Physical and Cognitive Development in Preschoolers

Question 1

How do gross motor abilities develop?

Answer 1

Skills are gradually refined over time

Question 2

Give examples of movement consistency and movement constancy

Answer 2

Movement consistency: Developing competence in throwing a ball
Movement constancy: Ability to adapt to throwing a ball of any size or shape

Question 3

At the end of the preschool years children should

be able to:

Answer 3

1. Walk up and down stairs
2. Walk in straight or circular lines
3. Balance on a balance beam
4. Climb ladders
5. Run
6. Jump
7. Hop on one foot
8. Gallop
9. Ride tricycles
10. Throw objects
11. Kick objects
12. Swing on a swing

Question 4

Adaptations for physically challenged kids:

Answer 4

1. Providing adjustable chairs and tables
2. Providing powered wheelchairs
3. Providing larger toys
4. Adapting fine motor activities with adaptive materials

Question 5

According to Piaget, preschoolers engage in _ thought

Answer 5

Preoperational thought

Question 6

What is an example of perception based thinking?

Answer 6

Shadow example

Question 7

What is unidimensional thinking?

Answer 7

Focus on only one characteristic of an object or feature of a problem at a time

Question 8

What is an example of unidimensional thinking?

Answer 8

Shoe example

Question 9

What is irreversibility?

Answer 9

Cannot picture a process in reverse

Question 10

What is an example of transductive reasoning?

Answer 10

Broken toy + friend example

Question 11

Symbolic thought in preschool children is evident in:

Answer 11

1. Language
2. Drawing
3. Make-believe play

Question 12

What is a field-independent learner?

Answer 12

Solve problems w/o taking into account (or being distracted) by features of the environment

Question 13

What is a field-sensitive learner?

Answer 13

1. Rely more on environment to solve problems

2. Benefit more from social scaffolding and learning from others

Question 14

What is theory of mind?

Answer 14

Ability to form a theory about what the mind is, how it works and how it might be controlled

Question 15

In order for a child to pay attention they must control their impulses and ignore distractors… this is called:

Answer 15

Inhibitory control

Question 16

A child must hold information in their mind so they can access it to learn something new… this is called:

Answer 16

Working memory

Question 17

Children age 4-5 with _ _ are often still in Piaget’s sensorimotor stage of development.

Answer 17

Cognitive disabilities

Question 18

What are some classroom adaptations necessary for kids with cognitive disabilities?

Answer 18

1. Rich sensory environments
2. Regularly adding novel objects to environment
3. Assist more directly with exploring, play, interacting, and self-help