Chapter 7 Flashcards
(54 cards)
Middle childhood
Period between early childhood and early adolescence, approximately from ages 6 to 11
• Nature and nurture make these the healthiest years of life.
• Safeguarded by genetic and environmental factors
– Genetic diseases are more threatening in early infancy or old age
– Infectious diseases are kept away via immunization
– Fatal accidents
—The most common cause of child death—are relatively uncommon
Evolutionary perspective
Middle Childhood
Genes protect children who have already survived the hazards of birth and early childhood
Lower death rates
A Healthy Time
- Immunizations
* Less lethal accidents and fatal illnesses
Fewer chronic conditions
A Healthy Time
- Better diagnostic and preventive medical care
- Less secondhand smoke
- Better health habits: healthier food sources
- Specialized programs: Centers for gifted, deficit and typical
- Improved oral health
Slow and Steady Growth
• Middle childhood is a time of slow and steady growth
– Average child gains about 2 inches and 5 pounds per year
• Maintenance of good health related to adult instruction and regular medical care
• Camps for children with special health needs are beneficial
Health Problems: Obesity
• Many 6- to 11-year-olds eat too much, exercise too little, and become overweight or obese as a result.
• Excessive weight contributes to future health risk increases, average achievement decreases, self-esteem failures, and loneliness.
– Childhood obesity is increasing worldwide, having more than doubled since 1980 in all three North American nations.
Body mass index (BMI)
Health Problems
Ratio of weight to height, calculated by dividing a person’s body weight in pounds by the square of his or her height in inches
Childhood overweight
Health Problems
In a child, having a BMI above the 85th percentile, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control’s 1980 standards for children of a given age
Childhood obesity
Health Problems
In a child, having a BMI above the 95th percentile, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control’s 1980 standards for children of a given age
Genetic influences
Obesity
Dozen of genes affect weight by influencing activity level, hunger, food preference, body type, and metabolism.
Parenting practices
Obesity
- Infants—No breast feeding and solid foods before 4 months
- Preschoolers—Bedroom TV watching and soda consumption
- School-agers—Insufficient sleep, extensive screen time, little active play
- Schools in US: Even when schools mandate gym, classes may be too full for active play, or requirements may be ignored.
Asthma, Definition
Health Problems: Asthma
A chronic disease of the respiratory system in which inflammation narrows the airways from the nose and mouth to the lungs
Incidence
Health Problems: Asthma
childhood asthma rates have tripled since 1980
– Parents report 15% of U.S. 5-11 year-olds diagnosed with at some point in time and almost 11% still suffer
Signs and symptoms
Health Problems: Asthma
Wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness, and coughing, difficulty in breathing
Hygiene hypothesis
Health Problems: Asthma
Carpets, pollution, house pets, airtight windows, parental smoking, cockroaches, dust mites, less outdoor play— correlate with asthma attacks, but again no single factor is the cause.
Concrete operational thought
Cognition
Piaget’s term for the ability to reason logically about direct experiences and perceptions
Classification
Cognition
Logical principle that things can be organized into groups (or categories or classes) according to some characteristic they have in common
Seriation
Cognition
Things can be arranged in a series. Seriation is crucial for understanding the number sequence
Piaget recognized that connections allow logical ideas to be applied to many specifics.
Children’s Cognition in Math
- Children do not suddenly grasp the logic of number system (Piaget).
- Math knowledge accrues gradually (Siegler).
- Some early math achievements (i.e., counting) do not correlate with later math achievements (information-processing theory).
Sensory memory
Memory
Component of the information processing system in which incoming stimulus information is stored for a split second to allow it to be processed (sensory register).
– E.g., when a person sees an object briefly before it disappears. Once the object is gone, it is still retained in the memory for a very short period of time.
Working memory
Memory
Component of the information processing system in which current, conscious mental activity occurs (short-term memory).
– E.g., phone numbers
– Working memory improves gradually and markedly through processing.
– Information from working memory is transferred to long-term memory.
Long-term memory
Memory
Component of the information processing system in which virtually limitless amounts of information can be stored indefinitely.
• Memory storage expands over childhood, but more important is retrieval.
Reaction time
Information Processing and the Brain
Time it takes to respond to a stimulus, either physically (with a reflexive movement such as an eye blink) or cognitively (with a thought)
Automatization
Information Processing and the Brain
Process in which repetition of a sequence of thoughts and actions makes the sequence routine, so that it no longer requires conscious thought; required in academic skill development
