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Developmental Psychology - Physical, Cognitive Development Age 2–6

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    Study Guide Developmental Psychology – Physical, Cognitive Development : Age 2 – 6 1. Cognitive Development: Ages 2 – 6 Preschoolers are little explorers of the mind. Between ages 2 and 6, children play an active role in learning about the world. They notice patterns, make predictions, organize ideas, and try to explain what they see. At the same time, their thinking has li mits — they can get easily distracted, confuse appearances with reality, and often focus on just one aspect of a situation at a time. Interestingly, children across cultures show similar patterns in thinking at this age. 1.1 Piaget’s Preoperational Stage Jean Piaget , a famous psychologist, called the thinking of 2 - to 7 - year - olds the preoperational stage . During this stage: • Children use language and symbols more than ever. • They imitate adult behavior. • They enjoy make - believe play , like turning an empty box into a car, playing family, or inventing imaginary friends. • They become fascinated with words, both polite and naughty! Piaget also focused on what children cannot do yet. He called these skills operations , which are actions that can be reversed. For example: adding 3 + 3 = 6, then subtracting 6 − 3 = 3. Young children struggle with reversible thinking. They often rely on magical thinking — expecting things to happen just because they imagine it, like asking for a gift over the phone and expecting it to arrive magically. 1.2 Egocentrism At this age, children are often egocentric , meaning they see the world mostly from their own perspective. They have a hard time understanding that others have different thoughts, feelings, and desires.

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    Study Guide Over time, children gradually: • Learn that others may think differently. • Adjust their speech and tone to communicate better. • Practice mutual communication, though they may slip back into egocentric thinking when frustrated or stressed. 1.3 Classification, Ordering, and Conservation Piaget noted that preschoolers are still developing: • Classification – grouping objects based on shared features. • Serial ordering – arranging things in logical order. • Conservation – understanding that quantity stays the same even if appearance changes (like liquid in different - shaped containers or a pile of coins vs. a bill). Children typically master these abilities around age 7, moving into Piaget’s concrete operational stage . 1.4 Updated Research Modern research shows that Piaget underestimated young children. For example: • Preschoolers as young as 2½ can think reversibly using symbolic reasoning. • Studies show that children can take another person’s perspective earlier than Piaget thought. Empathy develops in two stages: 1. Ages 2 – 3: Children understand that others have their own experiences. 2. Ages 4 – 5: Children interpret others’ thoughts and feelings more deeply. This is part of developing social cognition — understanding other people and their actions. By age 5, many children start developing a theory of mind , which helps them predict what others are thinking and how they might act.

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    Study Guide 1.5 Memory Memory is the ability to remember people, objects, and events. Preschoolers: • Remember less well than older children. • Are better at recognition (seeing something familiar) than recall (remembering without cues). Challenges include: • Immature brain development • Fewer experiences to draw on • Easily distracted attention • Limited memory strategies Despite this, preschoolers are curious learners . They actively explore, ask questions, and try to understand their world. With structured guidance and achievable goals, they can process information surprisingly well. 1.6 Language Development Language grows rapidly in early childhood. As children learn to use symbols, they develop: • Vocabulary – learning new words from parents, peers, teachers, and media. • Sentence skills – starting with simple phrases and gradually using complex sentences. Language also teaches children social norms and values . Words help them learn how to act appropriately in different situations. Some children grow up bilingual , learning two languages simultaneously, often becoming fluent in both by age 4. Others learn dialects , like Ebonics or Spanglish. Debates about dialects in education: • Supporters : Teaching dialects alongside standard English can boost self - esteem, help children understand material, and celebrate cultural diversity. • Critics : Dialects may slow mastery of standard English, which could affect future education and work opportunities.

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