Early Childhood/preschool Flashcards
What is a common issue for children (ears)?
Earaches
-eustachian tube
Obesity
Body weight more than 20% higher than average weight for a person of a particular age and height
Causes of obesity
More time watching tv, computer, less time spent on play and exercise now
Optimal strategy against obesity
Have a variety of low-fat and high-nutrition foods available for preschoolers
-high iron important
What is the greatest risk for death or injury in preschoolers?
Accidents.
Injury is the leading cause of death
55% of injuries during sport or activity
73% of injuries at home
Boys take more risks, so higher injuries
Don’t have executive functioning yet to be able to understand consequences of actions
Early education options
More than 50% of children 1-5 are in some form of care outside the home
- child care
- family run child care
- preschool
Characteristics of high quality care
- well trained
- appropriate ratio of care providers to children (1:5 max)
- carefully planned curriculum
- rich language environment
2 important brain developments
1) number of interconnections increase - facilitates the acquisition of cognitive skills
2) the amount of myelin increases- facilitates speed of neural processing
Size of brain compared to adults
Brain is 80% of adult
At age 5, brain is 90% of the weight of adult brain, but there body is only 30% of an adult’s body
Brain lateralization
Corpus callosum thickens, coordinates two hemispheres
Lateralizations: each hemisphere specializes
- Left is verbal tasks, processing info sequentially
- Right is nonverbal tasks
Growth in children in high and low SES homes
High SES- growth in typical a manner
Low SES- divergences in growth, slower growth because less resources
Left handedness in relation to brain lateralization
10% left handed, most males
Of left-handed, most still demonstrated left hemispheric language lateralization
Gross motor skills
Can now engage in activities that require a high degree of coordination (ex. Bike, ski)
Boys-more muscle strength
Girls- better limb coordination
What two things play a role in skill development
Practice and brain development
Toilet training- when to start
When they are ready! Physically and emotionally
Signs of readiness:
- staying dry 2+ hours during the day
- can indicate when they have to go
- can undress alone
- waking up dry after naps
Fine motor skills
Involve delicate and smaller body movements (ex. Using a spoon)
These skills require practice
Start showing fine motor skills as early as 8 weeks
Perceptual development
Detecting boundaries between colours (3-4 years old)
Many are far-sighted, unable to see close up well. By first grade, eyes focus. Far sighted because head shape is still developing
Now nearsightedness is becoming more of a problem since we use phones and computers all the time
Piaget’s stages of cognitive development
1) sensorimotor
- birth to 2 years
- use sensory and motor schemes to act on world
2) preoperational
- 2 to 7
- acquire symbolic schemes such as language and fantasy
3) concrete operational
- 7 to 11
- think logically and solve problems
4) Formal operational
- 11 + years
- logically about abstract ideas and hypothetical situations
Preoperational stage
- before this they acquire symbolic function
- use symbols proficiently
- difficulty thinking logically
- at 2 or 3 they begin to pretend in their play
6 types of play
1) sensorimotor (12 months)
2) constructive play (2 years- stack up blocks, build something)
3) first pretend play (15-21 months) Toy is used for its actual purpose
4) substitute pretend play (2-3 years) pick up broom and pretend it is a horse
5) sociodramatic play- (preschool years) Imaginary friends
6) Rule governed play- (5 or 6 years) assigning roles more logically, boy is father, small friend is baby
Egocentrism
Belief that everyone sees and experiences the world the way they do
Centration
Tendency among young children to think of the world in terms of one variable at a time
Conservation
The understanding that matter can change in appearance without changing in quantity
- identity: realize it maintains the same if nothing is added or subtracted
- compensation: changes in one dimension can be offset by changes in another
- reversibility: the change can be cancelled out by reversing the steps
Criticisms of piaget’s theory: Egocentrism and perspective taking
Children as young as 14.5 months have some ability to understand that other people experience things differently to them
By 2 or 3, can adapt play to the demands of friend
Info processing: understanding of numbers
Average preschooler can count
Info processing: autobiographical memory
Becomes increasingly accurate throughout preschool years
- memories must be salient to be remembered
- memories organized into scripts (representations of events in order that they occurred)
Forensic developmental psychology
Field that focuses on the reliability of children’s autobiographical memories in a legal context
Long term vs short term memory
Long term- relatively permanent and unlimited type of memory
Short term
- retention of info for up to 15-30 seconds without rehearsal of info
- individuals can retain info longer using rehearsal
Working memory
- mental workbench where we manipulate and assemble info when making decisions, problem solving and comprehending written and spoken language
More active in modifying info than short term memory is
Parts of the working memory model
Central executive- control and regulation
Phonological loop- verbal info
- list of similar words is harder to remember
- rehearsal helps memory
Visuospatial sketch pad
- holds info about what we see
- tasks that involve working your way through complex building
Episodic buffer
-links info across domains
Attention
Ability to control and sustain attention related to school readiness
Attention to relevant info increases in school years
Older children are better at shifting attention from one thing to another as needed
Multitasking is linked to
Use of multiple electronic media
If task is complex and challenging, multitasking reduces attention to key task
Sociocultural theory: 4 stages of cognitive development
1) primitive stage
- learns primarily through conditioning until language develops
2) naive psychology phase
- learns to use language to communicate, but still doesn’t completely understand symbols
3) egocentric speech
- uses language as a guide to solving problems
4) Ingrowth stage
- internalization of speech routines
Evaluations of vygotsky’s sociocultural theory
- not enough evidence to support or contradict it
- theory may ignore important contributions of individuals to group interactions
Theory of Mind
the ability to understand what others are thinking
How is theory of mind assessed?
Using a false belief task
(anne has a marble and puts it in a box, then leaves the room. Mary comes and moves the marble to the cupboard. Where will anne look for it?)
3 year olds say she will go to original spot (fail)
4 year olds understand it
Language Development
during preschool, children become more sensitive to sounds of words and more capable of producing sounds of language
Moving beyond two-word utterances
by the time they move beyond two words, they demonstrate knowledge of morphology rules
- use plural and possessive nouns
- use appropriate endings on verbs
- use of prepositions, articles, “to be”
Syntax
They learn and apply rules of syntax, show growing understanding of complex rules
Vocabulary development is ____ at this stage
dramatic
Fast mapping
Gains in semantics, are able to make connections between a word and its referent after limited exposure to a word
Advances in pragmatics
culturally specific rules of conversation and politeness
-sensitive to the need to adapt speech in different settings
Advances in what types of speech
private and social speech
Jeanie the girl deprived of language
able to make some gains in language in vocab development and semantics but social exposure is necessary for syntax and pragmatics
Vygotsky was concerned about what in language?
internalization of speech, learn how to think about speech
Piaget was concerned about what in language?
the interiorization
Beginning to write
-motor skills develop so they can print letters, as they begin to write, they invent spellings by sounding them out. Rely upon phonological code
What type of skills are needed to be a competent writer?
Metacognitive skills
-writing develops as language and cognitive skills develop
Psychosocial development
changes in the understanding that an individual has for themselves within the context of their society as well as the meaning they ascribe to the behaviours of others
Initiative versus guilt
Erikson- between ages 3 and 6, children experience conflict. Drive to experience and play, but if they are reprimanded from these activities, might engage in guilt
If they successfully resolve it, they will gain strong sense of initiative
Main characteristics of self-understanding
- confusion of self, mind, and body
- concrete descriptions
- physical descriptions
- active descriptions
- unrealistic positive overestimations
Do children compare with others at this age?
No, do not yet socially compare with others… only really think about their own abilities and how they are improving
The Self
Begin to describe themselves and perceive others in terms of psychological traits
Some children are better than others in understanding others’ feelings and desires
Understanding joint commitments, collaborative interactions
At 12-18 months, who do infants look to for signals?
Infants depend on caregivers for signals about acceptable behaviours
At 2-3 years, children begin to comply with caregiver’s expectations in absence of ______
External monitoring
Clear limitations of _____ during early childhood
self-regulation
-given strong stimulus, toddlers ignore safety
When does gender identity emerge?
Before 2 years old
-gender identity is your own appraisal of your identity
When does sex-typed behaviour increase?
During preschool years
-to avoid gender schemas, one suggestion is to encourage children to be androgynous, don’t have things geared to one gender
Gender and peer relations by age
3 years: children prefer same-sex playmates
4-12 years: preference for playing with same-sex group increases
Boys have larger groups than girls
What types of activities are boy’s groups more likely to engage in than girls?
Boys- more rough, competition, strong displays of ego
Girls- more collaborative activities, working toward same goal
Playground is called
Gender school, because interactional styles are quite rigid
Parent’s influences on Gender:
- Parents often interact differently with different genders
- Moms more involved in caregiving and teaching
- Fathers spend more time parenting (leisure activities) when they have sons, less likely to divorce with sons
Media’s influence on gender
Observe other adults in neighbourhood and media
As children age, peers reward and punish gender behaviour
Biological influences on gender- hormones
Estrogens- female sex characteristics and menstrual cycle
Androgens- male sex characteristics. Testosterone is an androgen
Both estrogens and androgens occur in males AND females, just at different levels
What year did researchers confirm existence of sex chromosomes?
1920
Evolutionary perspective on gender
natural selection benefits males who are more aggressive and risk taking. Minimizes competition for mates and maximizes offspring
females favoured who devoted efforts to parenting and chose males with resources and protection
Social role theory
psychological gender differences result from contrasting roles of women and men
Social hierarchy and division of labour are important causes of gender differences
Psychoanalytic theory of gender
- Stems from view that preschool children develop attraction to opposite sex parent
- Identifies with same-sex parent and unconsciously adopts their characteristics
Social cognitive theory of gender
Gender development through observation and imitation
-rewards and punishments shape gender appropriate behaviour
At what age do children begin developing friendships
age 3
Types of play for preschoolers
Parallel play: playing in same area, can be doing same or diff task, but not interacting in any way
Onlooker play: children watch other children
Associative play: doing diff tasks in same area, some degree of interaction
Cooperative play: working on same task to complete goal
What do parallel and onlooker play indicate?
that children sometimes prefer to play alone
-associative and cooperative play in older preschoolers mostly
What do children in preschool value in friendships?
Shared toys and activities
What do primary school children value in friendships?
Shared experiences and how they make you feel, shared fun
What do late childhood and adolescents value in friendship?
Friend’s traits, trust, communication, intimacy
Baumrind’s parenting styles
Low responsiveness, low demand = neglect (children low self-esteem, immature)
High responsiveness, high demand = authoritative (children self-controlled, achievement, cheery)
High demand, low responsiveness = authoritarian (children unhappy, fearful, weak communication)
Low demand, high responsiveness = permissive (children non-compliant, disrespectful)
Which parenting style is best?
Authoritative
What parenting style were matilda’s?
neglecting and authoritarian
Issues with classifying parenting style
Parents are not always consistent, depends upon context
Cultural differences in parenting
Child Abuse
Physical Abuse in 1-2% children in Canada
-common in families in stressful environments
Physical maltreatment can be overt behaviour or neglect
Cycle of violence hypothesis
children who suffer from abuse and neglect are predisposed to engage in the same habits with their children. 1/3 who were abused now abuse their own
True or false: kids who are abused get more stomachaches
True, more stomach aches, headaches and bed wetting
-our stomach is very emotionally reactive
Effects of maltreatment on the physical brain
can result in reductions in the size of the amygdala and hippocampus
-smaller hippocampus, more vulnerable to PTSD
What is resilience?
when individuals are able to overcome circumstances that place them at risk for psychological or physical damage
Piaget’s view on moral development
Heteronormous morality: rules are unchangeable (from 4-7 years)
Social learning theory view on moral development
Emphasis upon how the environment leads children to behave in prosocial ways
Empathy
Empathy emerges VERY early in development, when baby hears another baby crying, they will start to
Hostile aggression
acting in a way to cause intentional harm to another
-aggressive behaviour peaks at 2 years
Emotional self-regulation
ability to adjust the quality and intensity of emotions
Instrumental aggression
aggression that stems from the desire to reach a concrete goal
-males higher in this
Relational aggression
nonphysical aggression that is intended to hurt another individual emotionally
-females higher in this
Cognitive approach of aggression
aggression depends on interpretation of the behaviour of others
may be adaptive for the protection of resources
