Module 4: Early Childhood

Question 1

True or false? Gender constancy is similar to Piaget’s idea ofconservation.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Why do young children fail conservation tasks, according to Piaget?

Answer 2

Centration result in a child’s difficulty with conservation.

Question 3

Which theorist, Piaget or Vygotsky, thought that collaborative with teachers or older peers is the key to cognitive development?

Answer 3

Vygotsky

Question 4

Which of the following accurately describes Discovery Learning?

Answer 4

Children learn by actively exploring - emphasis on hands-on learning
(Wrong- Children learn by reading about experiments - emphasis on critical reading)
(Wrong - Children learn by traveling to different countries)
(Wrong - None of the above)

Question 5

Which Piagetian substage occurs during the Preoperational stage: Secondary Circular Reactions, Symbolic Function, or Metacognition?

Answer 5

Symbolic Function

Question 6

True or False? Myelination can impact the way that children think?

Answer 6

True

Question 7

The process by which neurons become insulated with a layer of fat cell is known as what?

Answer 7

Myelination

Question 8

Which of Baumrind’s parenting styles is associated with the most negative long-term outcomes?

Answer 8

Neglectful

Question 9

True or False? Researchers on gender and early childhood indicate that it’s rare for children of this age group to behave in very gender stereotypical ways

Answer 9

False

Question 10

True or False? When children play pretend games with one another, they are showing a reduction in egocentrism.

Answer 10

True

Question 11

Why do modern researchers often find that young children are able to over come some aspects of egocentrism at younger ages than Piaget had thought?

Answer 11

Piaget’s Three Mountain Task may have be too hard for children to understand. Modern tasks are more easily understandable to children and can result in less egocentric responses.

Question 12

Describe an example of a parent or teacher using scaffolding in order to teach a child a particular task. Be sure to describe beginning, middle, and later steps.

Answer 12

when a child is learning to ride a bike, at first the parent may hold the steering wheel to steer and hold the seat for balance of the child. The next step would be for the parent to remove one of the holds such as the hold on the steering wheel as the child becomes more able to ride the bike. The next step would be to remove the hand holding the seat, but just running by the child and helping with balance and steering as needed. Finally the parent would remove themselves entirely and let the child do it all on their own.

Question 13

Why is parallel play an example of egocentrism?

Answer 13

Basically they are playing next to another child, not with them. They are focused on their own play and any “conversations” are just talking at another person with their thoughts , not have a back and forth conversation.

Question 14

Compare and contrast Gross Motor and Fine Motor skills. What are the differences between the two types of skills? Also, give an example of a Gross Motor skill and a Fine Motor skill that occurs in early childhood.

Answer 14

Gross motor skills are large movements and larger body parts. An example would be kicking a ball or running. Fine motor skills are more refined and exacting movements made by smaller muscles. An example would be writing or cutting with scissors on a line.

Question 15

What purpose does synaptic pruning serve in the brains of young children?

Answer 15

It serves to make the brain more efficient. Unused synaptic connections are removed (synaptic pruning) while used pathways are strengthened.

Question 16

Describe each of Baumrind’s parenting styles. In your description, summarize the key features, indicating what responsiveness and demandingness look like in each parenting style. Just listing “low” and “high” levels of each feature for each parenting style is not a sufficient description. Be sure to also define “responsiveness” and “demandingness” in your answer. Then, give a detailed illustration of parents displaying each style. Be sure that your illustration showcases specific parents (you can even give pseudonyms if you’d like!) behaving according to each type of parenting style in everyday life. These illustrations should be distinct (separate) from your descriptions of the parenting styles.

Answer 16

…

Question 17

What is responsiveness?

Answer 17

how affectionate, communicative, and responsive to child

Question 18

What is demandingnes?

Answer 18

Setting limits and discipline to the child

Question 19

What are the 4 parenting styles listed by Baumrind?

Answer 19

Authoritarian, Authoritative, Permissive, Neglectful

Question 20

What is a Authoritarian parent?

Answer 20

High on Demandingness, Low of Responsiveness. ‘My way of the Highway” Set hard boundaries and expect them to be followed. The Drill sergeant. Harry Potter’s aunt and uncle to him.

Question 21

What is a Authoritative parent?

Answer 21

High on responsiveness, and high on demandingness. The “ideal” parenting style. They balance appropriate limits on the child’s behavior, but are also responsive to the needs of the child.

Question 22

What is a Permissive parent?

Answer 22

High levels of responsiveness, low levels of demandingness. The “pushover” parent. They cater to what the child wants. Harry Potter’s aunt and uncle to their child Dudley, or Verruca Salt’s parents in Willy Wonka.

Question 23

What is a neglectful parent?

Answer 23

Low levels of both responsiveness and demandingness. They are not really involved in their child’s life. This can cross into child abuse.

Question 24

This researcher was pessimistic about a child’s ability to learn by themself?

Answer 24

Vygotsky

Question 25

Which Piagetian substage occurs during the Preoperational stage?

Answer 25

Symbolic function

Question 26

Which theorist, Piaget or Vygotsky, thougtht that self- discovery was key to cognitive development?

Answer 26

Piaget

Question 27

This researcher focused on how young children experiment on their world in order to learn about it.

Answer 27

Piaget

Question 28

What occurs when under-utilized synaptic connections die away?

Answer 28

Synaptic pruning

Question 29

True or false? Myelination can impact the way children think?

Answer 29

True

Question 30

True or false? Children in early childhood as well as elementary school tend to associate with children of the same gender?

Answer 30

True

Question 31

Gender __________ theory states that children learn what society thinks about male and female appropriate behaviors and that they organize new information according to these models

Answer 31

Schema

Question 32

Why do modern researchers often find that young children are able to overcome some aspects of egocentrism at younger ages than Piaget had thought?

Answer 32

Modern researchers often found that young children where able to overcome some aspects of egocentrisim because they believed that Piaget’s theory of the Mountain Task was hard, the children did not understand the logical context and intent of the experimenter, the materials Piaget used where not unfamiliar, and the language was complicated. Hence, the researchers used easier models like the Policeman Doll Study and Turn Table Model that the children understood easily. Also, the materials used were familiar like in the turn table model where “Grover” the cartoon character from “Sesame Street” was introduced. Finally, the experiment was properly explained to the children and even when they did not get it right it was explained further and they were allowed to try again.

Question 33

According to Piaget, what is centration

Answer 33

Focusing all attention on only one aspect of a task and missing the “big picture”

Question 34

What is the age range for Piaget’s Preoperational stage?

Answer 34

2-7

Question 35

What are 2 reasons for why children think inefficiently?

Answer 35

1. lack of myelination
2. lack of synaptic pruning

Question 36

What purpose does synaptic pruning serve in the brains of young children?

Answer 36

It removes underused synaptic connections and leads to strengthening of often used connections.

Question 37

Describe Piaget’s Three Mountains task. Be sure to describe the purpose, procedure, and results of the study. Then, describe Hughes’ Policeman Doll study—its purpose, procedure, and results. Then, answer why the studies obtained different results.

Answer 37

Piaget’s Three Mountains Task; Piaget carried out this task to confirm what age children stop being egocentric. Also he used this task to determine egocentricm in children. The children where made to sit in front of a model that comprised of three mountains of which the tops had a snow, hut and red cross. Then, the children were made to walk around the model soaking it in before seating down. Next, dolls where placed at different point of views and the children where given 10 different photographs of the mountain that showed different views and the children where asked to pick out the dolls view per time from the photographs. He noticed that the 4 year olds always picked the view that was theirs and did not realize the dolls had a different view. Next, the 6 year olds always picked a different view from their own view but still picked the wrong view of the dolls, and finally the 7 year olds always picked the right view. Hence piaget settled that children are no longer egocentric at 7 years. Hughes Policeman Doll Study: Hughes decided that piagets task was hard and he decided to use this method where he had two intersecting walls, a policeman doll and a boy doll. He made sure the chldren understood the intent of the task and explained it to them if they made a mistake. He placed the police man doll at one end of the wall and asked the children to hide the boy doll from the policeman. He also found out that the children rarely made a mistake. He realized that the 3 year olds where able to get this 90% of the time and when more dolls where place, that is two to three police man dolls at diffent end of the walls, the 4year olds where able to hide the boy dolls correctly 90% of the time. Hence, Hughes confirmed that children at the age of 4 years would have lost their egocentrism and that Piaget must have underestimated the children due to his hard experiment, and also when children do not understand the task given to them they would always not get it right. The Studies obtained different results because: The experiments and models used where different Hughes’ Policeman Doll study was easier fro the children tounderstand. Hughes’ language was not complicated like Piagets and the materials used where familiar, children are drwan to dolls Finally, Hughes’ made sure he explined the process to the children so that they understood the intent of the experimenter. The children understood Hughes task better than they did Piaget’s and so they did well

Question 38

According to Vygotsky, in an ideal learning situation, adults give much assistance to young children early on. As the children become more competent, the adult begins to withdraw direct assistance. This illustrates the zone of________

Answer 38

proximal development

Question 39

According to Piaget, __________ are mental activities.

Answer 39

Operations

Question 40

Why do young children conserve tasks, according to Piaget?

Answer 40

Centration. They focus on only one feature of an object and miss the big picture

Question 41

_________ are tree-like branches of neurons

Answer 41

dendrites

Question 42

True or false? It is common for young children to engage in gender stereotyping.

Answer 42

True

Question 43

What of Baumrind’s parenting styles is associated with the best long-term outcomes?

Answer 43

Authoratative

Question 44

True or false? Neglect is not a form of child abuse

Answer 44

false

Question 45

What does the Piagetian term “Preoperations” mean? Why did Piaget use that term?

Answer 45

Operations are mental activities, such as addition and subtraction. Children in this stage are “pre-“ or before this operational stage. They are not fully internalizing their actions according to Piaget.

Question 46

Give an example of a child exhibiting animism, as defined by Piaget

Answer 46

An example is believing a stuffed animal is alive and has feeling and is their best friend. Animism is giving human qualities to inanimate objects.

Question 47

Describe two applications of Piaget’s Preoperational stage to early childhood education.
Your description should reflect material discussed in the module as being applicable to educational practices today. In your description, be sure to explain these applications and how they connect with Piaget’s theory.

Answer 47

Two of the following need to be described:

waiting for a child’s natural abilities to unfold and not rushing learning before the child is ready—this is has to do with Piaget’s focus on “nature” and abilities naturally unfolding,

discovery learning—this has to do with Piaget’s emphasis on experimentation on objects for cognitive development, individual differences in learning—this again has to do with “nature” and the emphasis on individual development

Important to recognize differences in learning, and instead of comparing to national norms, compare them to the child’s progress from previous development.

Question 48

What purpose does myelination in the brains of young children serve?

Answer 48

To speed up synaptic connections

Question 49

Describe Piaget’s Three Mountains task. Be sure to describe the purpose, procedure, and results of the study. Then, describe Hughes’ Policeman Doll study—its purpose, procedure, and results. Then, answer why the studies obtained different results.

Answer 49

Descriptions of the Three Mountains task need to include the following information: purpose is to find out the age when children are no longer egocentric; procedure involved the child sitting at a table with 3 mountains with a doll in the model, and pictures shown hypothetically from the doll’s view, with the child needing to correctly pick the doll’s point of view; results showed 4 year-olds as being egocentric with consistent reduction in egocentrism not occurring until ages 7-8. 4 pts. Descriptions of the Hughes study needs to include the following: purpose to reevaluate Piaget’s results using a more understandable method; children are shown a model with a boy doll and a policeman doll and were asked to hide the boy doll from the policeman’s view, with children’s misunderstandings about the task corrected; most children under age 5 successfully completed the task. 4 pts. Reason for difference: understanding the task made children able to successfully complete it—so the problem with completing the Three Mountains task wasn’t age but comprehension. 2 pts