1. The Play Years: Cognitive Development
Part III
Chapter Nine
The Play Years: Cognitive Development
Piaget and Vygotsky
Children’s Theories
Language
Early-Childhood Education
Prepared by Madeleine Lacefield Tattoon, M.A.

2. The Play Years: Cognitive Development
…thinking and learning from age 2 to 6…
…remarkable advances in language and thought…
…the simple sentence of the typical 2-year-old that are nonstop, complex outpourings of a talkative 6-year-old, who can explain almost anything…

3. Piaget and Vygotsk
…famous for their description of cognition… the eager learning of children… are compatible in many ways…

4. Piaget: Preoperational Thinking
Preoperational Intelligence
Includes languages and imagination (in addition to the senses and motor skills of infancy)
However, logical, operational thinking is not yet possible

5. Piaget: Preoperational Thinking
Obstacles to Logical Operation
Centration
a young child focuses (centers) on one idea, excluding all others
Egocentrism
children’s tendency to think about the world entirely from their own personal perspective
Focus on Appearance
a young child ignores all attributes that are not apparent

6. Piaget: Preoperational Thinking
Obstacles to Logical Operation
Static Reasoning
thinking that nothing changes: Whatever is now has always been and always will be
Irreversibility
the idea that nothing can be undone; the inability to recognize that something can sometimes be restored to the way it was before a change occurred

7. Piaget Conservation and Logic Conservation
the idea that the amount of a substance remains the same (i.e., is conserved) when its appearance changes

8. Limitations of Piaget’s Research
underestimated the conceptual ability of young children and infants…
Designing experiments to reveal what children seemed not to understand, rather than to identify what they could understand
Relied on the child’s words rather than the child’s nonverbal signs in play context

9. Vygotsky: Social Learning
young children can be very sensitive to the wishes and emotions of others
young children have social thoughts

10. Vygotsk Children as Apprentices
cognitive development is embedded in a social context
curious and observant
ask questions

11. Vygotsky: Apprentices cont.
Apprentice in Thinking
a person whose cognition is stimulated and directed by older more skilled members of society
Guided Participation
the process by which people learn from others who guide their experiences and explorations

12. Vygotsk
Children as Apprentices
guided participation

13. Vygotsk Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) Scaffolding
the skills that a person can exercise only with assistance, not yet independently
ZPD applies to the ideas or cognitive skills a person is close to mastering as well as to more apparent skills
Scaffolding
temporary support that is tailored to a learner’s needs and abilities and aimed at helping the learner master the next task in a given learning process

14. Vygotsk Language as a Toll Private Speech Social Mediation
internal dialogue that occurs when people talk to themselves (either silently or out loud)
Social Mediation
a function of speech by which a person’s cognitive skills are refined and extended through both formal instruction and casual conversation

15. Children’s Theories Theory-Theory
the idea that children attempt to explain everything they see and hear by constructing theories

16. Children’s Theories Theory of Mind
a person’s theory of what other people might be thinking
children must realize that other people are not necessarily thinking the same thoughts that they themselves are thinking
the realization is seldom possible before age 4

17. Children’s Theories Belief and Reality: Understanding the Difference
a sudden leap of understanding occurs at about age 4
between age 3 – 6 children come to realize that thoughts may not reflect reality

18. Children’s Theories Contextual Influences
maturation of the brain’s prefrontal cortex appears to be the reason for the age-related advance in children

19. Language is pivotal to cognition in early childhood
is the leading cognitive accomplishment in early childhood
24-month-olds begin this period with short sentences and limited vocabulary
6-year-olds end it with the ability to understand and discuss almost anything

20. Language Critical Period Sensitive Period
a time when a certain development must happen if it is ever to happen
Sensitive Period
a time when a certain type of development is most likely to happen and happens most easily

21. Language Vocabulary new words are added rapidly
at age 2 knows about 500 words
at age 6 about 10,000 words

22. Language Fast-Mapping
the speedy and sometimes imprecise way in which children learn new words by mentally charting them into categories according to their meaning

23. Language Words and the Limits of Logic logical extension
used to describe other objects in the same category
use of available vocabulary to cover all the territory they want to talk about

24. Language Overregularization Grammar
includes the structure, techniques, and rules that are used to communicate meaning
word order and word repetition, prefixes and suffixes, intonation and emphasis
Overregularization
the application of rules of grammar even when exceptions occur, so that the language is made to seem more “regular” than it actually is

25. Language Learning Two Languages bilingualism is an asset—a necessity
language-minority children are at a disadvantage (not the dominant language of the nation)
more likely to:
do poorly in school
feel ashamed
become unemployed as adults
learning the majority language is crucial

26. Language What is the goal of having a second language?
research supports that children should learn at least two languages…the language-sensitive years of early childhood are the best time
soon after the vocabulary explosion, young are able to master two

27. Language Bilingualism, Cognition, and Culture
“Since language is integral to culture, bilingualism is embedded in emotions of ethnic pride and fear. This reality hampers developmental research.”

28. Early-Childhood Education
a hundred years ago children had no formal education until first grade
today 3 – 5-year-olds in developed nations are in school
early educational institutions differ, but names do not indicate the nature of the program

29. Early-Childhood Education
Child-Centered Programs
Montessori Schools
The Reggio Emilia Approach
Teacher-Directed Programs
Intervention Programs
Head Start
Experimental Programs

30. Early-Childhood Education
Costs and Benefits
quality early-childhood education matters
financial aspects are especially significant
parents pay the bulk of the cost or preschool in the United States
quality child care:
safety
adequate space and equipment
low adult-child ratio
positive social interaction among children and adults
trained staff and educated parents
continuity helps
“How long has each staff member worked at the center?”