1. Early Childhoods: Cognitive Development
Part III
Chapter Nine
Early Childhoods: Cognitive Development
Piaget and Vygotsky
Children’s Theories
Language
Early-Childhood Education

2. Piaget and Vygotsky
Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky are famous for their descriptions of cognition.

3. Piaget: Preoperational Thinking
preoperational intelligence: cognitive development between the ages of about 2 and 6.
languages
imagination

4. four characteristics of thinking in early childhood which make logic difficult:
centration
focus on appearance
static reasoning
irreversibility

5. Obstacles to Logical Operation
centration: characteristic of preoperational thought in which a young child focuses on one idea
egocentrism: children’s tendency to think about the world entirely from their own personal perspective
literally means self-centered
focus on appearance: characteristic of preoperational thought where young child ignores all attributes that are not apparent

6. static reasoning: thinking that nothing changes
whatever is now has always been and always will be
irreversibility: idea that nothing can be undone
inability to recognize that something can be restored

7. Conservation and Logic
conservation: idea that amount of a substance remains the same when appearance changes

9. Vygotsky: Social Learning
First leading developmentalist to emphasize the other side of early cognition.
young children not always egocentric
can be very sensitive to the wishes and emotions of others
Emphasizes social aspect of young children’s cognition in contrast to Piaget’s emphasis on the individual.

10. Scaffolding
zone of proximal development (ZPD): skills a person can exercise only with assistance
ideas or cognitive skills a person is close to mastering as well as to more apparent skills.
scaffolding: temporary support tailored to a learner’s needs and abilities
aimed at helping master next task

11. private speech: internal dialogue that occurs when people talk to themselves
silent or out loud
social mediation: function of speech where person’s cognitive skills are refined and extended
both formal instruction and casual conversation

12. Children’s Theories
Both Piaget and Vygotsky realized that children actively work to understand their world.
seek to explain what they experience
why and how people behave as they do

13. theory of mind: person’s theory of what other people might be thinking
theory-theory: idea that children attempt to explain everything they see and hear by constructing theories
theory of mind: person’s theory of what other people might be thinking
must realize other people are not thinking the same thoughts that they are

14. Language Critical period for language learning due to:
brain maturation
myelination
social interaction
Early childhood is a sensitive period for rapidly and easily mastering:
vocabulary
grammar
pronunciation

16. Grammar
Grammar of language includes structures, techniques, and rules that are used to communicate meaning.
word order
word repetition
prefixes and suffixes
intonation
emphasis

17. Learning Two Languages
Bilingualism is an asset.
Important to speak the majority language as well as the minority one.
Is a nation better off if all its citizens speak one language?
Should there be more than one official language?
Switzerland has 3
Canada has 2

18. Bilingualism, Cognition, and Culture
Debate over bilingual education inseparable from issues of:
ethnic pride
identity
prejudice
fear
These subjective factors get in the way of objective developmental research.

19. Children who speak two languages by age 5 are:
Bilingualism has both advantages and disadvantages for early cognition and literacy.
Children who speak two languages by age 5 are:
less egocentric.
more advanced in their theory of mind.

20. Constant Change
Basics of language learning apply to every language a young child learns.
naming
vocabulary explosions
fast-mapping
overregularization
extensive practice
Established languages continually change as each new generation revises it to meet current needs.

21. Early-Childhood Education
Early educational institutions:
preschool
nursery school
day care
pre-primary
Each early-childhood educational program emphasizes somewhat different:
skills
goals
methods

23. Child-Centered Programs
Programs that stress children’s development and growth.
Child-centered programs that use a Piaget-inspired model allows children to discover ideas at their own pace.
physical space and materials
puzzles
blocks of many sizes
toys
Child-centered programs also encourage artistic expression.

24. Early-Childhood Education
Child Centered:
Montessori Schools
The Reggio Emilia Approach
Teacher-Directed
Head Start and Intervention Programs

25. Costs and benefits of the different approaches:
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?”