Chapter 10Intellectual Development During the First

Year

Learning in the First YearFive senses are the building blocks of

learningBaby’s brain is fed by experiencesPerception – babies’ ability to learn from the

senses

Four Signs of Intellectual DevelopmentRemembering – information from senses can

be interpreted in light of past experiences (2 or three month old stops crying when someone enters the room because they remember that this means they will be picked up)

Making Associations – baby connects one thing to another (As above adult entering means comfort is next)

Four Signs continued:Understanding cause and effect. The idea

that one action results in another action or condition (If baby closes eyes it gets dark; sucking causes milk to flow if baby stops so does the milk. By 7 to 8 months they have a better understanding of this concept: pulling toy, dropping bowl on floor over and over reassures her this will happen every time; instead of getting frustrated parents need to remember they are simply learning about their world and repeated actions strengthen connections between nerve cells in the brain.)

Cause and Effect

Four Signs continued:Paying attention – baby’s attention span

(length of time one can concentrate on a task without getting bored) increases.

Bright babies have short attention span and lose interest sooner than average or below average babies this is the opposite beyond infancy, where children with above average intelligence have longer attention spans)

Piaget

Swiss psychologist found intellectual development followed a pattern.Children learn to master one thinking skill

before they can master anotherChildren who don’t get chance to apply their

developing skills may never reach full potentialLearning stages appear in same order in all

children but age at which it develops may vary

Four Major PeriodsSensorimotor Period –

Birth to about 2 Primarily learn through senses and their actions Object permanence – about 10 months realize

objects continue to exist even when out of sight

Six Stages of Sensorimotor Period Stage 1 - birth to one – practice inborn reflexes; does not understand self as separate person

Stage 2 – 1 to 4 months – Combines two or more reflexes; develops hand-mouth coordination

Stage 3 – 4 to 8 months Acts intentionally to produce results; improves hand-eye coordination

Stage 4 – 8 to 12 months – Begins to solve problems; Finds partially hidden objects; imitates others

Stage 5 - 12 to 18 months – finds hidden objects; explores and experiments; understands that objects exist independently

Stage 6 – 18 to 24 months – Solves problems by thinking through sequences; can think using symbols; begins imaginative thinking

Four Major Periods ContinuedPreoperational –

Two to seven years – think in terms of their own activity and what they perceive at the moment.

Begin to understand abstract terms: love, beauty

Concentration limited to one thing at a time. Children may believe moon follows them around May pretend to solve problems May not be sure what is real or make believe

Four Major Periods ContinuedConcrete Operations Period –

Seven to eleven years – Children can think logically but still learn best through experience

When problem solving children still rely on actually being able to see or experience problem

Understand that pouring water from one container to another does not change the amount of water

Understand operations can be reversed: subtraction undoes addition

Can classify information

Four Major Periods ContinuedFormal Operations Period –

11 years through adulthood – children become capable of abstract thinking; problem solving by thinking; infer meaning; form ideals

Can think what might have been the cause of an event without experiencing that cause

Piaget Some argue the boundaries of his stages are

too rigid; children have shown ability to understand concepts before the stage set

Piaget showed young children learn in their own ways, not as adults do.

Older children use symbolic thinking – using words and numbers to stand for ideas

Younger children rely on concrete experiencesI have three blocks means nothing to a young

child. Young children need lessons presented with objects or activities – verbal instruction is a minor role

After reading article on Spears:If you were Jamie Lynn’s friend and you knew

she was thinking of becoming physically intimate with Casey, what advice would you give her?

10-2 Helping Babies learnBabies learn about their world by the care

they receive:Events: discomfort =crying=cuddling + being

fed Repeated patterns = connections and learning

Encourage learningProvide experiences that are age appropriateGive: time, attention, positive feedback, love,

and don’t forget to talk, talk, talk

Which of the above do you think would be hardest for you to give?

Best Learning EnvironmentAllow the baby as much freedom of

movement at home as possible; in order to do this the environment must be safe

In your journals with the room you selected, write 4 safety concerns that room might have for your child once they are mobile?

The Importance of Play For children work is play as well as pleasure

Toys are toolsTasks strengthen musclesRefine motor skillsLearn about world

Appropriate Toys

Birth to 3 mos. – Bright colors and interesting sounds to stimulate development of sensesMobiles, interesting wallpaper, pictures etc.

4 – 6 mos. – sense of touch focus – small enough to handle but too large to swallow- teething rings, cups, rattles, plastic toys

7-9 mos. – things to handle, throw, pound, bang, and shake – blocks, balls, roly-poly toys, pots and pans

10 – 12 mos. – things to crawl after, push, or pull – like to put things into other things, picture books

Developing Communication SkillsSkill requires physical, emotional, social , and

intellectual Crying 1st means of communication

Crying – pause for response – resume crying Different cries for different problems

2nd Body movements send messages: wiggling = baby not wanting to get dressed; pushing away a bowl = I’ve had enough to eat; clinging with both arms to parents leg = fear or shyness

3rd Baby communicates making special sounds – giggles, shrieks, grunts

Learning to SpeakMust learn to associate meanings with words

Requires caregiver talking to baby even when baby doesn’t understand – builds brain

Physically baby can’t speak – physical changes over 1st year make it possible

Babbling, repeating syllables and sounds is preparatory for saying actual words

Recognizable words evident between 8 to 15 mos.

Combining words usually after 12 mos.

Milestones of Language1 to 6 mos. – experiments making sounds:

coos, gurgles, squeals7 to 12 mos. – more sounds, responds to name,

add actions to words bye bye (waving)13 to 18 mos. – slow vocabulary growth18 to 24 mos. – rapid growth 12 words a day;

by 2 yrs. Express feelings with words2 to 2 ½ years – 3 to 4 word sentences2 ½ to 3 years – longer sentences with rules of

grammar for tense (past & present) order affects meaning

ReviewPhysical Development - head to foot; near to far; simple to

complex; weight, height, proportion, sight, hearing, smell & taste, voice; motor skills

Emotional Development – process of learning to recognize and express one’s identity as a unique person.Child with healthy emotional development = a self confident

adult who can handle stress and shows empathy toward others

Social Development – process of learning to interact with others and to express oneself to othersHealthy social development = adult who can communicate

well with others, listens to other points of view, is more tolerant of others

Intellectual Development – process of learning from senses (perception) signs –remembering, making associations, understanding

cause and effect, & paying attention

Assessment on DevelopmentWhile watching the following power point:

Determine what type of development the activity is assisting and how that type of development is being assisted. There may be more than one type of development. Adequately support your answer.

True /False

Positive Feedback

Physical,SocialEmotional,intellectual

Babble

Children learn differently from Adults

Sensorimotor

Logically then abstractly

6 to 9 monthsBirth to 3mos7 to 9 mos.19 to 24 mos.5 to 6 months

Simple

Security

she’s full / wants something else

Patience

Recall

Talking

Preoperational

How children learn

Crying Physical, Social,

Object permanence

Cause and effect

Objective thinking

Association

Perception

Formal operations

Attention span

memory Symbolic thinking

He’s hungry

Classification

Can’t concentrate on more than one thing at a time

Experiences and with their senses

1 ½ inches3 inches

Work

Concrete operations