Do Now What are some of the pros and cons of starting very young children in educational opportunities?

Physical and Cognitive Development Unit 9: Developmental Physical and Cognitive Development

Physical Development - Brain on the day you were born you had most of the brain cells you will ever have right after birth branching neural networks that eventually allow us to walk, talk, and remember have a huge growth spurt from ages 3-6 rapid growth in frontal lobes (rational planning) EX: this explains why preschoolers start to control their attention and behavior association areas (thinking, memory, language) are the last to develop

Continued as the association areas grow mental abilities grow pathways supporting language and agility grow until puberty and then the excess connections shut down and strengthen others this is known as the pruning process Maturation sets the basic course of development, experience adjusts it EX: reading more picture books my speed up development

Physical Development - Motor for the most part the motor development sequence is universal (roll, sit , crawl, walk) timing is individualistic

Physical Development - Memory we seldom recall memories that happen before our third birthday. Reason for this being is that areas involved with memory like the hippocampus and the frontal lobe are continuing to mature even through adolescents Earliest conscious memory = 3.5 years

Cognitive Development Cognition all the mental activates associated with thinking, knowing, remembering, and communicating Jean Piaget Major player in developmental psych Core idea is that our intellectual progress is a result of our struggle to make sense of our experiences

The Maturing Mind Schemas: are concepts, mental groups of how we organize information Assimilate: Interpret new info based on concepts we already know Accommodate: we adjust our concepts to include new info

Piaget Theory of Cognitive Development Children progress through 4 stages Sensorimotor stage (0-2) – experience world with their 5 senses Develop object permanence around 9 months Knowledge that an object is still there even if covered up Preoperational stage (2-7) – develop language and symbolic thinking Egocentrism: can only see the world from their perspective Lack concept of conservation knowledge that quantity can remain the same when shape or other properties change Concrete operational stage (7-12) – develop ability to think in a more logical manner Formal Operational stage (12+) – characterized by abstract reasoning Approach problems systematically…ruling out possibilities along the way

Today Read and discuss Autism on pgs.424-425 Quiz you knowledge Qs 1-4 Begin HW HW= Qs #5-8 (Social Development)