Lecture 7: development in Middle childhood Flashcards
Piaget’s stages of cognitive development
Sensorimot intelligence (birth-2)¸
Pre-operational thought (2-7)
Concrete operations (7-11)
Formal Operational (11/12 yrs on)
Period of Concrete Operations
Period in which the child acquires such concepts as conservation and classification and can reason logically
Improvements may be closely related to memory capabilities
Child masters different forms of conservation -
Child masters different forms of conservation - knowledge that the quantitive properties of objects are invariant
- COnservation of number achieved first
- Then lenght, mass, volume
Decentration, reversibility
My notes:
Conservation: even if something looks different, its the same amount
Following the transformation, able to reverse process: reversibility
Categorization
Hierarchy of classes/class inclusion
Sorting within classes
Ex: 20 wodded beads (17 red, 3 white)
- are there more red or wooden beads
- Which would make a longer neckalace
My notes: Categorization:
Sort within classes
Lots of complexity of categorization
More red beads or wooden beads
Seriation
Ordering stiuli along quantitative dimentsion
- Pre-operational child has trouble
- COncrete operational child can do this task efficiently
My notes:
They can put things in order:
- Sticks from shortest to longest
- In pre operational reasoning: might put longer ones together and shorter ones in another pile, not as consistant
TO see which one is longest need to line up at bottom. At pre operational might not do that and line them up as they see them
Transitive inference
Combine relations logically to reach a conclusion
My notes:
If this is true, then this is true that this is also true
Blue stick is bigger then red and smaller then green
Green stick is longer then red
Pass at arround 7 to 8 yrs old
Can do it with images, real life situations
Spatial reasoning
Develop ability to perform mental rotations
- Can use mental walk approach to give clear directions
Much better spatial reasoning at that age:
Seen in
Explaining directions
Limitations
Logical thought only clear in concrete situations
Still have trouble with abstract conscepts
- e.g can do transitive inference with pictures, but not with words
My notes:
Can easitly make inferences visually but to hear and vizualize a lot more difficult
Piagets stages of cognitive development
Sensorimot intelligence (birth-2)¸
Pre-operational thought (2-7)
Concrete operations (7-11)
Formal Operational (11/12 yrs on)
The period of FOrmal Operations
Begins around 11/12 yrs , sometimes later, sometimes not at all
Characterized by flexible and abstract reasoning, multiple possibilities for the solution to a problem
The use of symbolic skills and higher education are factors associated with formal operations
My notes:
- Formal operations
- Thinking in abstract ways, benefits from some practice
hypothetico-decutive reasoning
hallmark of the formal operational period
Rigorous logical system for evaluating hypotheses using various mental actions
1) Problem presented
2) General theory
3) Deduce specific hypothses
4) Test each
Start with possibility, move to reality
Propositional thought
Able to evaluate the logic of propositions without referring to real-world circumstances
(e.g mathematical statements, advanced physics)
Able to reason about hypothetical/imaginary statements
My notes:
Proposition is an idea of a statement
Concrete Operations: if not happening in his world cant be the case
Formal: feather breaks glass
Pendulum problem
Used to determine if in formal operations
- Ability to think outside the box (gravity, shape of mass)
Formal operations: determine all possibilies, think all of these things and then test one at a time
Evaluation: formal operations
Piaget argued there were universal trends, but not everyone reaches formal operational thought
Not everyone gets to formal operations
Does cognitive development proceed in stages
current thinking is that development does not proceed in invariant stages
Development is more gradual than dramatic shifts, or a comination of the 2
Little role for social and cultural influences
- Yet intervention can accelerate development (Vygotsky)
My notes:
Not gradual developmental, stages
Vygotscky: social, piaget does not consider that aspect of development
Overall assessment
Piaget influence is enormous
Used innovative tech to answer important questions
Led to current emphasis on cognitive factors in development
Differences in cognition
ADHD
Autism spectrum disorder
Learning disorders
My notes:
Learning disorders: not going in depth, we often think of dyslexia, equally there are wrting disorders, math version dyscalxia. Dont focus just on the wrting aspect
ADHD
Inattentive
Active: moving arround, hyperactive
Impulsive
More commonly diagnosed in a males
- but maybe cuz it presents differently in gender
My notes:
Girls present a little difference then boys: girls may not move as much
Focusing on masking behaviour so cant focus on task at hand
Autism
Social impairements
- EMotional understanding, ToM, language use, social play…
Differences in brain biology
Spectrum disorders
- Often thought of as severity: Aspergers (more mild autosm)
- But more accurate to think of it as varied: Its a spectrum of skills and abilities that individual has
My notes:
Typically differences in terms of social processing
Oversttimulated easilly
Repetitive behaviour
Limite fields of intrest - often see that they develop great expertix in one area: not an intellectual defecit
Sometimes non verbal
Sometimes high development of language
Differences in emotional understanding
- Facial expression
- Tone of voice
- Trouble taking perspectives of others
Ppl of autism have poor theory of mind: hypothesis
- Underdevelopped
- Explainig all kinds of behaviour
DEBUNKED
Thats an oversimplification
Autism: used to be thought in terms of severity.
Now we see many individual variability. High functionning vautism might be very good at making (only about social situations)
What causes it?
Not bad parenting!
Not vaccines!
Risk facors (though small effect): increased parental age, age difference between father and mom, genetic compounant, complications during pregnancy and birth
Hypotheses for increase
We r seeing increasing rates of autism
Hypotheses for increase:
- Environmental toxins (early/prenatal)
- Metabolic differences: modern diet, the way its metabolised
- Differences in neural pruning: ng - some people dont have as much as otehrs, not as influence by environment
- Genetic factors
- Increased awarness/broader diagnostic criteria
Self-concept
The set of attributes, abilities, values that one sees as defining oneself
Develops thoughout childhood
Erikson psychosocial theory: Industrious or Inferior: Am I competent or incompetent
My notes:
Erikson proposed social developmental models
From infancy to end of life
- Stage model
- At each stage there is a conflict with 2 extremes
- Kids (at age 3-6): am I competent, can I learn to do things: i am better then everyone is one extreme, im incompetent and i suck (other extreme)
- Self concept of young children: tell you things they own, not personal things about them
Middle child hood: will say things about internal caracteristictics
Gender typing
Children use gender categories by about age 2
Generalize concepts to lots
- toys, colours, activities, behaviours, etc.
Of course, not all kids have strong male/female schema
Nature of gender typing
Ancestral environment: men fought for mates, women cared for children
- Genetic patterns may have been passed on from then
Exposing animals prenatally to androgens leads to more male-type behaviour
Congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH)
Exceptional case: David Reimer
My notes:
Evidence of gender typing
Ancestral environnement: genetic patterns between men and female have been passed down from that
If we expose animals like mice or rats to sex hormones that are male: will express male personnalities later: aggressive, impact of hormones. Decrease of female behaviours
- Less care giving
- More agressive
In humans we see some conditions that are similar: CAH
David Reimer: one of 2 twin boys. Circumsised David and removed his penis all together as a baby
- Raise David as a girl, tell
- Female therapy was forced, somehow he knew (physiological aspect of gender identity)
- 14 when he found out and decided to be a boy. Always felt different
- Suicided
CAH
Inability to amke sufficient cortisol by adrenal gland leads to overproduction of androgens
In female causes
- Female reproductive organs but ambiguous genitalia
- More hair, acne during adolescence, early puberty
- Rapid growth during childhood
my notes:
Adrennal gland does not have the ability to form cortisol sufficiently
In females, internal female organs but have more acne, body hair,
Exposure to different levels of androgens pre-natally
Behavavioural ourcomes in CAH
During childhood and adolescence
- Male-typical behaviour common (play with boys’toys increased aggression, good spatial ability)
- Reduced female-typical behaviors (playing with girls toys, intrest in babies)
Later in life:
- More male-dominated occupations, more active sports, more interest in typically male topics (e.g cars)
nurture gender typing
Parents supply different expectations
- BOys should be tough, competitive
- GIrls should be gentle, kind
Parents supply different toys
Parents interact more when child engages in gender-typical activities
Less focus on gender-typing, and less gender-typed parents (e.g stay at home dad) leads to less gender-typed kids
Teachers perpetuate gender typing as well
Peers pressure gender-typical behaviour
- Praise, involvment in gender-typical activities
- Ridicule of gender-crossed activities
Decreasing gender stereotyping
Model gender-atypical behaviour
Provide toys typical for both genders
Minimize language/media perpetuation gender stereotypes
Point out exceptions to gender sterotypes
Peer relations
Becomes increasingly important in middle childhood
7-9 yrs
- Seek to be included, avoid rejection
- Expect prosocial behaviour from friends
Adolescence
- Early years: hang out in cliques (small groups of 5-10 friends who have regular interactions and have shared interests)
- High sshool: hang out in crods (large, loosely organized groups that act as a social identity - e.g. jocks)
Peer Influence
Peers are important because they:
- Model behaviour
- Reinforce/Punish behaviour
- Social comparison
Peers are a source of values
- Positive and negative
My notes:
Act outside of norms of friend group - ridiculate
Peers are a source of values
Can be +: work hard in school
-: skip school
Friendship formation in middle childhood
Proximity:
- Neighboorhoods, kids in same class
Similarity:
- age, gneder, race, interests, popularity
Trust as an important aspect
My notes
Expectations of friendships: prosocial, looking out for one another, prosocial
Benefits of friendship
Self esteem
- children with satisfactory friendships: higher self-esteem
Prosocial Behaviour
- Behaviour that is valued in society, encouraged in children (Friendships foster prosocial behaviour through sharing, cooperation, offering help and social support)
Conflict resolution
- Children come to understand that conflicts can occur and relationship lasts
Popularity
Measuring popularity: peer nominations
Popular children are often food at
- Initiating interactions
- Maintaininng interaction
- Resolving conflict
My notes:
Peer nomination: someone they like and someone they dont like. Gives a sence of popularity
Whoever gets to be liked more - more popular
Better at initiating interaction, maitaining interaction, resolving conlifct (diffuse tension)
When peer relations go wrong
Rejected child
Disliked by many, liked by few
- Aggressive-rejected: aggressive, discruptive, antisocial behaviours
- Withdrawn-rejected: unhappy, anxious
Neglected child
Few nominations on nomination technique. Almost forgotten by peers
- Shy, socially withdrawn, lower social skills
Controversial Child
Disliked by many, liked by many as well
- High on aggression and high on sociability
Bullying
Intentional, repeated, behaviour against weaker individuals to gain or maintain social status or power
Physical (overt)
- Hitting, pushing
Verbal (overt)
- Threatening, name calling
Rational (covert)
- Spreding rumours, excluding others
Covert: harder to see
Cyberbullying
- Via electronic means
Bullying stats
20% of children bully others
25% of children are bullied (victims)
5% of children bully others and are bullied (bully-victims)
20-40% or 3/10 youths have experienced cyberbullying
Cyber vs traditional bullying
Similarities:
- Both forms of aggression
- Both have a power imbalance
- Both are repeated behaviours over time
Differences
- Anonymity key for cyber bullying
- Cyber bullying can occur 24/7
- Cyber victims at risk of being punished twice fear of losing online priviliges if they tell`
My notes:
Power imalance
Risk with cyberbullying: anonamously
