Final Review Flashcards
Piaget (differences from Vygotsky)
- Understates sociocultural influences
- Based on middle class European kids
- Explains Many Kids development but not all
- Assumes children’s thinking is more homogeneous than it really is
- Doesn’t account for individual differences
Vygotsky (differences from Piaget)
- Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)
- Identify what someone is good at and challenge them one step harder than that.
- Extremely child centered theory, focuses on the individual rather than looking at it like everyone is the same
- Allows for sociocultrual heterogeneity and individual potential
What is a Schema?
- A mental framework that organizes knowledge into categories or groups of associations
- Becomes more sophisticated with EXPERIENCE
- Sometimes our schemas can be applied to new situations, but sometimes our schemas are not sufficient for a new situation and new information is needed
What are the key features and limitations of Piaget’s preoperational-stage of cognitive development (stage 2, 2-4 y/o)
- Preschooler has time comprehension, with clear understanding of past and future
- Uses language and mental imagery to explore and represent the world (symbolic representation)
Major Limitations: - Magical thinking
- Egocentrism
- Centration
- Lack of conversation
- Transductive thinking
- Symbolic representation allows for all of these things
Magical Thinking
Take symbolic representation beyond reality
Egocentrism
Cannot differentiate one’s own point of view from that of others’ (everything is MINE)
–Test with false belief task (if they pass they’re on their way to developing theory of mind, if not they’re egocentric)
Centration
Tendency to focus on a single, perceptually striking feature of an object or event and ignore other features
Lack of Conservation
Cannot understand that merely changing the appearance of objects does not change their key properties
Transductive Thinking
When objects share properties, it’s as if they are the same thing
– ex: “ i haven’t had my nap, so it cannot be the afternoon”
Preconceptual Substage (2-4)
Thinking is dominated by SYMBOLIC REPRESENTATION and imaginative play, often with deferred imitation
– Language, images, symbols, magical/animistic thinking
Intuitive Substage (4 to 7)
Thinking is dominated by WHAT CHILDREN FEEL or sense to be true, but they cannot explain the principles behind it (the “why”)
- Theory of mind begins to emerge between ages 4 and 5
- gradual understanding that each person has their own mental states (beliefs, desires, intentions)
Theory of Mind
An organized understanding of how the mind works and influences behavior
– Hallmark of autism is failure to develop theory of mind
What are the key features and limitations of Piaget’s concrete operations stage of cognitive development?
- stage 3 (3-11 y/o)
- Rule-driven
- Children can transform, and use systematic reasoning - but generally only about topics that are present or follow set, rules
- feather task (feather breaking glass)
- Manipulables
- Difficulty understanding abstract or hypothetical concepts
- what would the world be like if we had no thumbs
- Inductive reasoning
- when you throw sand on your friend he feels sand and does not want to play with you anymore
- works better than punishment or love withdrawal
Manipulables
Concrete, present objects
– Ex: finger counting
Inductive reasoning
Parental control technique to help children understand the effect of their behavior on others (show child how to use an experience to draw a new conclusion)
What are the key features of Piaget’s formal operations stage of cognitive development?
- Stage 4 (11-15 y/o)
- Ability to think abstractly and reason hypothetically and systemically (can consider multiple outcomes)
- Formal operations stage is not universal
- Horizontal Decalage
Horizontal decalage
Concept that abilities do not appear at the same time within a stage of development (child may have theory of mind but not yet have conservation)
What are some key limitations of Piaget’s cognitive development theory as a whole
- Vague about the cognitive mechanisms that enable cognitive growth
- Some cognitive abilities emerge earlier than Piaget thought
- Some children who are at one cognitive stage can be trained to reason at a higher cognitive stage
- Culture and education exert stronger influences on children’s development than piaget believed
What are the key features of Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory of Cognitive Development?
- Social interaction and cultural norms lead to continuous changes in children’s thinking
- Children construct their knowledge using these social tools
- The community provides knowledge and identity
- Language is central to cognitive development
- The end point of cognitive development can vary depending on which skills are considered to be the most important in a particular culture
- The ZPD
What is scaffolding as it applies to Vygotsky’s theory?
- An MKO (more knowing other) instructs in small steps, decreasing guidance until the child gradually advances to independence
- Identify what the child knows
- Teach him something new to add to it
- Relate it back to prior knowledge to guide conceptual understanding and independence
- Locus of Control Shifts (external- I need someone to tell me what to do vs Internal - i know it within myself and i can do it by myself)
How can guided participation and cultural contexts affect cognitive development?
- Children are “apprentices” in thinking through their scaffolded participation in social and cultural activities
- MKOs guide children’s learning opportunities through decisions about how much and when to expose children to books, television, child care, chores etc.
- development occurs when adults and children share activities
- during play involving cultural traditions and practices
- Scaffolding is widely used, but varies across cultures according to cultural norms in parenting and in social roles
What is egocentric speech?
“private Speech”
- Children use it to communicate socially and to self-regulate and guide themselves step-by-step to keep their thinking on track
- Child’s schema for thinking and understanding something develops separately from labels or spoken words, like learning a new language (understand it before speaking it)
What is inner speech?
- approx. age 7
- Language ability becomes internalized as thought (able to think about the words without saying the words out loud while keeping ourselves on track)
- Internal, language-based method for planning actions and strategies
What were the key findings of Autism discussed in lecture?
- Autism is a brain “disorder” that limits a person’s ability to communicate and relate to other people socially
- Becomes apparent in early childhood (1-6 y/o) and ranges along a spectrum from mild to severe
- 44% of Autistics have average to above average intellect (but is often comorbid, connected to another developmental disorder that does affect intellect)
- More identifiable so it gets diagnosed more often
- Vaccines DO NOT cause autism
- Early treatment, ideally before age 3, can greatly improved ASD child’s development
- Applied Behavior analysis can help ASD children learn to talk and communicate better, develop physically and deal with other people more effectively
- Technology allows for comfort between autistic people and non autistic people by changing the way they communicate
Key early signs of Autism
- Don’t respond to their own name
- don’t make eye contact
- do not smile or respond to social cues from others
- do not use two word-phrases by age 2
- Have no interest when adults point out objects such as a plane flying overhead
- Do repetitive motions like rocking or spinning
What must infants do in Emotion regulation and coping
Infants must LEARN to adapt to different contexts that require emotional regulation
Temperament
Biologically based emotional and behavioral style of reacting to internal and external events
- differences in temperament may make it more difficult for the parents of some infants to maintain responsiveness (sensitivity) over time
- it is biologically based on emotional style of interacting with the world (something you can already see in newborns)
- It is consistent (personality)
- Whatever the temperament of the baby is, it is going to affect the way the parent responds to the baby
Emotional Competence
Strategies we learn to effectively cope with emotional demands involving self and/or others
Emotional Coaching
- Monitor: their children’s emotions ( pay attention to their signals)
- Assist: In identifying and labeling their emotions as they are feeling it
- Accept: Optimistic and negative emotions
- Scaffold: thoughts and behaviors for self-regulating (coping effectively) with different emotions
Emotion Dismissing
- Deny, ignore and try to change kids’ challenging emotions
- Parents do not problem-solve with the child
- Believe the child’s problems are minor
- Believe adverse emotions will simply disappear over time and/or the child will just forget about it
- Believe they can simply tell the child how to feel or not to feel
Effects of emotion dismissal
- Kids learn that their feelings are wrong, inappropriate or don’t matter
- May believe something is wrong with them because of how they feel
- have difficulty self-regulating their emotions because the parent has not acknowledged challenging emotions
Kids and teens with conduct disorders are much more likely to have
- Difficult temperament
- emotion dismissing caregivers
- Parents who use harsh discipline
What does social development encompass?
- Emotional development
- Self-regulation
- Self-esteem
- All the things that go into your ability to successfully interact with other people socially
Describe the development of self control in infants
- Child learns emotional competence (weak) and delay gratification in continuous phase
- – Emotional Competence is weak
- Control phase (12-18 mo)
- Self-Control Phase (preschool period)
- The marshmallow Studies
- 3 to 8 y/o
- Most resisted the treat for an average of 3 minutes
- By high school, low delayers (< 30 sec) were more likely to
- have behavior problems
- struggle in stressful situations
- have difficulty maintaining friendship
- High delayers (15 min) had fewer of above problems plus:
- Scored an avg of 210 points higher on SAT
- More active frontal cortex attentional control system
Describe the development of Conscience in infants
- An internalized (something we learn/biological) increases person’s ability to conform with accepted standards of conduct in culture
- At age 2 (control phase) some understanding moral standards, signs of guilt, reinforcement/punishment still major drivers
- At age 3 (self-control phase): Conscience kicks in, reflects internalized standards learned from parents
– As children mature, their internalization of parents’ moral values tends to deepen when parents use rational explanations rather than harsh disciplines (and if child is securely attached)
Interaction of social and cognitive influences - Guilt
– Influenced by locus of control and fear of punishment
– Bullies have reduced sense of personal responsibility from low self-esteem, emotion-dismissing parents, learned behaviors of aggression from parents’ harsh discipline
Describe the development of morality in children
- External code of conduct we learn (entirely nurture)
- All different across cultures and change over time
- Reasoning behind behavior critical for determine a person’s “morality”
- Heinz Dilemma: Kohlberg
- Pre-conventional: obey rules to AVOID punishment (it is wrong because you get caught, if you don’t get caught it’s fine)
- Conventional: Society’s laws determine morality (it’s right because he means well and he will pay the consequences)
- Post-Conventional (10-15%): personal principles uphold for all people (it’s right because human life must be preserved. It is worth more than money, the law needs to change)
What is Aggression?
Behavior aimed at harming or injuring others
What is Instrumental Aggression
Motivated by the desire to obtain a concrete goal (ex: overtly stealing another kids toy)
What is Relational Aggression?
Harms others by damaging their peer relationships (ex: spreading rumors)
What is associated with conduct problems that emerge in adolescence?
Interacting with deviant peer groups
How does aggression originate and how does this relate to behavior disorders?
- Emotion-dismissing parents/harsh discipline at home (nurture)
- Tend to exhibit a different temperament from an early age, low self-control another predictor (nature)
- Aggression is unintentionally reinforced by parents when they give in to children’s temper/demands
Disruptive behavior disorders
Recurring and persistent patterns of overt (instrumental) or covert (relational) behaviors that violate others rights
- Onset approx age 10 (signs as early as age 3)
- Temper tantrums, low guilt, low remorse, low self-esteem
- Highly co-morbid with ADD/ADHD
- Poor peer relationships or well-developed relationships but with deviant peers
- Early Diagnosis: trace back to lack of parenting skills due to lack of knowledge or simply bad parenting
Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD)
- Less extreme one but still bad
- Angry, defiant, irritable, rebellious behaviors showing little concern for others
- Ex: lying, theft, hostility, truancy, setting fires, vandalism
Conduct Disorder (CD)
- More aggressive and destructive than ODD
- EX: inflicting pain, violating rights of others, Harming people because it is SATISFYING: hitting, bullying, sexual abuse, felony assault
Antisocial Disorder
- lack of remorse, no regard for social standards or social relationships
- There are brain differences between this and CD, and ODD but most seem to emerge from interaction with traumatic NURTURE
- EX: serial killers, 5% responsible for 50% of crimes
What are some consistent signs seen in aggressive and antisocial behavior?
- At-risk adolescents and adults typically showed both aggression and antisocial behaviors in elementary school years
- poor attention and self-control, lack of empathy, impulsivity, Fearlessness
What is the Catharsis Myth and what does it teach us?
- Opportunities found to release built up, antisocial aggression
- when people explode emotions without consequences - reinforcement of aggressive behaviors
- – EX: punch wall, parent sees it as “oh he is just letting his emotions out” but it might be a person he punches next.
- Child NEEDS to learn coping skills for the aggressive feelings
Methods of Aggression prevention
- Parental skills training (number 1 predictor of controlling and eliminating behavior disorders)
- Intervention programs at school (fast-track)
- Social problem-solving information for parents and child
What is altruistic behavior
Made strictly to benefit others and not oneself
- ALL altruistic acts ARE prosocial
What is prosocial behavior
Refers to any action that benefits others, no matter what the motive or whether the giver also benefits
- ALL prosocial acts are NOT altruistic
- Primary influence on children’s development of prosocial behavior: family role modeling
What is Empathy
An emotional reaction to another’s emotional state or condition that is similar to that person’s state or condition
– Experience someone else’s emotions
What is Sympathy
The feeling of concern for another in reaction to the other’s emotional state or condition
– Feeling sorry for their pain
Which should you train over the other Empathy or Sympathy?
Empathy
The biological origins of Altruistic and Prosocial behavior are rooted in the capacity to feel?
Empathy and Sympathy
What is significant about the self-esteem differences shown on the lecture slide?
- Lowest: college years
- INCREASING problem b/c -> helicopter/lawnmower parenting (don’t want your child to fail so they don’t know how to cope when they do)
- women a lot lower than men, finally equal out about 75 y/o
Eating disorders
Increasing dramatically, low self-esteem, low coping skills - Intervene with emotion coaching
Psychological and social consequences of being overweight in childhood
- Low self-esteem
- Depression
- Exclusion from peer group
Physical consequence of being overweight
- sleep apnea
- hip problems
- diabetes
- Hypertension
- High blood cholesterol
What are the Culture-Bound, genetic eating disorders?
- Anorexia Nervosa
- Bulimia
Control Phase
- age 12 - 18 months
- Passive Inhibition system
- Passive because receiving control externally from caregivers
- Emotional Competence still weak and parent-controlled
Self-Control Phase
- During Preschool
- Active Inhibition System: conscious control as emotional competence and sense of moral self strengthened
- Child begins internalizing parents’ beliefs and behaviors, especially about “right or wrong”
What are guilt emotions linked to?
Personal responsibility influence by perceived locus of control and fear of punishment
What is the natural pattern of aggression?
Increases with age and then decreases after teen years
Development of aggression is more ____ than _____
Nurture, Nature
Is aggression normal in childhood?
NO
Environmental factors that influence whether children become overweight include:
- The greater availability of food (especially high fat fast food)
- Energy-saving devices such as remote controls
- Declining physical activity (more TV watching, video games)
- Decreased parental monitoring
- Parental habits and context
What is Anorexia Nervosa
Literally means a lack of appetite caused or induced by nervousness
- Extreme dieting (not eating enough)
- Distorted body self-perception
- Linked to disordered locus of control
What is Bulimia
Recurrent episodes of binging and purging
- Eating abnormally large amounts of food at once
- Using vomiting or laxatives to prevent weight gain
- Linked to disordered locus of control
How do we prevent eating disorders?
- increase your child’s self-esteem!
- avoid talking about dieting and being thin or fat
- Encourage and model healthy eating and an active lifestyle
- Teach your child, or see your pediatrician about the normal changes that a growing body goes through
- Talk to your child about how to be healthy, including eating nutritious meals and snacks and being physically active
- See your pediatrician each year to help monitor your child’s growth and development and talk about nutrition
How do we teach emotional competence skills?
Emotion-coaching
What are Piaget’s 6 sensorimotor substages in order?
- Basic reflex activity
- Primary circular reaction
- Secondary circular reaction
- — Object permanence
- — A-not-B error
- Coordination of reactions
- Tertiary circular reactions
- Internalization of schemas
