SPCL 7804 Human Development (Skinner): Session 5: Unit 2 – The Early Years (cont.)

Please complete the following PRIOR to our session:

1. Complete the readings.
   • Text Ch. 4, pp. 115-138

2. Self-Reflect.
   • Consider how Piaget’s and Vygotsky’s theories apply to your own developmental experiences.
   • Continue gathering data from your early childhood.
3. Review for Quiz#5.

The 5-question multiple-choice quiz will be on the assigned reading.

In this session we will explore the preschool child’s acquisition of skills in several developmental domains: motor skills; self-help skills; and cognitive development. We will focus much of the session’s time discussing cognitive development, particularly, Piaget’s preoperational period, Vygotsky’s theory of cognitive development, and information-processing theory.  We will begin with a quiz on the assigned reading and then discuss the material and engage in application activities.

Piaget called external speech “egocentric speech,” representing its non-communicative nature and lack of perspective-taking. In contrast, Vygotsky considered external speech to serve a self-regulatory role. Can you identify this latter function in the video?