Cognitive Development

4: Early Childhood: Physical and Cognitive Development

1. Read the following: (* Be sure to note the page numbers required for reading. Required reading may not include the entire chapter.)

Chapter 4, section 1, “Physical Development,” pp. 115 – 122, click here
Chapter 4, section 2, “Cognitive Development,” pp. 123-139,  click here
2. view the following videos,

3. complete the following exercises

Compare your fine and gross motor skills to that of a 3 year old. To begin: Ask a 3 -4 year old to pick up coins 1 at a time until holding 5+ coins at once while leaving the thumb and index finger available to pick up more objects. Then complete the assignment yourself.
Again, ask a 3 – 4 year old to hold 3+ coins in the palm of the hand, individually manipulate them into place between your thumb and pointer finger to place in a piggy bank or vending machine without the use of the other hand. Then complete the assignment yourself.
Ask a child to imitate the sequence of your fingers (any order of alphabetic sign language is easy if you’re familiar (‘V’, ‘Y’, ‘D’), otherwise I recommend (“thumbs up”, point with index only, “A-okay”, and the sign for “I love you.”) (Questions developed from wootherapy.com.)
4. then answer the following questions, referring to material in the text and the video: (Be thorough and complete.)

Motor Skills:

How well did the child’s completion of the tasks compare to your own? Be specific. What were the child’s strengths? What were the child’s weaknesses? Did the complete the assignment more than once? Did you see any improvement?
How well did you complete the assigned tasks? Be specific. Compare your abilities to that of the child’s.
Are these tasks considered fine motor skills or gross motor skills?
What does the text say about brain maturation that might explain the difference in abilities between you and the child?
The video describes several ways to improve motor skills in a child. Choose three and describe each.
Potty Training

Describe three characteristics that may describe a child’s readiness for “potty training.”
Nutrition

In a family that includes three children, a 2, 3, and 4 year old, what does the text say about each child wanting a different lunch? What do you think?
Conservation Errors

Johnny, a 3 y.o., and Mikal, an 11 y.o., each want a hot dog for lunch. Mom prepares Mikal’s hot dog by cutting it in half, but Johnny’s hot dog is served whole. Why might Johnny feel cheated?
Cognitive Development

What do Vygotsky and Piaget each say about a child “talking to themselves.” What do you think?
The text describes three stages of memory. Describe each in your own words.
Thoroughly describe “the theory of mind.”
Video Assignment: (View each of the following videos:)

http://dept.clcillinois.edu/psy/LifespanDevelopment.pdf