Module 5A Childhood

object permanence

A developmental term that refers to a child's ability to understand that objects still exist after they are no longer in sight. Infants eight-months old or younger tend not to have this ability. It is not until they become more cognitively developed that they understand to search for an object even though it has been hidden from view.

Piaget

Piaget's stage theory describes the cognitive development of children. Cognitive development involves changes in cognitive process and abilities. In Piaget's view, early cognitive development involves processes based upon actions and later progresses into changes in mental operations.

formal operations

According to Piaget's theory of cognitive development, when a person gets to be approximately age 12, they acquire the ability to think logically about abstract concepts. They can extrapolate about events that occurred at different times (does not have to be occurring right then and there), think about people that are not there, etc.

sensorimotor stage

According to Piaget, children from birth to approximately age 2 learn to coordinate all their sensory experiences (sights, sounds, etc.) with their motor behaviors. At this stage of development children learn about and start to understand the world around them by doing things like sucking, grasping, crawling, etc.

stranger anxiety

Although many people might get anxious around strangers, this term refers to a developmental situation in which infants become anxious and fearful around strangers. This usually occurs around 8 months of age and includes outward, fearful behaviors by the child in the presence of strangers, including crying, recoiling, clinging, etc. This is not an unusual situation and occurs at the same time as object permanence.

two-word stage

At approximately 2 years of age, they leave the one-word stage and enter the two-word stage. During this stage children start using two-word sentences more than just using single words for everything.

telegraphic speech

At approximately age 2, children enter the Two-Word Stage of language development. During this stage they exhibit telegraphic speech, which is speech that sounds very much like a telegram, has words arranged in an order that makes sense, and contains almost all nouns and verbs. For example, a child at this stage of development who wants to get milk may say "get milk", as opposed to saying just "milk". As you can see, there are only two words, they are in an order that makes sense, there is one verb and one noun, and it sounds like a telegram.

autonomy v. shame/doubt

Autonomy versus shame and doubt is the second stage of Erikson's theory of psychosocial development. This stage take place between the ages of approximately 18 months to two or three. During this period of development, children start to gain a greater sense of personal control. Potty training, toy preferences, clothing selection and food choices all serve as important events that allow children to establish a stronger sense of self-control.

conservation

Conservation is one of Piaget's developmental accomplishments, in which the child understands that changing the form of a substance or object does not change its amount, overall volume, or mass. This accomplishment occurs during the operational stage of development between ages 7 and 11.

one-word stage

During language development children go through stages during which their language gets better and better until they can finally speak fluently. The one-word stage, as the name implies, the stage in which children speak mainly in single words.

concrete operations

In the concrete operational stage of cognitive development (from about 7 to 12 years of age) children gain the abilities and mental operations that allow them to think logically about concrete events such as mathematical operations and principles, and conservation.

industry v. inferiority

Industry versus inferiority is the fourth stage of Erikson's theory of psychosocial development. The stage occurs during childhood between the ages of six and eleven. School and social interaction play an important role during this time of a child's life. Through social interactions, children begin to develop a sense of pride in their accomplishments and abilities. During the industry versus inferiority stage, children become capable of performing increasingly complex tasks. As a result, they strive to master new skills. Children who are encouraged and commended by parents and teachers develop a feeling of competence and belief in their skills. According to Erikson, this stage is vital in the development of self-confidence.

initiative v. guilt

Initiative versus guilt is the third stage of Erikson's theory of theory of psychosocial development. This stage occurs during the preschool years, between the ages of three and five. During the initiative versus guilt stage, children begin to assert their power and control over the world through directing play and other social interaction. Children need to begin asserting control and power over the environment by taking initiative by planning activities, accomplishing tasks and facing challenges. During this stage, it is important for caregivers to encourage exploration and to help children make appropriate choices. Caregivers who are discouraging or dismissive may cause children to feel ashamed of themselves and to become overly dependent upon the help of others.

babbling

The babbling stage is a very early stage of language development, usually occurring around ages 3-4 months, in which children spontaneously produce all sorts of nonsensical, unrelated sounds. No real words are formed at this point, but children are just beginning to put sounds together in order to form words, which happens after the babbling stage.

pre-operational stage

The preoperational Stage is one of Piaget's four stages of cognitive development. Infants between the ages of 18 and 24 months acquire the ability to visualize objects and events mentally. Playing house and war games are an example of a children's ability to do this. At 7, the child moves to the next stage: Concrete Operations.

trust v. mistrust

The trust versus mistrust stage is the first stage of Erikson's theory of psychosocial development. This stage occurs between birth and approximately 18 months of age. According to Erikson, the trust versus mistrust stage is the most important period in a person's life. Because an infant is entirely dependent upon his or her caregivers, the quality of care that the child receives plays an important role in the shaping of the child's personality. During this stage, children learn whether or not they can trust the people around them. When a baby cries, does his caregiver attend to his needs? When he is frightened, will someone comfort him?

critical period

This one is just as it sounds...a critical period really is a specific time during which an organism has to experience stimuli in order to progress through developmental stages properly. For example, humans have a critical period for language development. During that time, we are much more capable of learning a new language than at other, later times -- it just comes much easier during that time. In particular, if children don't start speaking around a certain time, it can become even more difficult for them to pick up their native language. Thus, there are critical periods for learning language. A related term is Sensitive Period.

identity v. role confusion

is the fifth stage of Erikson's theory of psychosocial development. This stage occurs during adolescence between the ages of approximately 12 to 18. Teens need to develop a sense of self and personal identity. During adolescence, children are exploring their independence and developing a sense of self. As they make the transition from childhood to adulthood, teens may begin to feel confused or insecure about themselves and how they fit in to society. As they seek to establish a sense of self, teens may experiment with different roles, activities and behaviors. According to Erikson, this is important to the process of forming a strong identity and developing a sense of direction in life. Those who receive proper encouragement and reinforcement through personal exploration will emerge from this stage with a strong sense of self and a feeling of independence and control. Those who remain unsure of their beliefs and desires will insecure and confused about themselves and the future.

Erikson

was a developmental psychologist and psychoanalyst, best known for formulating the Psychosocial Stages of Development which outlined personality development from birth to old age. He also coined the term Identity Crisis which describes when a person loses their sense of self.