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.