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MIDDLE CHILDHOOD
Chapter 8
Physical and Cognitive Development
Middle Childhood Physical and Cognitive Development
• Development is continuous
• Physical, cognitive, and psychosocial factors interact
• Development occurs in a broad social context
• Physical growth is gradual until children experience adolescent growth spurt
Development in middle childhood
Physical and Motor Development
Physical Development in Middle Childhood
Physical and Motor Development
Changes in Body Size and Proportion During Middle Childhood
Broad variations in growth patterns occur during middle childhood. The illustrated changes are typical.
• Brain development continues, neural plasticity remains high
• Gender difference in cerebellar size
• Lateralization of brain becomes more pronounced
• Gray matter follows a different developmental path than does white matter
• Brain development in childhood and adolescence involves a balance of growth, as well as the pruning away, of neural cells
Brain changes
Physical and Motor Development
The leading cause of death is accidents, especially involving motor vehicles
Obesity is increasing: over 19% of U.S. grade-school-age children are obese
Physical activity and exercise have been declining
Minor illnesses occur
Middle childhood is one of healthiest periods in life
Health
Health, Fitness, and Accidents
Video produced by the Dove Corporation to highlight body image and self-esteem issues among girls in middle childhood: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWzbIVwGd1E
Video Clip
Trends in U.S. Childhood Obesity Ages 6 to 11 Years
Assessing Obesity
Describes New Jersey’s initiative to combat childhood obesity using health report cards http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXvDI3Lh9xQ
Video Clip
Asthma
Asthma
• Most prevalent chronic disease in children in U.S.
• Gender, ethnic, genetic, and regional differences in prevalence
• Suggested causes include pollution, indoor and outdoor activities
Accidents and Injuries
Accidents
• Accidents cause more child deaths than the six other major causes of death combined
• Pneumonia or influenza, heart disease, birth defects, cancer, suicide, and homicide
• Accidents also are leading cause of physical disability in childhood
Leading Causes of Death Rank <1 1-4 5-9 10-14 15-24
1 Congenital Anomalies
5107
Unintentional Injury 1394
Unintentional Injury 758
Unintentional Injury 885
Unintentional Injury
12,341
2 Short Gestation
4148
Congenital Anomalies
507
Malignant Neoplasms
439
Malignant Neoplasms
477
Homicide 4678
3 SIDS 2063
Homicide 385
Congenital Anomalies
1683
Sicide 267
Suicide 4600
4 Maternal Pregnancy
Complications
1561
Malignant Neoplasms
346
Homicide 111
Homicide 150
Malignant Neoplasms
1604
5 Unintentional Injury
1,110
Heart Disease 159
Heart Disease 68 Congenital Anomalies 135
Heart Disease 1028
6 Placenta Cord.
Membranes 1,030
Influenza & Pneumonia
91
Chronic Low Respiratory Disease
60
Heart Disease 117
Congenital Anomalies 412
Psyc
holo
gica
l di
sord
ers
and
men
tal
illne
ss
About 20% children age 9-17 have mental disorders with at least mild functional impairment Some disorders, such as autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, are most commonly diagnosed in childhood Under-recognition of mental illness as a major problem of childhood is a concern Treatment decisions can be difficult
Psychological Disorders
Piag
et a
nd C
oncr
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Ope
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nal T
hink
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Children move from preoperational to concrete operational thought during
the years from ages 5 to 7
Thought becomes less intuitive and egocentric and more logical
Thinking becomes more reversible, flexible, and complex
Cause-effect evaluations are possible
Cognitive Development
Preoperational Versus Concrete Operational Thought
FIGURE 8-5 Piaget’s Matchstick Problem Concrete operational children realize that the six matchsticks in the zigzag top row will make a longer line than the five matchsticks in the straight bottom row. Younger children will say that the bottom row is the longest because they tend to center only on the end points of the two lines and not on what lies between them.
Piaget’s Matchstick Problem
Piag
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Children become more skilled in using words to help them understand, structure, and solve problems
Concrete operational children can theorize about the world around them
Acquisition of concrete operational thought is gradual and occurs without formal education or prompting
Cognitive Development
Piaget and Education
• Piaget believed children are better off when they learn at their own pace and that learning is best when it is intrinsically motivated rather than extrinsically rewarded
• Use of concrete objects can enhance learning and cognitive development
• Use of concrete learning aides promotes active learning and constructivist knowledge
Cognitive Development
Mem
ory
and
met
acog
nitio
n Children’s memory strategies and techniques—control processes—improve with age
Children are better able to monitor their own thinking, memory, knowledge, goals, and actions—
metacognition
Metacognition begins at about age 6 and emerges more fully between the ages of 7 and 10
Cognitive Development
Control Processes Used by Children in Middle Childhood
Language • Language learning expands, as vocabulary increases and complex grammar
is mastered • Reading and writing skills (literacy) are natural growths of language
development • Development of reading and writing skills during middle childhood is
complex and multidimensional • Teachers and peers aid in enhancing literacy skills
Language and Literacy Development
Conditions That Promote Literacy
Conditions That Promote Literacy
Individual differences • Intelligence test scores
are used in educational, career, and public policy decisions
• In many developed nations, educational opportunities depend heavily on how well the child performs on standardized tests.
Individual Differences in Intelligence
Assessment of intelligence • IQ scores today assessed by
comparing individual’s score with scores of other people in same age range—deviation IQ
• Two commonly used assessments of intelligence – Stanford-Binet Intelligence
Scale
– Wechsler (versions for varying ages: WPPSI, WISC, WAIS)
Individual Differences in Intelligence
Howard Gardner
• Promotes broad-based model of intellectual abilities consisting of eight “types” of intelligence
Robert Sternberg
• Developed a broad triarchic theory of intelligence • Contextual
intelligence • Experiential
intelligence • Componential
intelligence
The Nature of Intelligence
Gardner’s Eight Types of Intelligence
• Some U.S. minority groups typically score lower on average on tests when compared to Whites
• Some disparity may be due to cultural bias in tests
• Research suggests that race is not a factor in determining intelligence, although culture probably is
• When social and economic circumstances are considered, group difference in intelligence all but disappear
• IQ is dynamic interaction of genetics and environment
Race and intelligence
Race and Intelligence
• World customs differ as to when children enter school and how long they remain
• Children face a variety of new expectations and adjustments when they enter school
• Students must meet behavioral expectations when in school, and teachers spend a good amount of time enforcing rules, disciplining and praising, in addition to performing their teaching duties
Learning and thinking
Learning and Thinking in School
• U.S. schools are placing greater emphasis on teaching learning and thinking schools
• Teachers try to develop different teaching strategies to teach different skills and to meet the individual needs and learning styles of students
• Group projects seem to aid in critical thinking. They also foster cooperative, rather than competitive, learning
Competent learners and critical thinkers
Developing Competent Learners and Critical Thinkers
School success influenced by many factors
– Achievement motivation
– Gender differences
Success in School
Motivation for learning is
influenced by ways that
teachers and parents
encourage children
• Girls tend to adopt a “performance” focus while boys adopt a “learning” focus
• A critical goal is to encourage children to develop a “learning” orientation
• Praise is critical for children to develop a positive academic self-concept
Success in School
Evaluating Gender Bias in the Classroom: Questions for Parents
Developmental Disorders
• Significantly subaverage intellectual functioning and self-help skills
• Genetics, birth, or early childhood trauma • Social deprivation • Unknown causes • Severity and extensiveness of impairment
Condition characterized by
Condition only diagnosed when child can be tested, usually school age
Intellectual Disability
Diagnosis of Intellectual Disability
Levels of Mental Retardation
Learning Disorders
ADHD
ADHD