Title 05 DevPsy - Early Childhood Development.pdf ✅

● Fine Motor Skills: physical skills that involve the small muscles and eye-hand coordination. ● Systems of Action: skills become more intricate, allowing for a broader and more accurate range of motion and greater control over the surroundings ● Handedness: preference for using a particular hand ● Boys are more inclined to be left-handed than girls HEALTH AND SAFETY Obesity ● Likelihood of being obese can be passed down through generations, but the primary causes of the widespread issue of obesity are related to the environment ● Obesity and Heart Risk Prevention ○ It's recommended for young children to consume around 30 percent of their total calories from fat ○ There should be no more than one-third of fat calories coming from saturated fat Food Security – occurs when households lack reliable access to enough food to maintain a healthy lifestyle ● Food accessibility problems have a particular effect on young kids because of their fast growth and development ● It is expected that kids may not get enough micronutrients like vitamin A, zinc, iron, and iodine Undernutrition – results from insufficient food intake or not consuming enough nutrients essential for overall development and well-being ● Children Stunted: children who seem to have a healthy weight but are shorter than expected for their age ○ May experience cognitive and physical impairments ○ This form of malnutrition is often the result of chronic, persistent hunger ● Children Wasted: children who are of a suitable height for their age but are slimmer than they are expected to be ○ Generally the result of a recent, rapid weight loss Food Allergies ● 90% of food allergies can be linked to eight specific foods – milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, soy, wheat, and shellfish ● Children are more likely than adults to have food allergies, and most children will eventually outgrow their allergies ● Children with food allergies tend to be smaller and shorter, on average, than children who do not have food allergies. ● There have been suggestions that the rise in allergy rates could be linked to changes in dietary habits, food processing methods, the timing of food introduction, and reduced vitamin D levels due to decreased sun exposure Oral Health ● Oral health is an important component of overall health ● It commences during childhood, with thumbsucking and tooth decay being two prevalent oral health issues that worry parents ● Fluoride: mineral essential for the maintenance and solidification of bones Deaths and Accidental Injuries ● Most preschooler injuries occur at home, often from fires, drowning, suffocation, poisoning, or falls ● Common medications like aspirin, acetaminophen, cough syrups, and vitamins can be dangerous to young children Health in Context: Environmental Influences . ● Socioeconomic Status and Race/Ethnicity ○ ↓ SES = ↑ risk of illness, injury, and death ○ Children living in poverty are at a higher risk of having long-term health issues and limitations in physical activities ○ They also lack access to health insurance and not getting necessary medical and dental care ○ Social factors associated with poverty, including heightened stress, also have an impact on their health results. ● Homelessness: results from circumstances that force people to choose between food, shelter, and other basic needs ○ Causes encompass insufficient job prospects, reductions in public aid, unaffordable healthcare, domestic abuse, mental health issues, and substance abuse ● Exposure to Environmental Pollutants ○ Smoking ■ Leading cause of childhood illness and mortality ■ Children who are exposed to parental smoke face higher chances of developing respiratory infections like bronchitis and pneumonia, ear issues, aggravated asthma, and reduced lung development ○ Air Pollution ■ Increases the likelihood of mortality and chronic respiratory illness ■ Certain environmental pollutants might contribute to specific types of childhood cancer, nervous system disorders, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and intellectual disabilities 2 | @studywithky

○ The knowledge that individuals can possess mistaken beliefs ○ Arises from the recognition that they can maintain inaccurate mental depictions of reality ● Distinguishing between Appearance and Reality ○ Around the age of 5 or 6, children start to comprehend the difference between appearances and reality ● Distinguishing between Fantasy and Reality ○ Between 18 months and 3 years, kids learn to distinguish between real and imagined events ○ By age three, they can differentiate real things from dreams and tell apart invisible and imaginary objects ○ Magical Thinking: a way to explain events that seem to lack obvious realistic explanations ○ Often due to children's lack of knowledge, or to indulge in pretending, such as believing in imaginary companions ● Individual Differences in Theory-of-Mind Development ○ Some kids acquire theory-of-mind skills sooner than others ○ This growth is partly due to brain maturation and overall enhancements in cognition ○ Brain development is necessary for theory of mind ○ Neural activity in the prefrontal cortex has been identified as important ○ An incomplete or ineffective theory of mind may signal cognitive or developmental impairment ○ This can lead to difficulty understanding others' intentions, lacking awareness of the impact of one's behavior, and struggling with social interaction INFORMATION-PROCESSING APPROACH Basic Processes and Capacities ● Steps in Encoding Information to Memory ○ Encoding: information is prepared for long-term storage and later retrieval ○ Storage: retention of information in memory for future use; where information is kept ○ Retrieval: information is accessed or recalled from memory storage ● Types of Memory ○ Sensory Memory: initial, brief, temporary storage of sensory information ○ Working Memory: short-term storage of information being actively processed ○ Long-Term Memory: storage of virtually unlimited capacity that holds information for long periods ○ Central Executive ■ In Baddeley’s model, an element of working memory that controls the processing of information ■ Located in different areas within the frontal lobes and in certain posterior areas, mainly in the parietal region ○ Executive Function ■ Develops with the growth of working memory ■ It is the conscious control of thoughts, emotions, and actions to accomplish goals or to solve problems Recognition and Recall ● Recognition: ability to identify something encountered before. ● Recall: ability to reproduce knowledge from memory ● Remembering information is not sufficient, it also needs to be accessed for application ● Recognition and recall are forms of retrieval Forming and Retaining Childhood Memories ● Early childhood memories are often unintentional ○ Young children recall impactful events ○ But, these memories tend to be short-lived ● Generic Memory ○ Begins at age 2 ○ Memory that produces scripts of familiar routines to guide behavior and produces a script ○ Script: familiar, repeated event is remembered as a general outline ○ It is then used to guide behavior ● Episodic Memory: refers to awareness of having experienced a particular event at a specific time and place ● Autobiographical Memory ○ Memories of distinctive experiences that make up a person's life history ○ A type of episodic memory Influences on Memory Retention ● Memories of children last longer due to the uniqueness of the event ● Children tend to remember rare or unusual events better ● Social Interaction Model ○ Based on Vygotsky's sociocultural theory ○ Children develop autobiographical memories by engaging in conversations with adults about shared events INTELLIGENCE Traditional Psychometric Measures ● Children aged 3 to 5 are more proficient with language than younger children 4 | @studywithky