PSYC 2314 Lifespan Development Chapter 12 The School Years: Cognitive Development

Remembering, Knowing, and Processing Information-processing theory Sensory register Working memory Long-term memory Control processes Control such as selective attention, memory and retrieval strategies, and problem-solving strategies, regulate the analysis and flow of information.

Improvements in Memory Selective Attention Screen out distractions and concentrate on relevant information. Memory Skills Automatization: many mental activities become routine and automatic. Processing Speed Older children are quicker thinkers. Selective attention: improves steadily during the school years. Many preschoolers are unable to solve simple problems bcs they become distracted on the way to the solution. Speed: children who can think faster can also think about more things at once—that is, their processing capacity is also increased.

Improvement in Memory Knowledge Base Metacognition New knowledge becomes progressively easier to add. Metacognition Ability to identify appropriate cognitive strategies for solving particular problems, to monitor problem-solving performance, and to use external problem-solving aids. Metacognition: “thinking about thinking.” the ability to evaluate a cognitive task to determine how best to accomplish it, and then to monitor and adjust their performance on that task. Metacognition leads to the development of effective cognitive strategies—ways to think—which are practiced so often that they become automatic.

Stages of Thinking Piaget’s theory of cognitive development Concrete operational thought: when children begin to understand certain logical principles when they are applied to concrete operations. Identity: the idea that certain characteristics of an object remain the same even when other characteristics are changed. Reversibility: the principle that a transformation can be restored to its original state by undoing it. Ages 7-11, begin to understand certain logical principles when they are applied to concrete situations. The rapid change in intellectual competence that many children experience during middle childhood is known as the 5-to-7 shift. As a result, older children become more systematic, objective, and scientific—and educable—thinkers. Identity and reversibility are essential to mathematical and scientific understanding and to social problem solving as well. Identity: math 24 is 24 regardless of the calculation of the number (6 x 4 or 10+ 14). Social: his mother was once a child and that her baby picture is, in fact, a picture of his mother or recognize that parents will grow old. Reversibility: 2 + 3 = 5 is the same as 3 + 2 = 5; social: “let’s start over and be friends again, oki?”

Kohlberg’s Theory of Moral Development Preconventional Punishment and Obedient Fair Play Conventional Social Expectations Law and Order Postconventional Social contract Universal Ethical Principles

Criticisms of Kohlberg’s Theory Emphasis on justice and reasoning is too narrow and restrictive Reflect liberal, Western intellectual values Biased toward males Stages reflect liberal, Western intellectual values rather than universal principles. His stages thus underestimate the social and cultural context in moral reasoning. Theory may be biased toward males, who tend to see moral dilemmas differently from females. According to Gilligan, males develop a morality of justice based on depersonalized of right and wrong. Females, on the other hand, seem to be more concerned for the well-being of other people and so develop a morality of care.

Learning and Schooling In the vast majority of developing countries, fewer girls than boys attend primary school. Less is generally demanded of girls and poor children, particularly in math and science. While schooling of some sort during middle childhood is a feature of every community worldwide, who receives instruction, in what subjects, and how varies enormously.

Interactive Teaching Worldwide, teachers have become more encouraging of children’s efforts. Although the specific styles of education will vary, depending on teacher personality and cultural assumptions any developmental approach attempts to engage every student in the learning process. A new approach in math replaces rote learning with hands-on materials, cooperative problem solving, and active discussion, promoting a problem-solving approach to learning.

Communication skills Code switching Formal Code Informal Code Change from one form of speech to another. Formal Code Elaborated code, characterized by extensive vocabulary, complex syntax, and lengthy sentences. Informal Code Restricted code, uses fewer words, simpler syntax, and relies more on gestures and intonation to convey meaning. The formal code is relatively context-free; that is , the meaning is clear regardless of the immediate context. The informal code tends to be context-bound; that is, the meaning relies on the shared understandings and experiences of speaker and listener, as well as on the immediate subject at hand.

A Second Language Approach to bilingual education ESL Total immersion Reverse immersion ESL Bilingual education Bilingual-bicultural education Total immersion: instruction occurs entirely in the second language. Reverse immersion: the second language is taught as a “foreign” language. Bilingual education: teachers teach children in both their native language and English. Bilingual-bicultural education: teaching a second language that incorporates cultural symbols and strategies.

Second-Language Learning Crucial differences between success and failure rests with the attitudes of Parents Teachers Community Learn best early in life, under age 5. Peers are best teachers, supplemented by a positive attitude at home and in school Is learning a second language really valued?

Schooling and Cultural Values Schoolchildren in the US today spend more time in school, playing sports, studying, doing art, reading and less time being outdoors, playing, watching TV. When compared to their counterparts in 1981. This shift is a result of the perception that the superior academic performance of children from Asia is due to this distribution of activities and time.