Chapter 6: Physical and Cognitive Development in Early Childhood Flashcards
early childhood
includes the period between ages 2 1/2 and 6
during early childhood, the cortex, tends to become more
wrinkled
the corpus callosum becomes ________________ during early childhood
myelinated
motor-skill development
- gross motor skills
- fine motor skills
gross motor skills
the physical abilities that use the body’s large muscles to perform everyday functions
examples:
- walking
- running
- jumping
fine motor skills
the use of the hands and wrists to coordinate movements and manipulate objects
preoperational thought
ranging from ages 2 to 7 in which young children are capable of symbolic but not quite logical thought
children in the preoperational stage
- are capable of symbolic thought and play
- cannot perform logical operations
- may hold animistic beliefs
- focus on their own perspective
- often struggle with the idea of reversibility
symbolic thought
children use objects to stand in for, or symbolize, another object
intuitive thought
children begin to have a more logical sense of how the world works but still display some limitations
centration
children focus on one feature of a problem to the exclusion of other features
magical thinking
children often come up with illogical or magical explanations for events they do not fully understand
piaget emphasized the importance of development of a
protected and play-rich early childhood
Vygotsky proposed that
- children’s cognitive maturation results from social interaction
- learning is best when customized to meet the needs of the individual learner
conservation tasks
each involves asking children what has happened to an object or a set of objects that is rearranged or manipulated in front of them to look different
Piaget’s three mountains task
Piaget’s test of how well children can imagine how someone else would see the world
egocentrism
children’s inability to see the world from other people’s point of view
scaffolding
Vygotsky’s term for teaching that engages children by considering their interests and individual abilities
zone of proximal development (ZPD)
Vygotsky’s term for the range of what students can learn with adult help
private speech
Vygotsky’s term for the language children use when they talk to themselves
episodic memory
long-term memory for specific events
working memory
a type of short-term memory that is essential to learning and to problem solving
executive function
a group of thinking skills that allow you to control your behavior, suppress impulsive actions and implement long-term plans
theory of mind
the ability to understand that other people have different beliefs, ideas, and desires
