1
Q
What is childhood?
A
- “every human being below the age of 18 years”
- a human that is physically mature
2
Q
What does it mean to be a child?
A
- dependent on adult caregivers
- fundamentally about learning
3
Q
Which species has the longest childhood?
A
Humans
4
Q
Why is human childhood so long?
A
- large brain, narrow hips trade off
- being born not fully formed allows for more learning
5
Q
What is the large brain, narrow hips trade off?
A
- out brains are large for our size and more complicated/neuron-dense than any other animal
- larger brains necessitate larger heads
- at the same time, the evolution of our ability to stand upright favoured narrower hips
- narrower hips necessitate smaller heads to pass through the birth canal
- conflict between large head and narrow hips
- to solve this conflict, babies evolved to be born earlier
- brain continues to develop once born
6
Q
What aspects of childhood demonstrate that children are adapted to focus on learning?
A
- highly curious
- highly suggestible, not critical thinkers
- readily imitate others
- overestimate own abilities
- brains are malleable
7
Q
What is child development?
A
- process of learning of perceptual, cognitive, emotional, and social capabilities that allows an individual to grow from the dependence of infancy to the independence of adulthood
8
Q
Why study child development?
A
- raising children
- choosing social policies
- understanding human nature and individuals
