Physical and Cognitive Development in Early Childhood Chapter 7 Physical and Cognitive Development in Early Childhood

Growth and Motor Development Changes in height and weight happen more slowly during early childhood 2 – 3 inches and 6 pounds per year Steady progress in major locomotor skills Running, jumping, skipping

Body Growth Norms – standards of what is “typical” at different ages Wider individual differences in early childhood BMI shows whether child’s weight is appropriate for height. Rise in childhood obesity 1963-2002 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Obesity in Childhood Lowering risk of obesity Variety of healthy food choices Food is not a bribe, punishment, or entertainment Encouraging active play Serving as a good role model

Brain Development Synaptogenesis peaks at age 1, continues through childhood Synaptic pruning begins in first years, continues through young adulthood Lateralization: The localization of a function to one of the hemispheres of the brain Corpus callosum: The connection between the two halves of the hemispheres of the brain

The Brain and Nervous System Lateralization At this stage there is growth of the corpus callosum Helps create functional specialization of left and right hemispheres

Brain Plasticity Degree to which the brain can be altered by experience Sensitive period— example—language development A time in development during which the organism is especially open to environmental influence

Motor Development Gross motor skills Fine motor skills Abilities required to control large movements of the arms, legs, and feet, or the whole body Must be studied in cultural context Fine motor skills Involves smaller movements of the hand and fingers Depend on culture and experience

Table 7.1: Some Milestones in Normative Gross Motor Development

Table 7.2: Some Milestones in Normative Fine Motor Development in the United States

Physical Development and Well-Being Injuries and illnesses in early childhood Unintentional injury is the leading cause of death in the U.S. Drowning, automobile accidents, fire and burns, airway obstruction Successful immunization has decreased death. Minor illnesses Reducing childhood mortality rates Oral rehydration therapy Immunization Mosquito nets Education

Childhood Immunization Schedule

Health and Wellness Illnesses and Accidents Each year, 4 – 6 bouts of brief sickness High levels of family stress more likely to produce sick children 25% of U.S. children under 5 have one accident in any one year requiring medical treatment More common among boys

Physical Development Sleep and sleep problems Promoting sleep: Regular bedtime rituals Consistent sleep schedules Quiet time before lights out

Advances/Limitations in Cognition in Early Childhood Advances in cognition Immature aspects of cognition—according to Piaget—as shown on conservation tasks Understanding of cause and effect Ability to classify Empathy (Piaget thinks this enters during middle childhood) Understanding of identity (superficial changes don’t change the nature of things) Symbolic representation Language Pretend play Numbers Preoperational period—2- 7—still have trouble thinking logically Centration Irreversibility Fooled by appearances— focus on end states rather than transformations Egocentrism Animism Transductive reasoning

Figure 7.8: Conservation Tasks in Preoperational Children

Figure 7.4 Piaget’s Conservation Tasks

Piaget would have answered Contemporary challenges to Piaget The Preoperational Period—Can Parents Accelerate Logical Thinking in Preschoolers? Piaget would have answered “No”—children develop logical thinking through their own explorations and actions Peers might promote cognitive development Contemporary challenges to Piaget Cognitive development is better described as a series of overlapping waves. Young children understand more than Piaget credited them for

Challenges to Piaget’s Views Young children do understand others’ emotions Can regulate their own emotions Appearance and reality Older children understand the same object can be represented differently, depending on point of view

Theory of Mind Children’s awareness of their own and other people’s thought processes and mental states Cognitive and language abilities are important to development of theory of mind, as are experiences with adults and older children. http://www.youtube.com /watch?v=8hLubgpY2_ w&feature=related

Lev Vygotsky

Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory Child embedded in a social context and focused on increasing abilities with assistance of others Scaffolding: Providing learning opportunities, materials, hints, and clues when a child has difficulty with a task Zone of proximal development--From actual performance to potential performance.

Piaget vs. Vygotsky Piaget: Change comes from within Vygotsky: Change comes from outside, then you internalize it

Guided Participation Rogoff expanded Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory to examine varied ways children learn their society’s values and practices through participation in family and community activities

Language and Thought Relationship between language and thought Piaget – thought precedes language development; thought evident in sensorimotor period Vygotsky – language and thought develop together First attempts to speak are efforts to establish and maintain social contact – social speech 3 – 4 years old—children use language as a tool to organize thoughts Self-directed talk becomes private speech

Figure 7.9: Information Processing Model

Memory

Attention Focusing on some information while ignoring other information If you don’t attend you can’t learn

Language Development Vocabulary Fast mapping Telegraphic speech Overregulation Semantics Meaning of words and sentences or the content of speech Specialized knowledge accelerates development of concepts in particular areas

Emergent Literacy Foundations for literacy emerge in early childhood. Changing expectations for literacy milestones Exposure to books and language, and parent-child communication, is crucial

Early Mathematical Thinking During early childhood, children master a number of mathematical concepts: Magnitude Numbers Counting Addition and subtraction

Child Care and Early Education Programs Widespread use of child care In-home care Child-care homes Child-care centers Quality of child care linked to cognitive and social development. Structural quality: Characteristics of child-care settings, such as group size, child/adult ratios, and caregiver education and training Process quality: An assessment of children’s interactions and experiences in child- care settings

Figure 7.11: Common Child-Care Arrangements in the United States

Early Education Programs Perry Preschool Project Abecedarian Project Chicago Parent-Child Centers Head Start Pre-kindergarten programs

Figure 7.12: Impact of Early Intervention on Later Outcomes

Figure 7.13: Academic Benefits of Prekindergarten