7.16 Conclusion
Preschool aged children will see significant changes in their cognitive and language skills. Their vocabulary increases tremendously and they are able to understand the world in a more comprehensive way. They also experience changes within the body as they build muscle and lean out. Preschoolers can move with more coordination as they learn new skills. Changes within the brain and increasing experiences in the world allow children to learn about morality and to develop empathy for others.
Children will continue to need guidance and strong relationships with their caregivers to navigate the many challenges that can occur during this period of their lives. Even as they gain more independence, children rely on adult modeling and teaching to learn important skills and behaviors. Trusting and positive relationships will prepare preschoolers for development in other domains. Next, we will learn how preschool children develop social and emotional skills, adaptive behaviors, and how they form a more secure sense of their identity.
7.16.1 Review of Learning Objectives
- Identify the milestones of preschooler cognitive and language development.
- Understand the diverse approaches and cultural influences in development and parenting.
- Understand impact of caregivers and environmental influences on cognitive and language development.
- Analyze the relationship between access to services and life outcomes.
7.16.2 Review of Key Terms
- Centration: when children focus on only one aspect of an object
- Conservation: the understanding that something can stay the same quantity even though its appearance may change
- Executive functions: processes in the prefrontal cortex that include working memory, attention, problem solving, and impulse control
- Fast-mapping: the process by which words are easily learned by making connections between new words and learned concepts
- Intuitive thought substage: A substage in Piaget’s theory of cognitive development where children begin to use intuitive thinking
- Long term memory: also known as permanent memory, this is the third stage of the memory system comprised of declarative and nondeclarative memories
- Overregulation: the process by which children apply language rules too generally resulting in grammar errors
- Prefrontal cortex: an area of the brain responsible for decision making, problem solving and emotional regulation
- Private speech: a form of self directed speech in which a child dialogues with themselves in order to solve a problem or to think something through
- Reversibility: refers to the ability to reverse a sequence of events
- Self-regulation skills: are strategies that are used to manage thoughts, behaviors, and feelings
- Sensory memory: the first stage of the memory system in which sensory information is stored in its raw form for a very brief duration
- Short term memory: also known as working memory, this is the second stage of the memory system in which conscious effort and adequate attention is needed to function effectively
- Transductive reasoning: occurs when a child is unable to understand cause and effect logically so they rely on their natural reasoning
7.16.3 Licenses and Attributions for Conclusion
“Conclusion” by Terese Jones and Christina Belli is licensed under CC BY 4.0.