CHAPTER 7Physical 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 1963-2002U.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 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

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

Advances in cognitionImmature aspects of cognition—according to Piaget—as shown on conservation tasks

Figure 7.8: Conservation Tasks in Preoperational Children

Figure 7.4 Piaget’s Conservation Tasks

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