5: Middle and Late Childhood
- Page ID
- 384766
\( \newcommand{\vecs}[1]{\overset { \scriptstyle \rightharpoonup} {\mathbf{#1}} } \)
\( \newcommand{\vecd}[1]{\overset{-\!-\!\rightharpoonup}{\vphantom{a}\smash {#1}}} \)
\( \newcommand{\dsum}{\displaystyle\sum\limits} \)
\( \newcommand{\dint}{\displaystyle\int\limits} \)
\( \newcommand{\dlim}{\displaystyle\lim\limits} \)
\( \newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\)
( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\)
\( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\)
\( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\)
\( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\)
\( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\)
\( \newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\)
\( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\)
\( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\)
\( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\)
\( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\)
\( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\)
\( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\)
\( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\)
\( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\)
\( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\AA}{\unicode[.8,0]{x212B}}\)
\( \newcommand{\vectorA}[1]{\vec{#1}} % arrow\)
\( \newcommand{\vectorAt}[1]{\vec{\text{#1}}} % arrow\)
\( \newcommand{\vectorB}[1]{\overset { \scriptstyle \rightharpoonup} {\mathbf{#1}} } \)
\( \newcommand{\vectorC}[1]{\textbf{#1}} \)
\( \newcommand{\vectorD}[1]{\overrightarrow{#1}} \)
\( \newcommand{\vectorDt}[1]{\overrightarrow{\text{#1}}} \)
\( \newcommand{\vectE}[1]{\overset{-\!-\!\rightharpoonup}{\vphantom{a}\smash{\mathbf {#1}}}} \)
\( \newcommand{\vecs}[1]{\overset { \scriptstyle \rightharpoonup} {\mathbf{#1}} } \)
\(\newcommand{\longvect}{\overrightarrow}\)
\( \newcommand{\vecd}[1]{\overset{-\!-\!\rightharpoonup}{\vphantom{a}\smash {#1}}} \)
\(\newcommand{\ket}[1]{\left| #1 \right>}\)
\(\newcommand{\bra}[1]{\left< #1 \right|}\)
\(\newcommand{\braket}[2]{\left< #1 \vphantom{#2} \right| \left. #2 \vphantom{#1} \right>}\)
\(\newcommand{\braopket}[3]{\left< #1 \vphantom{#2}\vphantom{#3} \right| #2 \vphantom{#1}\vphantom{#3} \left| #3 \vphantom{#1}\vphantom{#2} \right>}\)
\(\newcommand{\qmvec}[1]{\mathbf{\vec{#1}}}\)
\(\newcommand{\op}[1]{\hat{\mathbf{#1}}}\)
\(\newcommand{\expect}[1]{\langle #1 \rangle}\)
\(\newcommand{\dfn}[1]{\emph{\textbf{#1}}}\)
Chapter Overview
Middle and late childhood are important periods of growth in which children develop new physical, cognitive, and social abilities while becoming increasingly engaged with school, peers, and their communities. In this chapter, you will explore physical development, health, sports participation, and childhood obesity, as well as advances in thinking, memory, language, and intelligence. You will examine the role of education, learning disabilities, family relationships, friendships, and moral development in shaping children's experiences. The chapter also considers contemporary challenges affecting children, including bullying, educational disruptions, and the lasting impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
- 5.1: Prelude to Middle and Late Childhood
- Overview of physical development in middle and late childhood, in terms of physical growth and brain development.
- 5.2: Sports
- Impacts and benefits of participating in sports for children. Demographics of children's participation in sports.
- 5.3: Childhood Obesity
- Trends and consequences of children being overweight or obese. Research into methods for preventing childhood obesity.
- 5.4: Cognitive Development in Middle and Late Childhood
- Cognitive skill development in the middle- and late-childhood Piagetian stage of concrete operational thought.
- 5.5: Information Processing
- Development of children in middle and late childhood in several areas of cognitive function, including the capacity of working memory, their ability to pay attention, and their use of memory strategies.
- 5.6: Language Development
- Language development and communication disorders in middle and late childhood.
- 5.7: Theories of Intelligence
- Overview of several theories of intelligence, including general vs. specific intelligence, the triarchic theory of intelligence, and the theory of multiple intelligences.
- 5.8: Measuring Intelligence - Standardization and the Intelligence Quotient
- The standardization process for intelligence test scores, and how the Intelligence Quotient measure of intelligence is calculated. Extremes of intelligence as assessed by IQ.
- 5.9: Education
- The contributions of parents and culture to a child's experiences in school, which becomes a very important component of development and life during middle and late childhood.
- 5.10: Children with Learning Disabilities
- Definition and categories of learning disabilities. Major legislation that improved the rights of individuals with disabilities, and the impact of this legislation on the educational experience of children with learning disabilities.
- 5.11: Socioemotional Development in Middle and Late Childhood
- Socioemotional development in middle and late childhood, including Erikson's stage of industry vs. inferiority and the development of various aspects of self-understanding. Kohlberg's stages of moral development and how they develop throughout life.
- 5.12: Friends and Peers
- The increased importance of friendships in middle and late childhood. Discussion of peer relationships and bullying.
- 5.13: Family Life
- Discussion of the impact of family tasks, living arrangements, and divorce on socioemotional development in middle and late childhood.
- 5.C: COVID-19 Impact on Middle/Late Childhood
- Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the middle and late childhood age group, including parental deaths, educational disruption, and the increase in gun violence and death, including school shootings, since the pandemic.
Thumbnail: Children singing in Mogadishu, Somalia. (Unsplash license; Ismail Salad Osman Hajji dirir via Unsplash)