The document discusses cognitive development in early childhood from ages 2 to 6 based on the theories of Piaget and Vygotsky, including the remarkable advances children make in language and thought during this period. It also covers topics like children's theories of mind, the importance of language development and social contexts for learning, and trends in early childhood education programs.

1. Kathleen Stassen Berger
Part III Chapter Nine
The Play Years: Cognitive Development
Piaget and Vygotsky
Children’s Theories
Language
Early-Childhood Education
Prepared by Madeleine Lacefield 1
Tattoon, M.A.

2. The Play Years: Cognitive Development
…thinking and learning from age 2 to 6…
…remarkable advances in language and
thought…
…the simple sentence of the typical 2-year-
old that are nonstop, complex outpourings
of a talkative 6-year-old, who can explain
almost anything…
2

3. Piaget and Vygotsk
…famous for their description of
cognition… the eager learning of
children… are compatible in many
ways…
3

4. Piaget
• Piaget: Preoperational Thinking
– preoperational intelligence
• cognitive development between the ages
of about 2 and 6; it includes languages
and imagination (in addition to the
senses and motor skills of infancy), but
logical, operational thinking is not yet
possible
4

5. Piaget
• Obstacles to Logical Operation
– centration
• a characteristic of preoperational thought in
which a young child focuses (centers) on one
idea, excluding all others
– egocentrism
• Piaget’s term for children’s tendency to think
about the world entirely from their own personal
perspective
– focus on appearance
• a characteristic of preoperational though in
which a young child ignores all attributes that
are not apparent
5

6. Piaget
• Obstacles to Logical Operation
– static reasoning
• thinking that nothing changes: Whatever
is now has always been and always will
be
– irreversibility
• the idea that nothing can be undone; the
inability to recognize that something can
sometimes be restored to the way it was
before a change occurred
6

7. Piaget
• Conservation and Logic
– conservation
• the idea that the amount of a substance
remains the same (i.e., is conserved)
when its appearance changes
7

8. Piaget
8

9. Piaget
• Limitations of Piaget’s Research
– Piaget underestimated the conceptual
ability of young children and infants…
• designing his experiments to reveal what
children seemed not to understand,
rather than to identify what they could
understand
• relied on the child’s words rather than
the child’s nonverbal signs in play
context
9

10. Vygotsk
• Vygotsky: Social Learning
– young children can be very sensitive to
the wishes and emotions of others
– young children have social thoughts
10

11. Vygotsk
• Children as Apprentices
– cognitive development is embedded in a
social context
– curious and observant
– ask questions
11

12. Vygotsk
• Children as Apprentices
– apprentice in thinking
• a person whose cognition is stimulated and
directed by older more skilled members of
society
– guided participation
• the process by which people learn from others
who guide their experiences and explorations
12

13. Vygotsk
• Children as
Apprentices
– guided
participation
13

14. Vygotsk
• Scaffolding
– zone of proximal development (ZPD)
• the skills that a person can exercise only with
assistance, not yet independently
• ZPD applies to the ideas or cognitive skills a
person is close to mastering as well as to more
apparent skills
– scaffolding
• temporary support that is tailored to a learner’s
needs and abilities and aimed at helping the
learner master the next task in a given learning
process
14

15. Vygotsk
• Language as a Toll
– private speech
• internal dialogue that occurs when people talk
to themselves (either silently or out loud)
– social mediation
• a function of speech by which a person’s
cognitive skills are refined and extended
through both formal instruction and casual
conversation
15

16. Children’s Theories
• Theory-Theory
– the idea that children attempt to explain
everything they see and hear by
constructing theories
16

17. Children’s Theories
• Theory of Mind
– a person’s theory of what other people might
be thinking
– children must realize that other people are not
necessarily thinking the same thoughts that
they themselves are thinking
– the realization is seldom possible before age 4
17

18. Children’s Theories
• Belief and Reality: Understanding the
Difference
– a sudden leap of understanding occurs at
about age 4
• between age 3 – 6 children come to
realize that thoughts may not reflect
reality
18

19. Children’s Theories
• Contextual Influences
– maturation of the brain’s prefrontal
cortex appears to be the reason for the
age-related advance in children
19

20. Language
• is pivotal to cognition in early childhood
• is the leading cognitive accomplishment in
early childhood
• 24-month-olds begin this period with short
sentences and limited vocabulary
• 6-year-olds end it with the ability to
understand and discuss almost anything
20

21. Language
• critical period
– a time when a certain development must
happen if it is ever to happen
• sensitive period
– a time when a certain type of
development is most likely to happen
and happens most easily
21

22. Language
• Vocabulary
– new words are
added rapidly
• at age 2
knows about
500 words
• at age 6 about
10,000 words
22

23. Language
• Fast-Mapping
– the speedy and sometimes imprecise
way in which children learn new words
by mentally charting them into
categories according to their meaning
23

24. Language
• Words and the Limits of Logic
– logical extension
• used to describe other objects in the
same category
• use of available vocabulary to cover all
the territory they want to talk about
24

25. Language
• Grammar
– grammar of language includes the structure,
techniques, and rules that are used to
communicate meaning
– parts of grammar: word order and word
repetition, prefixes and suffixes, intonation and
emphasis
– overregularization
• the application of rules of grammar even when
exceptions occur, so that the language is made
to seem more ―regular‖ than it actually is
25

26. Language
• Learning Two Languages
– bilingualism is an asset—a necessity
– language-minority children are at a
disadvantage (not the dominant language of
the nation)
– more likely to:
• do poorly in school
• feel ashamed
• become unemployed as adults
– learning the majority language is crucial
26

27. Language
– What is the goal of having a second
language?
• research supports that children should learn at
least two languages…the language-sensitive
years of early childhood are the best time
• soon after the vocabulary explosion, young are
able to master two languages—distinct sets of
words and grammar
• Young children have difficulty with
pronunciation in every language, but this does
not slow down their learning of a second
language
27

28. Language
– Bilingualism, Cognition, and Culture
• ―Since language is integral to culture,
bilingualism is embedded in emotions of
ethnic pride and fear. This reality
hampers developmental research.‖
28

29. Language
Constant Change
– The basics of language learning…
– explosion
– fast-mapping
– overregularization
– extensive practice
…apply to bilingual learning
– Languages continually change…
– Negro to Black to African American
– hip-hop; e-mail; DVD; spam; blog; cell (phone); rap
(music); buff (in shape)
– other languages are basic English vocabulary – salsa,
loco, amour
29

30. Early-Childhood Education
– a hundred years ago children had no
formal education until first grade
– today 3 – 5-year-olds in developed
nations are in school
– early educational institutions differ, but
names do not indicate the nature of the
program
30

31. Early-Childhood Education
31

32. Early-Childhood Education
• Child-Centered
Programs
• Montessori Schools
• The Reggio Emilia
Approach
• Teacher-Directed
Programs
• Intervention
Programs
• Head Start
• Experimental
Programs
32

33. Early-Childhood Education
• Costs and Benefits
– quality early-childhood education matters
– financial aspects are especially significant
– parents pay the bulk of the cost or preschool in the United
States
– quality child care:
• safety
• adequate space and equipment
• low adult-child ratio
• positive social interaction among children and adults
• trained staff and educated parents
• continuity helps
– ―How long has each staff member worked at the center?‖
33