Psychology lifespan
CHAPTER SEVEN
Physical and Cognitive Development
In
Early Childhood
(Three to Six Years)
DISCUSSION
Do children get enough exercise today?
Only one in three children are physically active every day. Less than 5% of adults participate in 30 minutes of physical activity each day;2 only one in three adults receive the recommended amount of physical activity each week. ... The national average for regular exercise is 51.6%. – HHS, 2017
Do you think there are any differences between the activity level of five and six year olds today versus fifty years ago? If so, why?
OVERVIEW
PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT
Specifics
Appearance
Musculo-Skeletal
Body Systems
Body Systems
Dental Development
Nutrition
Health
Stress
COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT
Piaget
Information Processing
Psychometric Approach
Environmental Influences
PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT
PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT SPECIFICS
Overall, the rate of growth slows
Height
Approximately two to three inches per year
At the start of this stage boys are slightly taller
By the end of the stage virtually no differences
Weight
Approximately four to six pounds per year
Increasingly the gain is due to muscle
Caloric needs decrease
Cholesterol can be an issue
APPEARANCE
Body Proportions
Lose their pot belly
Slim down
Body proportions “catching up” (more adult like)
MUSCULO-SKELETAL DEVELOPMENT
Ossification continues
Strength increasing (core)
Handedness starts (10% of pop. Left handed)
Art Development
Scribble Stage: Approximately age two
Shape Stage: Approximately age three
Pictorial Stage: Approximately age four / five
BODY SYSTEMS
Respiratory – Still developing
Circulatory – Still developing
Immune – Improving / Now independent
Nervous System (Brain)
By age six years = 90%
Synaptic pruning
Myelination
Expanding synaptic networks
Senses – All functioning
DENTAL DEVELOPMENT
Thumb sucking
Fluoridation
NUTRITION
Caloric needs decreasing
Problem of childhood obesity
“Picky eaters”
Vitamins
No link between sugar and A.D.H.D.
Current research suggests ADHD may be caused by interactions between genes and environmental or non-genetic factors. Like many other illnesses, a number of factors may contribute to ADHD such as:
Genes
Cigarette smoking, alcohol use, or drug use during pregnancy
Exposure to environmental toxins, such as high levels of lead, at a young age
Low birth weight
Brain injuries
NIMH
HEALTH
Sleep
Fluctuation of naps
Better sleepers now
Bed time routines
Transitional objects
Minor Illnesses
Immunizations
Seven to Eight per year
Major Illnesses
70% cure rate, pediatric cancer. NOT GOOD ENOUGH!
B+ Foundation (www.livelikeandrew.com)
Accidents
The cause of more deaths in this age group than illness
Sleepwear, Child proofing the home, car seats
STRESS
Suicide
Stress in the home
Symptoms
COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT
OVERVIEW
Models
Piaget
Information Processing
Psychometric
Influences
PIAGET
Pre Operational Stage (prior to being able to perform mental operations)
Important Aspects
Beyond the genetic “start”
Key Mental Representations & Object Permanence
Egocentrism declining
Developing Capacities
Transductive Reasoning
Animism
Dual Representational Thinking
Symbolic Functioning
Language, Deferred Imitation & Symbolic Play
Capacities yet to Develop
Decentering
Reversible Thinking
NOTE: Emergent Literacy: Skills, knowledge and attitudes underlying reading
INFORMATION PROCESSING MODEL
Developing:
Recognition and Recall (between two and five years)
Episodic Memory (biographical memories)
PSYCHOMETRIC APPROACH
Issues with this approach
Reliability
Validity
Tools
Stanford Binet
Wechsler
Vygotsky
Private Speech
Scaffolding
ZPD
ENVIRONMENTAL INFLUENCES
The Child’s Personality
Curious, Alert, Assertive
Parenting
Sensitive, warm, loving, accepting, encouraging
Media
All forms
Pre School / Daycare
Best?
Head Start (1965 / 1970)
N.A.E.Y.C. - NAEYC: Home https://www.naeyc.org/
REVIEW QUESTIONS
Who proposed the concept of scaffolding?
T/F – All of our senses are now fully developed.
A good parent is a “warm” parent.
T/F Weight gains increase during this span of life.
T/F During this stage, weight gains are all due to the increase of fat.