Human Development CHAPTER 9 THE PLAY YEARS: Human Development CHAPTER 9 THE PLAY YEARS: COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT

Piaget remains the most influential theorist in the area of childhood cognition Jean Piaget

SYMBOLIC THOUGHT The most crucial difference between sensorimotor and preoperational thought is that the child can use what Piaget calls the symbolic thought- that is turning a word or object into a SYMBOL of something else. Thus both language and imagination become tools of thought so that the typical 2 year old is more verbal and creative than the 1 year old.

CONSERVATION Despite the ability to think symbolically, preschoolers are aid to lack several logical concepts. One of these is CONSERVATION, the idea that amount is unaffected by size or placement CONSERVATION OF MATTER (e.g. sizes of play-doh), CONSERVATION OF LIQUIDS (tall and short glasses holding same amount), CONSERVATION OF NUMBER (row of same number of checkers laid out differently). Preschooler centers on appearances and ignores or discounts the transformation that has occurred. (By 7-8 they realize that they could pour the liquid back into the other glass or set the checkers out the other way.)

Egocentrism Egocentrism means that thinking centers on the ego or self The child does not take into account the idea that other people may have thoughts or feelings different from the ones he or she is having at the moment Does not mean that they are selfish only that they are naturally self-centered.

CENTRATION Preschoolers tend to focus or center on one aspect of a problem and thus have difficulty understanding cause and effect. For example, in the preschoolers mind, the tallest child or adult is probably the oldest and the smartest as well.

PREOPERATIONAL CONCEPTS OF DEATH, ILLNESS, AND DIVORCE Egocentric thinking causes children to think it is their fault. They wonder if the parents will stop loving them also. Important study, 1980, Wallerstein and Kelly, extensive longitudinal study of children's reactions to divorce Children susceptible to unfounded worries. Shows need for sensitivity to children's questions and unexpressed fears, repeated assurances that basic needs will be met, specific experiences (continued contact with absent parent) that help put fearful fantasies to rest.

LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT Raises the issue of the relationship between thought and language, explaining that Piaget believes that thought precedes language Vygotsky and Bruner think that as speech develops, language aids the thinking process Most researchers agree that at some point during childhood, children begin to use language to formulate ideas. Piaget believed that a child must first understand a concept before he or she is capable of using the words that describe it Bruner disagrees and says that by kindergarten, language ability affects almost every aspect of a child's thought and behavior, and that language becomes a "means not only for representing experience, but also for transforming it."(1964,1983) Most developmentalists agree with Piaget that infants form concepts first and then learn words to express them. But most agree that at some point during early childhood, language helps form ideas as suggested by Bruner and Vygotsky.

VOCABULARY From age 2-6 the average child learns between six and ten words per day! Nouns are generally learned more readily than verbs, then comes adjectives, adverbs, conjunctions, and interrogatives (where, what, who,how,why) Preschoolers tend to soak up language like a sponge and this leads most researchers o believe that early childhood is a critical period for language development

Thinking is concrete with emphasis on appearance and specifics and so is vocabulary When preschoolers define words they usually thing about actions a child can do " A hole is to dig". They tend to take everything literally and they have difficulty expressing relationships (can't understand that their aunt is my sister).

GRAMMAR Grammar includes structures, techniques, and rules that languages use to communicate meaning. Child's use of grammatical forms is better indicator of verbal sophistication than is vocabulary. Measure language development by MLU (mean length of utterance of each sentence) By age 3 they have extensive grammar knowledge. Put subject before verb (I eat), verb before object (I eat apple), form plural of nouns, past present and future of verbs, and subjective, objective, and possessive forms of pronouns. Beginning to master use of negative. Children learning the same language master grammatical forms in same sequence.

Overregularization Overregularization: apply rules of grammar when they should not (e.g. adding s-foots, sheeps) Sign of verbal sophistication because children are applying rules of grammar

PARENTS AND TEACHERS CAN BEST HELP DEVELOPMENT OF GRAMMAR BY EXAMPLE RATHER THAN BY EXPLANATION OR CRITICISM

DIFFERENCES IN LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT By the time children reach Kindergarten there are wide variations in language ability Girls usually more proficient than boys Middle class more proficient than lower class first born more proficient than later born, single born more proficient than twins. Some of the differences can be attributed to child's comfort with testing situation. Partial explanation for differences: mothers talk more to daughters than to sons, middle class parents give more elaborate explanations and more responsive comments and fewer commands than lower class parents, parents talk more to first born and single born.

CHILDREN BECOME MORE COMPETENT IN LANGUAGE SKILLS IF THE SIGNIFICANT ADULTS IN THEIR LIVES ENCOURAGE THEM TO TALK AND REPLY TO THEIR COMMENTS WITH SPECIFIC AND RELEVANT RESPONSES

TEACHING AND LEARNING Current term "developmentally appropriate" is being extensively used in the field of child development. What is Developmentally approptate?

Headstart Started in 60's, compensatory education to aide impoverished children. First results were encouraging as children gained 5-10IQ points, fewer behavior problems, and greater motivation. But by 2nd-3rd grade balanced out with others. More recent research showed that there was a "sleeper effect" and that by junior high they were less likely to repeat a grade or be placed in special classes and later demonstrated higher sense of achievement and higher aspirations

IMPORTANT NOTE: Much research has been done showing that good preschool education advances both social and cognitive development but all of the studies have been done in high quality schools and day care centers characterized by –low teacher child ratio –well-trained staff –a curriculum geared toward cognitive development rather than behavioral control –space and groupings organized to facilitate creative and constructive play. They tend to be expensive, subsidized by a university, an employer, or the government.

MOST SUCCESSFUL PROGRAMS DIRECTLY INVOLVE PARENTS