• Healthy eating fuels growth and brain development

• Importance of hydration and regular meals for energy

Parenting Styles

• Patterns of parental interaction influence children's development

• Based on research by psychologist Diana Baumrind

• Different styles:

  • Authoritarian, Authoritative, Permissive, Uninvolved

• Warmth and responsiveness impact social, emotional, academic growth