1. Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Middle Childhood Physical and Cognitive Development Chapter 8 8

2. Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Middle Childhood Physical and Cognitive Development Physical and Motor Development Cognitive Development Learning and Thinking in School Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

3. Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Physical and Motor Development Development in Middle Childhood –Development is continuous –Physical, cognitive, and psychosocial factors interact –Development occurs in a broad social context –Physical growth is gradual until children experience the adolescent growth spurt –Age 9 for girls –Age 11 for boys

4. Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Physical and Motor Development Brain changes –Brain development continues, neural plasticity remains high –Between ages 6 and 8, forebrain undergoes growth spurt –By age 6, brain is about 95% of its maximum size –Lateralization of brain becomes more pronounced –Brain development is clearly tied to rapidly developing cognitive functions

5. Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Physical and Motor Development Skeletal Maturation –Skeleton matures, producing actual growing pains sometimes –Children’s permanent teeth begin to come in Motor Skills Development –Gross motor skills are expanded and children grow stronger –Fine motor skills are rapidly developing –Control of their bodies enhances sense of competence and self-esteem –Poorly coordinated children may be unpopular and feel rejected

6. Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Physical Development in Middle Childhood

7. Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Health, Fitness, and Accidents Problems that emerge include asthma (increasingly widespread) and visual problems Physical activity and exercise have been declining Obesity is increasing: over 17% of U.S. grade-school- age children are obese The leading cause of death is accidents, especially involving motor vehicles

8. Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Video Clip Describes New Jersey’s initiative to combat childhood obesity using health report cards http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXvDI3Lh9xQ

9. Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Video Clip Tyra Banks meets with young girls who already have a fear of becoming fat: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F734qbEXm1s

10. Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Video Clip Video produced by the Dove Corporation to highlight body image and self-esteem issues among girls in middle childhood: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWzbIVwGd1E

11. Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Major Causes of Deaths for U.S. Children, Ages 5-14, 2005 SOURCE: From America’s children: Key national indicators of well being, 2004, by the Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics, 2008. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.

12. Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Psychological Disorders About 20% children age 9-17 have mental disorders with at least mild functional impairment Some disorders, such as autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, are most commonly diagnosed in childhood Under-recognition of mental illness as a major problem of childhood is a concern Treatment decisions can be difficult

13. Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Cognitive Development Piaget and Concrete Operational Thinking –Children move from preoperational to concrete operational thought during the years from ages 5 to 7 –Thought becomes less intuitive and egocentric and more logical –Thinking becomes more reversible, flexible, and complex –Cause-effect evaluations are possible

14. Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Preoperational Versus Concrete Operational Thought

15. Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Piaget’s Matchstick Problem

16. Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Cognitive Development Children become more skilled in using words to help them understand, structure, and solve problems Concrete operational children can theorize about the world around them Acquisition of concrete operational thought is gradual and occurs without formal education or prompting

17. Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Cognitive Development Piaget and Education –Piaget believed children are better off when they learn at their own pace and that learning is best when it is intrinsically motivated rather than extrinsically rewarded –Use of concrete objects can enhance learning and cognitive development –Use of concrete learning aides promotes active learning and constructivist knowledge

18. Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Concrete Objects to Aid in Learning – Cubes and Spatial Arrays

19. Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Cognitive Development Memory and metacognition –Children’s memory strategies and techniques—control processes—improve with age –Children are better able to monitor their own thinking, memory, knowledge, goals, and actions—metacognition –Metacognition begins at about age 6 and emerges more fully between the ages of 7 and 10

20. Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Control Processes Used by Children in Middle Childhood

21. Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Language and Literacy Development Language learning expands, as vocabulary increases and complex grammar is mastered Reading and writing skills—literacy—are natural growths of language development Development of reading and writing skills during middle childhood is complex & multidimensional Teachers and peers aid in enhancing literacy skills

22. Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Conditions That Promote Literacy

23. Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Conditions That Promote Literacy (continued)

24. Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Individual Differences in Intelligence Intelligence test scores are used in educational, career, and public policy decisions 2 commonly used assessments of intelligence: –Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale –Wechsler (versions for varying ages: WPPSI, WISC, WAIS) IQ scores today assessed by comparing individual’s score with scores of other people in same age range—deviation IQ. –Scores are distributed in bell-shaped curve. –An IQ score of 100 is average. –About two thirds of the population scores between 85 and 115; 96% score between 70 and 130.

25. Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Distribution of IQ in the General Population

26. Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. The Nature of Intelligence Intelligence is a composite of abilities, not a single attribute Howard Gardner promotes a broad-based model of intellectual abilities consisting of eight “types” of intelligence Robert Sternberg developed a broad triarchic theory of intelligence –Contextual intelligence: adaptation to environment, common sense –Experiential intelligence: ability to cope with new situations –Componential intelligence: measured by IQ tests

27. Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Gardner’s Eight Types of Intelligence

28. Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Race and Intelligence Some U.S. minority groups typically score lower on average on tests when compared to Whites Some disparity may be due to cultural bias in tests. Research suggests that race is not a factor in determining intelligence, although culture probably is When social and economic circumstances are considered, group difference in intelligence all but disappear An IQ is a dynamic interaction of genetics and environment

29. Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Learning and Thinking in School World customs differ as to when children enter school and how long they remain Children face a variety of new expectations and adjustments when they enter school Students must meet behavioral expectations when in school, and teachers spend a good amount of time enforcing rules, disciplining and praising, in addition to performing their teaching duties

30. Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Youth Literacy Rates Around the World, 2000-2006 Source: From Table 5, “Youth literacy rates.” In The state of the world’s children (p. 133), by UNICEF, 2007. New York: Author. Copyright ©2007 by UNICEF. Reprinted with permission of the publisher.

31. Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Developing Competent Learners and Critical Thinkers U.S. schools are placing greater emphasis on teaching learning and thinking schools Teachers try to develop different teaching strategies to teach different skills and to meet the individual needs and learning styles of students Group projects seem to aid in critical thinking. They also foster cooperative, rather than competitive, learning

32. Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Success in School School success influenced by many factors –Achievement motivation: the internalized need to persist toward success –Gender differences Girls outperform boys in verbal skills Boys outperform girls in quantitative and spatial tasks

33. Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Success in School Motivation for learning is influenced by the ways that teachers and parents encourage children –Girls tend to adopt a “performance” focus while boys adopt a “learning” focus –A critical goal is to encourage children to develop a “learning” orientation –Praise is critical for children to develop a positive academic self-concept

34. Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Evaluating Gender Bias in the Classroom: Questions for Parents

35. Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Developmental Disorders Federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) mandates the right of all children to a free and appropriate education Key provisions –Inclusion with “regular” students, rather than “special” classes –Individualized Education Plan (IEP) –Education in least restrictive environment –Diagnosis of special needs is more targeted today, due to need for individualized assistance in the mainstream setting

36. Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Intellectual Disability Condition characterized by –significantly subaverage intellectual functioning and self-help skills –may be genetic or caused by birth or early childhood trauma –may result from social deprivation –cause may not always by known Characterized by severity and extensiveness of impairment Only diagnosed when child can be tested, usually school age

37. Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Diagnosis of Intellectual Disability

38. Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Levels of Mental Retardation

39. Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Learning Disorders Learning disorders involve difficulty in acquiring some specific academic skills but not others –reading disorder: i.e., dyslexia –disorder of written expression –mathematics disorder Children with learning disorders often have social issues as well Treatment for LDs is more effective when begun early in life

40. Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. ADHD Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is not a learning disorder, but a behavioral disorder Characterized by: –extreme inattentiveness –problems with impulse control –high levels of activity In absence of hyperactivity, the diagnosis should be ADD (attention deficit disorder)

41. Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Video Clip A woman describes the process of her son being diagnosed with ADHD, then being diagnosed with ADD herself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTnVYGWWiWU

42. Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. ADHD Causes –Irregularities in the way dopamine operates –Brains of children with ADHD have structural differences –Irregularities may be caused by genetic or environmental factors Treatment –stimulant drugs, like Ritalin –educational and behavioral management

43. Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Characteristics of ADHD

44. Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Summary Three themes run throughout development in middle childhood –Development is continuous –Physical, cognitive, and social factors interact for each child –Development occurs in a broad social context Physical growth is gradual until children experience a growth spurt—about age 9 for girls and age 11 for boys

45. Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Summary Gross and fine motor skills continue to development Asthma and obesity are becoming major health problems for children in the United States The leading cause of death at this age is accidents, especially involving motor vehicles Piaget referred to cognitive development at this stage as the age of concrete operations. Their thinking is getting more logical, but they are still bound to concrete examples

46. Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Summary Children face many challenges when they enter school, including achievement and behaving appropriately Children with development disabilities and special needs have rights under federal law Mental retardation, learning disorders and ADHD are some of the disorders and challenges that are faced during this stage of childhood