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journal article
Play, Games and Interaction: The Contexts of Childhood SocializationThe Sociological Quarterly
Vol. 16, No. 4 (Autumn, 1975)
, pp. 458-478 (21 pages)
Published By: Taylor & Francis, Ltd.
//www.jstor.org/stable/4105940
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Abstract
Classical and contemporary theories of childhood play are reviewed and evaluated. A symbolic interactionist conception of play. games, work, and socialization is offered. Naturalistic data drawn from the observation of children ages three to eight years are presented to support a processual model of socialization and interaction in early childhood.
Journal Information
The Sociological Quarterly is devoted to publishing cutting-edge research and theory in all areas of sociological inquiry. Our focus is on publishing the best in sociological research and writing to advance the discipline and reach the widest possible audience. Since 1960, the contributors and readers of The Sociological Quarterly have made it one of the leading generalist journals in the field. Each issue is designed for efficient browsing and reading and the articles are helpful for teaching and classroom use.
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Opportunities for interaction offered by objects that fit within our capabilities to perform functional activities
Developmental sequence in which the earliest growth always occurs at the top—the head—with physical growth in size, weight, and feature differentiation gradually working from top to bottom.
Recovery of a habituated response after a change in stimulation
The perspective on motor development that seeks to explain how motor behaviors are assembled for perceiving and acting
The view that perception functions to bring organisms in contact with the environment and to increase adaptation
Motor skills that involve more finely tuned movements, such as finger dexterity
A neonatal reflex that occurs when something touches the infant’s palms and the infant responds by grasping tightly
Motor skills that involve large-muscle activities, such as walking
Decreased responsiveness to a stimulus after repeated presentations of the stimulus
The ability to relate and integrate information from two or more sensory modalities, such as vision and hearing
Specialization of function in one hemisphere of the cerebral cortex or the other
A neonatal startle response in which the newborn arches its back, throws its head back, flings out its arms and legs, and then pulls its arms and legs close to the center of the body.
A belief that biological processes and environmental conditions influence the brain’s development; the brain has plasticity and is context dependent; and development of the brain and cognitive development are closely linked.
The interpretation of what is sensed
Developmental sequence in which growth starts at the center of the body and moves toward the extremities
Built-in reactions to stimuli that govern the newborn’s movements, which are automatic and beyond the newborn’s control
A newborn’s built-in reaction that occurs when the infant’s cheek is stroked or the side of the mouth is touched. In response, the infant turns his or her head toward the side that was touched, in an apparent effort to find something to suck.
The product of the interaction between information and the sensory receptors—the eyes, ears, tongue, nostrils, and skin
The recognition that an object’s shape remains the same even though its orientation to the observer changes
A newborn’s built-in reaction to automatically suck an object placed in its mouth. The sucking reflex enables the infant to get nourishment before he or she has associated a nipple with food and also serves as a self-soothing or self-regulating mechanism.
A condition that occurs when an infant stops breathing, usually during the night, and suddenly dies without an apparent cause
Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)
A method used to determine whether infants can distinguish one stimulus from another by measuring the length of time they attend to different stimuli
The recognition that an object remains the same even though the retinal image of the object changes as the observer moves toward or away from the object
Piagetian concept of adjusting schemes to fit new information and experiences
Error that occurs when infants make the mistake of selecting the familiar hiding place (A) rather than the new hiding place (B) of an object
A loss or impairment of language ability caused by brain damage
Piagetian concept of using existing schemes to deal with new information or experiences
The focusing of mental resources on select information
An area in the brain’s left frontal lobe that is involved in speech production
Language spoken in a higher pitch and slower speed than normal, with simple words and sentences
Cognitive groupings of similar objects, events, people, or ideas
Piaget’s fourth sensorimotor substage, which develops between 8 and 12 months of age. Actions become more outwardly directed, and infants coordinate schemes and act with intentionality
coordination of secondary circular reactions
Theory that infants are born with domain-specific innate knowledge systems
Imitation that occurs after a delay of hours or days
An overall score that combines subscores in motor, language, adaptive, and personal-social domains in the Gesell assessment of infants
developmental quotient (DQ)
A mechanism that Piaget proposed to explain how children shift from one stage of thought to the next
Memory of facts and experiences that individuals consciously know and can state
Piaget’s second sensorimotor substage, which develops between 1 and 4 months of age. In this substage, the infant coordinates sensation and two types of schemes
first habits and primary circular reactions
Memory without conscious recollection; involves skills and routine procedures that are automatically performed
The ability to produce and comprehend an endless number of meaningful sentences using a finite set of words and rules
Piaget’s sixth and final sensorimotor substage, which develops between 18 and 24 months of age. In this substage, the infant develops the ability to use primitive symbols.
internalization of schemes
Process that occurs when individuals focus on the same object and are able to track another’s behavior, one individual directs another’s attention, and reciprocal interaction takes place
A form of communication, whether spoken, written, or signed, that is based on a system of symbols. Language consists of the words used by a community and the rules for varying and combining them
Chomsky’s term that describes a biological endowment enabling the child to detect the features and rules of language, including phonology, syntax, and semantics
languag acquisition device (LAD)
A central feature of cognitive development, pertaining to all situations in which an individual retains information over time
Units of meaning involved in word formation
The Piagetian term for understanding that objects and events continue to exist even when they cannot directly be seen, heard, or touched
Piaget’s concept of grouping isolated behaviors and thoughts into a higher-order, more smoothly functioning cognitive system
The sound system of the language, including the sounds that are used and how they may be combined
The appropriate use of language in different contexts
A scheme based on the attempt to reproduce an event that initially occurred by chance
primary circular reaction
In Piaget’s theory, actions or mental representations that organize knowledge
Piaget’s third sensorimotor substage, which develops between 4 and 8 months of age. In this substage, the infant becomes more object-oriented, moving beyond preoccupation with the self.
secondary circular reactions
The meaning of words and sentences
The first of Piaget’s stages, which lasts from birth to about 2 years of age; infants construct an understanding of the world by coordinating sensory experiences with motoric actions.
Piaget’s first sensorimotor substage, which corresponds to the first month after birth. In this substage, sensation and action are coordinated primarily through reflexive behaviors.
The ways words are combined to form acceptable phrases and sentences.
The use of short and precise words without grammatical markers such as articles, auxiliary verbs, and other connectives
Piaget’s fifth sensorimotor substage, which develops between 12 and 18 months of age. In this substage, infants become intrigued by the many properties of objects and by the many things that they can make happen to objects.
tertiary circular reactions, novelty, and curiosity
An area in the brain’s left hemisphere that is involved in language comprehension
A variation of the basic cry, with more excess air forced through the vocal cords
A close emotional bond between two people
A rhythmic pattern usually consisting of a cry, a briefer silence, a shorter inspiratory whistle that is higher pitched than the main cry, and then a brief rest before the next cry.
Involves connections across domains over time that influence developmental pathways and outcomes
developmental cascade model
A child who tends to react negatively and cry frequently, engages in irregular daily routines, and is slow to accept change
A child who is generally in a positive mood, quickly establishes regular routines in infancy, and adapts easily to new experiences
Feeling, or affect, that occurs when a person is in a state or interaction that is important to him or her. ____ is characterized by behavior that reflects (expresses) the pleasantness or unpleasantness of the state a person is in or the transactions being experienced.
Refers to the match between a child’s temperament and the environmental demands with which the child must cope
Babies who show insecurity by avoiding the caregiver
Babies who show insecurity by being disorganized and disoriented
insecure disorganized babies
A sudden appearance of a long, initial loud cry without preliminary moaning, followed by breath holding
Emotions that are present in humans and other animals and emerge early in life; examples are joy, anger, sadness, fear, and disgust
Socialization that is bidirectional; children socialize parents, just as parents socialize children
A smile that does not occur in response to external stimuli. It happens during the first month after birth, usually during sleep
Practice in which parents time interactions so that infants experience turn taking with the parents; these interactions allow infants to be more skillful than they would be if they had to rely only on their own abilities.
Babies who use the caregiver as a secure base from which to explore the environment
Emotions that require self-awareness, especially consciousness and a sense of “me”; examples include jealousy, empathy, and embarrassment
An infant’s distressed crying when the caregiver leaves
A child who has a low activity level, is somewhat negative, and displays a low intensity of mood
“Reading” emotional cues in others to help determine how to act in a particular situation
A smile in response to an external stimulus, which early in development is typically a face
An observational measure of infant attachment that requires the infant to move through a series of introductions, separations, and reunions with the caregiver and an adult stranger in a prescribed order.
An infant’s fear and wariness of strangers; it tends to appear during the second half of the first year of life
Involves individual differences in behavioral styles, emotions, and characteristic ways of responding
The cephalocaudal pattern is the sequence in which the earliest growth always occurs at the
top—the head—with physical growth and differentiation of features gradually working their way down from top to bottom.
The _____ lobe area in the brain plays an important role in registering spatial location, attention, and motor control
Which of the following is involved in providing energy to neurons and aids communication?
_____ refers to the process of encasing axons with fat cells.
Jean Piaget's concept of grouping isolated behaviors into a higher-order system is called
Research by Renée Baillargeon and her colleagues documents that infants as young as 3 to 4 months expect objects to be _____, in the sense that other objects cannot move through them, and _____, in the sense that objects continue to exist when they are hidden.
_____ refers to the meaning of words and sentences
Which of the following is an important role played by emotions during infancy?
In Canada, parents tend to prefer children with a(n) _____ temperament, whereas in China a(n) _____ temperament is more highly valued.
According to critics, the Strange Situation might not be able to capture important differences among infants because
as a measure of attachment, it may be culturally biased
During early childhood, girls are _____ than boys.
Edgar is a 7-year-old boy who feels extremely sleepy during the daytime. He is unable to concentrate during class and while playing. As a result, his grades are poor, and his teachers often scold him. Identify the sleep problem from which Edgar is most likely suffering.
Which of the following statements is true of Piaget's preoperational stage of cognitive development?
In this stage, children begin to represent the world with words, images, and drawings
In moving from Piaget to Vygotsky, the conceptual shift is one from
the individual to collaboration.
Dorothy is enrolled in a preschool where she spends much of her time in unstructured activities. She plays with the toys she chooses, and her teacher acts as a facilitator rather than a director. Which of the following approaches is Dorothy's preschool using?
According to Erik Erikson, the great governor of initiative is
Low levels of _____ in the female embryo allow the normal development of female sex organs.
A parent who uses a restrictive, punitive style to control the behavior of his or her children is a(n)
Punching, beating, kicking, biting, burning, and shaking a child constitute
Which of the following is true of how parents' work affects the development of their children?
The nature of parents’ work has more influence on children’s development than whether a parent works outside the home.
The belief that inanimate objects have lifelike qualities and are capable of action
Focusing attention on one characteristic to the exclusion of all others
Education that involves the whole child by considering both the child’s physical, cognitive, and socioemotional development and the child’s needs, interests, and learning styles.
child-centered kindergarten
In Piaget’s theory, awareness that altering an object’s or a substance’s appearance does not change its basic properties
Education that focuses on the typical developmental patterns of children (age-appropriateness) and the uniqueness of each child (individual-appropriateness).
developmentally appropriate practice (DAP)
The inability to distinguish between one’s own perspective and someone else’s (salient feature of the first substage of preoperational thought)
Aspects of thinking that include planning actions, allocating attention to goals, detecting and compensating for errors, monitoring progress on tasks, and dealing with novel or difficult circumstances.
An umbrella-like concept that consists of a number of higher-level cognitive processes linked to the development of the brain’s prefrontal cortex. Executive function involves managing one’s thoughts to engage in goal-directed behavior and to exercise self-control.
A process that helps to explain how young children learn the connection between a word and its referent so quickly
Absence or deficiency of growth hormone produced by the pituitary gland to stimulate the body to grow
growth hormone deficiency
Piaget’s second substage of preoperational thought, in which children begin to use primitive reasoning and want to know the answers to all sorts of questions (between 4 and 7 years of age).
intuitive thought substage
An educational philosophy in which children are given considerable freedom and spontaneity in choosing activities and are allowed to move from one activity to another as they desire.
The process by which the nerve cells are covered and insulated with a layer of fat cells, which increases the speed at which information travels through the nervous system.
In Piaget’s theory, these are reversible mental actions that allow children to do mentally what they formerly did physically
Piaget’s second stage, lasting from about 2 to 7 years of age, during which children begin to represent the world with words, images, and drawings, and symbolic thought goes beyond simple connections of sensory information and physical action; stable concepts are formed, mental reasoning emerges, egocentrism is present, and magical beliefs are constructed.
A government-funded program that is designed to provide children from low-income families with the opportunity to acquire the skills and experiences important for school success
The memory component in which individuals retain information for up to 30 seconds, assuming there is no rehearsal of the information
An approach that emphasizes the social contexts of learning and asserts that knowledge is mutually built and constructed. Vygotsky’s theory reflects this approach.
social constructivist approach
Focused and extended engagement with an object, task, event, or other aspect of the environment.
Piaget’s first substage of preoperational thought, in which the child gains the ability to mentally represent an object that is not present (between about 2 and 4 years of age).
symbolic function substage
Awareness of one’s own mental processes and the mental processes of others
Vygotsky’s term for tasks that are too difficult for children to master alone but can be mastered with the assistance of adults or more-skilled children.
zone of proximal development (ZPD)
A restrictive, punitive style in which parents exhort the child to follow their directions and to respect their work and effort. The authoritarian parent places firm limits and controls on the child and allows little verbal exchange. Authoritarian parenting is associated with children’s social incompetence.
A parenting style in which parents encourage their children to be independent but still place limits and controls on their actions. Extensive verbal give-and-take is allowed, and parents are warm and nurturing toward the child. Authoritative parenting is associated with children’s social competence.
In Piaget’s theory, older children (about 10 years of age and older) become aware that rules and laws are created by people and that in judging an action one should consider the actor’s intentions as well as the consequences.
An internal regulation of standards of right and wrong that involves integrating moral thought, feeling, and behavior
Play that combines sensorimotor and repetitive activity with symbolic representation of ideas. _______ occurs when children engage in self-regulated creation or construction of a product or a solution
Support parents provide for each other in jointly raising their children
Activities engaged in for pleasure that include rules and often involve competition with one or more individuals
The sense of being male or female, which most children acquire by the time they are 3 years old
A set of expectations that prescribes how females or males should think, act, and feel
The theory that gender typing emerges as children develop gender schemas of their culture’s gender-appropriate and gender- inappropriate behavior
Acquisition of a traditional masculine or feminine role
The first stage of moral development in Piaget’s theory, occurring from approximately 4 to 7 years of age. Justice and rules are conceived of as unchangeable properties of the world, removed from the control of people.
The concept that if a rule is broken, punishment will be meted out immediately
A style of parenting in which parents are highly involved with their children but place few demands or controls on them. _____ is associated with children’s social incompetence, especially a lack of self-control
Development that involves thoughts, feelings, and behaviors regarding rules and conventions about what people should do in their interactions with other people.
A style of parenting in which the parent is uninvolved in the child’s life; this style is associated with children’s social incompetence, especially a lack of self-control.
Play that involves repetition of behavior when new skills are being learned or when physical or mental mastery and coordination of skills are required for games or sports.
Play in which the child transforms the physical environment into a symbol
A theory deriving from Freud’s view that the preschool child develops a sexual attraction to the opposite-sex parent, by approximately 5 or 6 years of age renounces this attraction because of anxious feelings, and subsequently identifies with the same-sex parent, unconsciously adopting the same-sex parent’s characteristics
psychoanalytic theory of gender
The child’s cognitive representation of self, the substance and content of the child’s self-conceptions
Behavior engaged in by infants that lets them derive pleasure from exercising their existing sensorimotor schemas
A theory emphasizing that children’s gender development occurs through the observation and imitation of gender behavior and through the rewards and punishments children experience for gender-appropriate and gender-inappropriate behavior
social cognitive theory of gender
Play that involves social interactions with peers
A theory that gender differences result from the contrasting roles of men and women