Dr van Widenfelt PSYC 307 100 Fall 2015 Today chapter 8 What is it like to be a toddler What is changing in the brain Next chapter 9 Piaget Extra Credit Assignment Observation 2Watch children e g at a park their home pool or other activity Watch a parent child interaction e g at a pumpkin patch or store Interview a child Interview a parent about their child s development Give a Piaget task to a child Do the mirror rouge dot test or other task we watched in class Write about your observation 1 1 5 pages double spaced 1 State your goal in terms of what you planned to do or observe For example what principle or theme were you trying to understand 2 Summarize the observation 3 Describe the outcome 4 Describe what you learned Due DECEMBER 1st PASTE onto ECAMPUS JOURNAL section Please do not email Also do not upload report as an attachment You can add a video or audio by uploading or adding link Worth up to 4 points 2 6 What is it like to be a toddler preschooler go to kindergarden Growing rapidly Becoming slimmer with lower body lengthening Each year from age 2 through 6 well nourished children add almost 3 inches in height gain about 4 1 2 pounds in weight By age 6 weigh between 40 50 lbs 3 feet tall Picky Picky Picky In this age group normal to want certain routines and rituals Peaks at age 3 Have strong preferences Food clothes Things done in certain order Motor skills developing Gross Fine What are children learning By age 3 Can walk down stairs Can run and climb Can ride a tricycle Can copy over shapes What are children By age 4 learning Can dress self Pour juice without spilling Can use scissors What are children learning By age 5 Further develop balance and coordination can ride a tricycle some can ride a bicycle throw and catch a ball Climb a tree or ladder of a slide Can cut with a knife Learning to tie shoes Fine motor skill development Fine Motor Skills Are more difficult to master Involve small hand and finger movements Often involve both sides of brain On average girls mature 6 months earlier Drawing and writing Start scribbling by 16 months Drawing and writing Early childhood see moving from scribbles to art start seeing round shapes Then start identifying something will say that is the sun By age 2 1 2 can hold pencil or crayon in writing position make a V By age 4 or 5 see faces and people By ages 5 7 see houses families cars bikes Improved Motor Skills What contributes to improved fine and gross motor skills Improved Motor Skills Muscle growth Brain maturation Practice Guided practice Adult encouragement Culture important Location where live Brain Development Brain Development Size By age 2 a child s brain weighs 75 percent of what it will in adulthood Extensive sprouting and then pruning of dendrites has already taken place The brain reaches 90 percent of adult weight by age 6 Myelination A gradual increase in myelination Can think faster process faster respond faster The primary reason is new and extensive myelination makes 5 year olds much quicker than 3year olds who are quicker than toddlers Myelination Myelination is a lifelong process more and more myelin wraps around the axon throughout childhood Note Age related slowdowns in adulthood are caused by gradual disappearance of myelin layers Connecting the Hemispheres Corpus callosum Long thick band of nerve fibers that connects the left and right hemispheres of the brain allows communication between them Allows coordination of two sides of brain and the body See better physical coordination occuring Lateralization Specialization in certain functions by each side of the brain with one side dominant for each activity Left side of the brain controls the right side of the body and vice versa Maturation of prefrontal cortex Prefrontal cortex is very limited in infancy and continues to develop at least until early adulthood Between ages 2 and 6 neurological increases are especially notable in the areas of the cortex where planning thinking social awareness and language occur Prefrontal Cortex From ages 2 to 6 maturation of the prefrontal cortex more control Sleep becomes more regular Emotions become more nuanced and responsive Temper tantrums decrease or subside Uncontrollable laughter and tears are less common Impulsiveness and perservation Maturation of the prefrontal cortex gradually facilitates focused attention and curbed impulsiveness Before such maturation many young children jump from task to task they cannot stay quiet Others act in the opposite way In a phenomenon called perseveration some children persevere in or stick to one thought or action unable to quit The emotional brain Primary processing of emotions occurs in the limbic system Three brain parts in Limbic system EMOTIONS Amygdala Regulates and registers emotions particularly fear and anxiety Hippocampus central processing center Particularly important for memory Hypothalamus responds to the amygdala and the hippocampus produces cortisol and other hormones that activate other parts of the brain and body Example As the limbic system develops it can become hypersensitive Example Young children watch parents emotions Parent looks fearful Happens a lot Child remembers hypocampus Child becomes fearful Hormonal Feedback Loop HPA Axis Emotions Stress and the Brain Moderate stress can be beneficial Stress can also be helpful I e emotionally arousing experiences like a new school can be beneficial if stress is moderate Context important Cognitive and memory growth with reassuring adults Early traumatic or stressful events Increased risk Brain can get flooded with cortisol and destroy parts of hippocampus Permanent learning and memory deficits Later major depression PTSD and ADHD Stress and the limbic system Excessive stress hormones in early childhood Ie Due to maltreatment Can have permanent damage to limbic system Permanent emotional responses Studies on Romanian children Limbic systems less reactive Have a great afternoon