Chapter 10: Early Childhood- Psychosocial Development

Play

• United Nations High Commissioner for Human Right: play is the right of every child in the world

• stimulates body, decision making, acquisition of new skills, learn negotiation and conflict resolution

• treasure free exploratory play

Play and Cognitive Development • Smilansky (1968): four levels of play showing

increasing cognitive complexity

• 1. functional or locomotor play (begins at infancy): repeated practice in large muscular movements, such as rolling a ball

• 2. constructive play or object play: use of objects or materials to make something

• 3. dramatic play or pretend play: involves make-believe objects, actions or roles

• 4. games with rules are organized games with known procedures and penalties

Mildred Parten’s 6 Types of Play • Unoccupied behavior: watches anything of momentary

interest

• Onlooker behavior: watches other children play

• Solitary independent play: plays alone with toys that are different from those used by nearby children and makes no effort to get close to other children

• Parallel play: children play with similar toys in similar ways, but not together

• Associative play: Children interact, observing each other and sharing material; more interest in being with each other then in the activity

• Cooperative play: child plays in a group organized by some goal such as to make something, play a formal game, or dramatize a situation

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Becoming Boys and Girls

• identity as male or female important feature of a child’s self-concept – first question asked about a newborn is “Boy

or girl?” – children become more aware of gender every

year

• parents select gender-distinct: – clothes – blankets – diapers – pacifiers, etc.

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Sex and Gender

• sex differences: biological differences between males and females

–organs

–hormones

–body type

• gender differences: differences in the roles and behavior of males and females prescribed by the culture

Boy/Girl Segregation

• tendency seems to be universal across cultures

• biology, gender identification, adult reinforcement, and peer group all seem to influence gender differences in play

• gender segregation: girls tend to select other girls as playmates; boys prefer other boys

Gender Schema • mental network of beliefs and expectations

about what it means to be female or male and about what each sex is supposed to wear, do, and feel

• most rigid between 5-7 years of age

• globally, boys’ schemas are more rigid than girls

• boys are harsher on themselves and other boys who fail to behave in gender-typed ways

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Challenges for Parents

• parents differ a great deal in what they believe about children and how they should act toward them

• tend to follow child-rearing patterns of their own parents

• need to decide on a parenting style

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Parenting Styles • Expressions of warmth

– very affectionate or cold and critical

• Strategies for discipline

– how they explain, criticize, persuade, ignore, and punish

• Communication

– listen patiently; others demand silence

• Expectations for maturity

– parents vary in standards for responsibility and self-control

Baumrind’s Parenting Styles-1971

Parenting Style

Authoritarian

Authoritative

Description

• Demanding and controlling

• Favor punitive methods over reasoning

• Stress obedience over independence

• Demanding but reciprocal relationship

• Favor reasoning over physical punishment

• Encourage independence

Parenting Style Continued

• Parenting Style

• Permissive

• Description

• Undemanding and little control exercised

• Allow children to learn from experience as a result of indulgence or neglect

• Neither independence nor obedience promoted

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Summary of Three Patterns of Parenting

• Authoritarian: characterized by high behavioral standards, strict punishment of misconduct, and little communication.

• Permissive: characterized by high nurturance and communication but little discipline, guidance, or control.

• Authoritative: parents set limits, but listen to the child and are flexible.

Parenting Style Added

• Parenting Style

• Neglectful/Uninvolved

• Description

• Little interest in child

• Emotionally detached

• Neglect

Typical Children’s Characteristics

• Parenting Style

• Authoritarian

• Authoritative

• Characteristics

• Lack social competence

• Lack curiosity

• Withdrawn

• Self-reliant

• Self-controlled

• Curious

• Content

Typical Children’s Characteristics

• Parenting Style

• Permissive

• Uninvolved

• Characteristics

• Dependent on others

• Poor impulse control

• Moody

• Immature

• Emotionally detached

• Feel unloved

• Low self-control

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Cultural Variations

• Chinese, Caribbean, and African American parents are often stricter. No-nonsense parenting studies

• Japanese mothers tend to use reasoning, empathy and expressions of disappointment.

• Specific discipline methods and family rules are less important than: – parental warmth – support – concern

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Types of Aggression • instrumental aggression: hurtful behavior

intended to get or keep something that another has

• reactive aggression: impulsive retaliation for another person’s intentional or accidental action

• relational aggression: nonphysical acts aimed at harming social connection between victim and others

• bullying aggression: unprovoked, repeated physical or verbal attack, esp. those who are unlikely to defend themselves