Psych Lecture Ch. 7&8

Psych Lecture Chapters 7 & 8 Oct. 15, 2009 Preschool Children As a child grows in early childhood his world will begin to open up. He begins to become more independent, begin to focus more on adults and children outside the family, he wants to explore and ask about his surroundings even more. Interactions with his family and those around will help shape his personality and individual ways of thinking and moving. During this stage the child will be able to ride a tricycle, use safety scissors, show awareness of gender identity, how to dress and undress themselves, play with other children, recall parts of a story and sing a song. Positive Parenting Continue to read to your child, nurture reading by taking them to libraries, book stores, story time, etc., Let your child help with simple chores (folding laundry) Encourage child to play with other children (encourages sharing and friendships), Help your child’s language development by speaking to your child in adult language using complete sentences, help them to use the correct word and phrases, be clear and consistent in disciplining your child, Model the behavior that you expect from him/her. Children learn from their environment. If you say or do something different, I confuses the child. Tell your child why it’s important to stay out of traffic, be cautious when they are trying to ride their tricycle. Make sure to check out playground equipment for loose parts or sharp edges. When child is outside, keep an eye on them at all times. Teach your child to swim! Teach your child how to interact with strangers. The stages of growth of childhood come from many sources: Piaget, Kohlberg, Erikson, came up with stages regarding development. Stages of childhood are bi-cultural: by social institutions, laws that make up a society. While researchers and professionals usually define early childhood as birth to toddlers others define age 5 as a better endpoint because it coincides with entry into the cultural practice of school. There are three broad stages of development: early childhood, middle childhood and adolescence. Definitions of these stages are organized around primary paths of development though the boundaries of these stages are (?). Societies ideas of childhood shift over time. And research has lead to new understandings of new development that takes place in each stage. By age 5, children demonstrate fairly good control of pencils, crayons and scissors. Their gross motor accomplishments include the ability to skip and balance on one foot; their physical growth slows down between ages 5-8, while

body proportions and motor skills start to incline. Physical changes in early childhood are accompanied by changes in cognitive and language ability. From the moment that they are born, children use all of their senses to attend to their environment and they tend to develop a sense of cause and effect from their actions and responses. During the first three years of life, children develop a spoken vocabulary of upwards of 300 to 1,000 words and they are able to use language to learn about the world around them. At the age of 5 their vocabulary is now approximately 5,000 words. They are able to produce 5-7 word sentences, learn to use the past tense, and able to tell familiar stories using pictures as cues. Using language allows them to communicate with others as well as solve problems. By the age of 8 years, children are able to demonstrate some basic understanding of less concrete concepts (time, money) however, 8yr olds still reason in concrete ways and have difficulty reasoning abstract ideas. At age 5, the child may expect others to share objects freely, but still may be extremely possessive of a favorite toy. This creates no conflict of conscience because fairness is determined relative to the child’s own interest. Between the ages of 5-8, they get into a broader peer context, and they develop long lasting friendships. Social comparison is heightened at this time and they take other people’s perspectives play a role in how they relate to people, including their peers. 1994-federal legislation was passed in this country called Goals 2000. It states that all children will enter school ready to learn. The validity of this goal has been debated and the consequences have already been felt. It’s been accused of standardized readiness assessments to determine class placement for retention into kindergarten. Transition classes (either before kindergarten or before entering into 1st grade) (example: Pre K). Cut off dates are by birthdates. P. 271 Ÿ Gender Identity: recognition and the acceptance of self R/T male/female. Ÿ Gender Typing: process by which a child accepts culturally accepted behaviors R/T their gender. Ÿ Gender consistency: the recognition that one’s gender does not change. Ÿ Gender Stereotyping: exaggerated characteristics associated with each gender. Ÿ Sex: Male/Female Ÿ Biological Perspectives on Gender Baumrind P. 278

Parental Discipline 7 characteristics of discipline 1. To provide clear rules 2. Firmly enforce the rules 3. Expect children to help out with chores 4. Encourage independence and self assertion 5. Use explanation and reason 6. See themselves as an infallible authority 7. To encourage social order 4 styles of Parenting 1. Authoritarian: a parent that values obedience as a nurture and favors punitive , forceful self measures to curb self-will. (Because I said so) wants obedience. 2. Permissive: behaves in a affirmative, inceptive and benign manner for the child’s impulses and actions. In other words they let the child do whatever they want to. 3. Authoritative: parenting style that attempt to direct the child’s activities in a rational or issue-oriented manner. 4. Uninvolved: uncommitted parent who appears indifferent to a child’s need for discipline or affection. Punishment The process by the application an inadvertent stimulus follows a particular response so that it will decrease that particular response. Fear: a state of arousal , tension or apprehension caused by a specific, identifiable circumstance. Autonomy: a strong desire to do things for yourself. (social environments) Time-out: a strategy used for changing behavior, removing the child from the setting from which the behavior occurred. Reactive Control: parents’ negative responses to a child’s disruptive behavior. 5 selective types of Defense mechanisms used by children 1. Denial: refusal to admit that the situation exists or events happened. 2. Identification: the process of incorporating the values attitudes and beliefs of others . 3. Withdrawal: removing one’s self from an unpleasant situation. 4. Regression: returns to earlier more infantile forms of behavior as a way of coping with a stressful situation.

5. Repression: extreme form of denial in which the child unconsciously erases a frightening event from awareness. Imaginary Companions: the friends that children make up and pretend that they are very real. Sibling status: Birth Order 10 Types of Play Social aspects of play 1. Solitary: when child plays alone without reference to any other children. 2. Onlooker: where a child watches other children play, but is not involved. 3. Parallel: when a child plays independently, but within sight or earshot of another child playing 4. Associative: when a child plays with 2 or more children, usually a game or playground equipment, but still have their own individuality. 5. Cooperative: sharing of playthings. Cognitive Play activities 6. Functional: simple repetitive muscle movements with or without objects. 7. Constructive: involves creation or construction. They’re building something. 8. Make-believe: imaginary roles, or everyday roles are acted out. 9. Games with rules: incorporate rules, games and structures into activities. 10.Associo-dramatic play: combines make-believe play and games with rules. 6 Forms of Psychological Child Abuse 11.Rejection: when a parent actively refuses, at the request of a child, in a way that implies a strong dislike. 12.Denial of emotional responsiveness: when a parent passively withholds affection. Also applies to communication. 13.Degradation: humiliate the child in public or call the child names like “sissy” 14.Terrorization: child is being forced to witness abuse of a loved one or being threatened with personal abuse. 15.Isolation: when a parent refuses to let a child play with friends or take part in a family activity. 16.Exploitation: when the parent takes advantage of the child’s innocence or weakness. Example: pedophiles Testable material early thru middle childhood.

Chapters 7 and 8.