Middle Childhood Flashcards
Physical development - how fast do they grow?
–If properly nourished, children grow 2-3” a year & gain about 5-8 pounds a year, between 6-12
Obesity in children
- -Most common nutritional problem for children in America
- -In past 3 decades, number of overweight children and adolescents has tripled
- -CDCP estimates that 1/3 of US youth 2-19 are overweight.
Physical Development - middle childhood
- -Brief period late in middle childhood when girls become heavier and taller than boys
- -Girls growth spurt occurs approximately 2 years earlier than boys
Obesity-related health problems in children
- -Type II diabetes
- -Bone and joint problems
- -sleep apnea
- -cardiovascular disease
Factors influencing childhood obesity
- -Overeating
- -Genetic predisposition
- -Parents who themselves have eating and nutritional problems
- -Inactivity - sedentary lifestyle
- -Schools: play a critical role by establishing a safe and supportive environment that supports healthy behaviors; provides opportunities for students to learn about and practice healthy eating and physical activity behaviors
Cognitive Development - Piaget’s Third Stage
Concrete Operational Stage
Concrete Operational Stage characteristics
- -Ability to conserve
- -Understand class inclusions
- -Understand numbers and ordering in sequence
- -Thinking is still concrete (bound to real world)
Social Development – Which of Erikson’s stages is this?
Erickson’s fourth stage - Industry vs. Inferiority
The two approaches to self-esteem
James’s Approach to Self-Worth
Cooley’s Approach to Self-Worth
James’s approach to self-worth
Self-worth is a direct function of the difference between what I would like to be and what I think I am
Cooley’s approach to self-worth
Self-worth is a direct function of what I think others think of me
Self-worth research by Harter
- -with 8 - 13 year olds
- -Take’s more of James’ approach:
- -Scholastic competence
- -Athletic competence
- -Physical appearance
- -Behavioral conduct
- -What significant other people think is also critical, especially parents and classmate (Cooley’s approach)
View of friendship changes between 5 and 12
- -5 year old assumes that to be friends it is only necessary to play together
- -12 year old believes that to become friends it is necessary to know each other - to share thoughts & feelings. To develop trust & assistance, depend on them to keep promises and to step forward in times of need
Middle childhood friendship facts
- -Children usually have several close friends vs. one best friend
- -6-11% of elementary aged children have no friends
- -Peer group becomes increasingly important
Gottman study
Based on 113 children
Found 5 categories of Social Status:
–Sociometric Stars: well like by most
–Mixers: high peer interaction; some liked, some not
–Teacher Negatives: typically in conflict with teachers; some well-liked, others not
–Tuned Out: Not involved, ignored rather than rejected
–Rejectees: Not like by others, rejected, butt of cruel jokes
Hymel’s Categories of Social Status
- -similar to Gottman’s:
- -Popular children: Liked by many classmates
- -Rejected children: Disliked by many classmates
- -Controversial children: Both liked and disliked by classmates
- -Average children: LIked and disliked, but without the intensity found for popular, rejected or controversial children
- -Neglected children: Ignored by classmates
Bullying - basic facts
- -Most children are targets of occasional aggressive acts
- -Some children are chronic targets of bullying
- -Three types: physical agression; relational aggression; electronic
Television viewing
- -Preschoolers spend more than a third of their waking time watching television
- -By 18, many children will have spent 50% more time watching TV than going to school and doing schoolwork combined.
- -School-age children spend 20 - 25 hours each week watching TV
Television viewing & violence
- -studies show television violence does increase viewer aggression
- -Text cites research that supports the idea that TV violence has a long-term impact on aggression, particularly boys
- -Another possible side effect of violence on television is the instillation of fear in some children
Positive effects of television
- -Language development of preschoolers can be significantly improved with educational television
- -Pro-social behaviors can be improved through wholesome programming
Regulating TV viewing
- -Children need rules concerning the amount of TV and types of programs they watch
- -Children should not watch TV as an answer to boredom
- -Adults should watch TV with children and discuss the programs
- -Parents need to be good TV viewers themselves
Child Maltreatment - statistics
- -In 1991, 1 million substantiated cases of child abuse and neglect cases.
- -By 1994, the number of cases had risen to 1.2 million
- -Approximately 1 million children annually suffer maltreatment and neglect
- -3 million reported
- -A report of child abuse is made every 10 seconds
- -Child abuse occurs at any economic level, across ethnic and cultural lines, within all religions and all levels of education
Nature of Maltreatment
- -Physical abuse: difficulty in defining. Shaken Baby syndrome is a specific kind of physical abuse. It is the most common cause of death among physically abused infants.
- -Physical neglect: Acts of omission rather than commission, like inadequate nourishment, shelter or clothing
- -Medical Neglect: 25,000 cases in the US in 1994
- -Emotional Abuse: Shaming, blaming, ridiculing, and isolating are examples. The effects are often invisible, therefore it is seldom reported but no less devastating.
- -Sexual Abuse: Sexual behaviors that are forced upon a child, may also include propositioning, exhibitionism, etc. Victims are primarily female and often very young.
