Ch 1: Making a difference Overview Flashcards
What does the field of Child Development seek to do?
Identify and explain persistent, cumulative, and progressive changes in the physical, cognitive, and social-emotional development of children and adolescents.
What are the three developmental domains
physical, cognitive, and social-emotional development
What are the three key issues that theorist have grappled with?
- how genetic factors and the environment combine to influence development (nature vs nurture)
- what developmental paths are true for everyone and which are unique to individuals (Universality and diversity)
- developmental changes as major transformations or series of gradual trends (qualitative and quantitative)
What is stage theories
theory that believes individuals progress through a series of stages that are qualitatively different from one another.
Who are two psychologists that proposed stage theories
Piaget-act with the world through trial and error as they develop analytical thinking-universal progression of children’s thinking
Erikson-develop through gaining greater understanding of their identity as they go through stages-people deal with and resolve social emotional dilemmas in distinctly individual ways.
How do you apply basic lessons from child development
- accept the powerful influences of both nature and nurture on growth
- become familiar with general developmental trends and common variations
- look for both quantitative and qualitative changes in children’s characteristics
What are two key principles that practitioners can take away from biological theories?
- children’s maturational levels impose limits on their interests.
- children’s physical abilities serve valuable functions for them
What are social learning theories?
idea that children’s beliefs and goals have crucial influences on their actions.
What do psychodynamic theories focus on and how do they help educators?
They focus on the interaction between certain internal conflicts and the environment (Freud and Erikson) and highlight the significance of children’s social emotional needs reminding educators that children often have mixed and confusing emotions.
Who was the earliest cognitive developmental theorist?
Piaget who focused primarily on children’s cognitive development by investigating their logical thinking.
What is the most important principle to emerge from cognitive-developmental theories
teachers need to understand children as children. As adults appreciate children’s thinking they can then enhance it.
What are cognitive process theories?
It focuses on basic thinking process and how people interpret and remember what they see and hear and how these processes change during childhood and adolescence.-more on the how and not the why of thinking
Sociocultural theories
focus on the impact of systems and cultures. Vygotsky-how children’s minds are shaped by everyday experiences in social settings. children’s thoughts and behaviors develop in culturally specific ways
Developmental systems theories
helps clarify how multiple factors combine to promote child development
What is bronfenbrenner’s bioecological model of human development
describes the influences that people institutions and prevailing cultural practices have on children.
What is the power of developmental systems theories
they capture it all0nature and nurture, and the child’s own characteristics and activities. educators need to consider children’s own perceptions of experiences in their inter-related environments.
What is the phsyical development of infancy
Motor skills include rolling over, sitting, crawiling, standing, walking, reaching, grabing, manipulating, self-feeding.
What is the cognitive development of infancy?
distinguish among different faces, rapid growth in communication, imitate simple gestures with model present, increased ability to remember people and things out of sight
What are the social emotional development in infancy?
close bonds with responsive and affectionate caregivers, using words to name needs, parallel play with peers, awareness of ownership, developing sense of power and will.
What does physical development look like in early childhood (2-6 years)
increased motor skills like running, skipping, block towers and scissors and increased self-care and personal hygiene
Cognitive development early childhood
dramatic play with peers, draw simple figures, knowledge of colors letters and numbers, recounting familiar stories and events
Social emotional development early childhood
understanding of gender and ethnicity, ability to defer immediate gratification, share toys and take turns, demonstration of sympathy
middle childhood (6-10 years) physical development
imitation of complex physical movements, ride bike, play organized sports
middle childhood cognitive development
basic reading, writing, math and academic skills, reason logically about concrete objects and events
