self-concept
As self-awareness strengthens, preschoolers construct this: set of attributes, abilities, attitudes and values that an individual believes defines who he or she is
self-esteem
Aspect of self-concept that involves judgements about one’s own worth and the feelings associated with those judgements
Preschoolers typically have a high self-esteem which contributes to initiative during a period where they must master new skills
sympathy
Feelings of concern or sorrow for another’s plight: becomes more common in early childhood, stemming from empathy
prosocial behaviour
Actions aimed at benefitting others: depends on temperament and parenting, but stemming from sympathy and empathy development in early childhood
nonsocial activity
Unoccupied, onlooker behavior and solitary play; during early childhood, this gives way to peer interaction in parallel play
parallel play
Limited form of social participation in which a child plays near other children with similar materials but does not interact with them; increases in early childhood
Associative play
true social interaction in which children engage in separate activities but exchange toys and comment on one another’s behavior
Cooperative play
social interaction where children orient toward a common goal, such as acting out a make-believe theme
social problem solving
Generating and applying strategies that prevent or resolve disagreements, resulting in outcomes that are acceptable to others and beneficial to the self
What does the psychoanalytic perspective emphasize for motivators of good conduct?
identification and guilt
Guilt IS and important motivator of moral action, but contrary to Freud, discipline promoting fear of punishment and loss of parental love does not foster conscience development
induction
A type of discipline in which an adult helps the child notice feelings by pointing out the effects of the child’s misbehavior on others; effective at fostering conscience development
What does social learning theory emphasize about how children learn moral behavior?
reinforcement and modelling: effective adult models of morality are warm, powerful and consistent in what they say and do
How can time outs and withdrawal of privileges be used effectively?
with consistency, maintenance of a warm parent-child relationship and offering explanations
How does the cognitive-developmental perspective view the development of morality in children?
views children as active thinkers about social rules. By age 4, children consider intentions in making moral judgements and distinguish truthfulness from lying.
What is the most effective discipline?
Discipline that encourages good conduct by building a mutually respectful bond with the child.
moral imperatives
Rules and expectations that protect people’s rights and welfare; preschoolers can distinguish this from social conventions and matters of personal choice
social conventions
Customs determined by consensus, such as table manners and politeness rituals
matters of personal choice
Concerns that do not violate the rights of others and, therefore, are up to each individual (such as choice of friends, hairstyle, leisure activities)
proactive aggression
Type of aggression in which children act to fulfill a need or desire – to obrain an object, privilege, space or social reward, such as adilt or peer attention – and unemotionally attack a person to achieve their goal -> DECLINES in early childhood
Reactive aggression
Angry, defensive response to provocation or a blocked goal that is intended to hurt another person -> INCREASES in early childhood
Physical aggression
one form of proactive and reactive aggression;
A form of aggression that harms others through physical injury to themselves or their property
verbal aggression
a form of aggression that harms others through threats of physical aggression, name-calling, or hostile teasing
Relational aggression
form of aggression that damages another’s peer relationships through social exclusion, malicious gossip or friendship manipulation
What occurs with children high in reactive aggression?
they see hostility where it does not exist, leading to unprovoked attacks
