Lecture 7 Middle Childhood

8/8/2019 Lecture 7 Middle Childhood

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HUMAN GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT

SW1102

SESSION EIGHT

Middle Childhood

Farrukh Akhtar


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AimsDiscuss theories of middle childhood

Outcomes Knowledge of the developmental

milestones of middle childhood

Knowledge of the complexities ofapplying theory to child development


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Theories

Psychoanalytic

/Psychosocial

Moral

Social construction

Physiological

Psychological

Cognitive

Theories


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Middle Childhood


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Definition

Middle childhood usually refers to theperiod between the age of five and

the onset of puberty around the age

of 12


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Significance of middle childhood

Latency / quiet period

Transition to school

Increased physical development allowsthe child to master new skills

The child starts to see the world from

others perspectives


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COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENTAL THEORY

Constructivist Approaches:

...individuals are active participants in

constructing their learning through experiences,

reflection and meaning.1

Social Constructivism:

the significance of culture, society and social

interaction in influencing learning.2


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PIAGETSDEVELOPMENTAL

THEORY

Age Stage Characteristics

7-11 Concrete

Operational

The task of sorting that develops in

relation to conservation continues to

evolve. Sorting then can be managed

on more than one characteristic and

problem-solving can take place through

internal thought but will still focus on

manipulating things.

11-15

FormalOperational

In this level of intelligence, thinking canbe based on ideas solely and

children/adolescents can consider

hypothetical concepts.


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Cognitive development

Working things out for

themselves (Piagets

Concrete operational

stage) (Vygotsky: zone of

proximal development)

Metacognition

Increasingly competent

communicators

Need to understand

themselves and their

circumstances


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Black self concept

- 21/2 4 yrs Black child understand

categorisation in various ethnic groups, but not

the basis of these groupings

- 4 7 yrs -As cognition matures, the black childhas a clearer understanding of racial groups

- 7 -12 yrs - The ability to conceive racial groups &

a more profound knowledge of these groups

- Semaj in Ahmed at al (1991)


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VYGOTSKYS ZONE OF

PROXIM

ALD

EVELOPM

ENT It is the distance betweenthe actual development

level as determined by

independent problemsolving and the level of

potential development as

determined through

problem solving under adultguidance or in collaboration

with more capable peers.


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Psychosocial development

Developing understanding of self

Refining understanding of social world

Developing standards of own behaviour Developing strategies for managing own

behaviour

(Collins, W.A., (1984) Development during middle years. Washington.

National Academy Press)


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Emotional Development

Managing own emotions

Reciprocal attachment holding the carerin mind (Bowlby)

Carers emotional availability & sensitivitysupports childs development (Mary

Ainsworth secure attachment)


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MORAL DEVELOPMENT

Piagets Theory of Moral Development:Using the same stages as his theory of cognitive

development, Piaget conceived a theory of

childrens moral development.

Kohlbergs Theory of Moral Reasoning:

Through interviews with children responding to

scenarios of ethical conflict, Kohlberg developeda stage theory of moral reasoning from

childhood to adolescence.


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PIAGETSSTAGESOF MORALDEVELOPMENT

Stage Implication forMoralConsiderations

Preoperational

(toAge5)

Rulesmay beinitiatedbyeach individualchild,areeasily

changedanddonotserveanylargergoalotherthan

providingsomeregularity.

Preoperational

(Age5 to7)

Rulesbecomeobligatoryandpermanent,notsubjectto

changeevenifchangeswouldincreasefairness.

Consequencesaremoreparamountthanintention.

Concrete

Operational

Rulesarerecognizedasnotpurelyindividualbuttendto

bedevelopedassocialcompacts, betweenandamong

peopleandgroups.

FormalOperational Rulesbecomeinfluencedbygreatercognitive

developmentandincorporatetheoreticaleventsand

ideology.


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Moral development

Lawrence Kohlberg


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Moral development

KOHLBERGSSTAGES OF MORAL REASONING

Age Shall I steal Johnnies ball?

5- 6 No: Ill be punished

7- 8 No: I might lose my gold stars if teacher found

out.

8-

9 No: If he knew I stole it, he would bedisappointed in me, and so would I

Adapted from Kohlberg


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KOHLBERGSSTAGESOF MORALREASONING

LEVELI

Stage One Punishment Orientation: Obeys rules to avoid punishment.

Stage Two Reward Orientation: Conforms to rules to obtain rewards.

LEVELII

Stage Three Being Good: Conforms to avoid disapproval from others.

Stage Four Authority Orientation: Upholds laws and rules to avoid censure

from authorities and feelings of guilt.

LEVELIII

Stage Five Social-contract Orientation: Act in ways guided by principlesagreed by society to promote social welfare and to retain

respect of peers.

Stage Six Ethical Principle Orientation: Act in line with ones moral

principles, in ways that value justice, dignity and equality.

Avoid self-condemnation.


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Learning disabilities


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SEX ROLES AND GENDER IDENTITY

The difference between the sexes is more than

acknowledging the difference between genitalia

and physical development. There are also

societal and culturally driven influences about

what is male and female, what is masculine and

feminine.


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Sexrefers to the physical, biological

distinction between the sexes.

Genderrefers to the cultural and socialcontext that defines what is masculine and

feminine.

Sex typingrefers to acquiring behaviors

and characteristics that(cultures

consider) appropriate to ones sex.3


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Sexual identity - biological status

Gender identity - our classification of

ourselves as male or female Transsexualism while being

anatomically male or female, transsexuals

believe they belong to the opposite sex


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Biological approaches

Male and female brains are structurally

different

Female brain hard wired for empathy,male for understanding and building

systems

Baron-Cohen in Gross (2005)


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Biosocial theory

Takes social factors into account

The interaction between biological and

social factors is important The case of the penectomised twin: Joan

Money and Erhardt (1972) Man, Woman, Boy and Girl:

Gender Identity from Conception to Maturity.


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The strongestimpression Iwas leftwith was of Johns

intense, unequivicolmasculinity. Hisgestures, walk,attitudes, vocabulary none of them betrayedthe least hint that hehad been raised as agirl


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Social Learning Theory

Girls and boys behave differently because

they are treated differently by their parents

and wider society.

They may be given different toys

Parents will have different gender specific

expectations of sons and daughters

Albert Bandura


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GenderSchematic Processing

Theory

Children learn to judge themselvesaccording to the traits considered relevantto their genders

Their self concept becomes integratedwith gender schemas

Their self esteem will then be influenced

by how they measure up to their genderschema.

Bem (1981)


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Theorist Theory

SigmundFreud

The phallic stage is the central conflict for the development of a childs sense ofself as either male or female. The concept of penis envy emphasizes the

presence of the Oedipal or Electra complex, respectively, for boys and girls.

These complexes include a core conflict that arises as the child seeks the

attentions of the opposite sex parent while competing with the same sex

parent; resolution comes when the child identifies with the same sex parent and

takes on his or her gender behaviors.

Albert

Bandura

Social Learning theory proposes that sex role and gender learning takes place

through both classical and operant conditioning in situations that include

modeling, imitation and reinforcement.

Jean Piaget Learning about gender and sex is linked to the cognitive tasks that occur

between years 2 to 7 as part of the preoperational stage of cognitive

development. Sex or gender constancy develops similarly to a childs ability to

grasp the concept of conservation of mass or weight.

Sandra Bem Gender Schema theory expands on the premises of Social Learning and

Cognitive Development to consider how society and culture influence children

to make socially prescribed choices about what is appropriately masculine


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Moral

development

Cognitive

development

Psychosocial

development

Physical

development

Emotional

Development


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Self

esteem

Self-regulation of

Behaviour & emotion

Managing home,

school & community


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References:

1. Crawford, K. (2006) Reflectivereader: Socialwork and humandevelopment. Exeter:Learning Matters,p. 45.

2. Smith, E.etal. (2003) Atkinsonand Hilgardsintroductionto psychology, 14th edn. Belmont,Calif.:ThompsonWadsworth,p. 95.

3. Vygotsky, L (1978) Mind insociety:The

developmentofhigherpsychologicalprocesses. Edited by Cole, M,John-Steiner, V,Scriber,Sand Souberman, E. Cambridge,Mass:Harvard University Press.


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4. Ahmed, S; Cheetham, J and Small, J (1991)

Social work with black children and their

families. London. Batsford.

5. Gross, RD (2005) Psychology: the science ofmind and behaviour. 5th edition. London.

Hodder Arnold.

6. Bem, SL (1981) Gender Schema Theory: A

cognitive Account of Sex Typing. Psycological

Review. 1981. Vol. 88, No.4, 354-364

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Lecture 7 Middle Childhood