Holistic views on Middle Childhood

I chose to discuss the holistic approach of cognitive development in middle childhood. Campbell (2011) states "Middle childhood is recognized by developmental psychologists as a distinct developmental stage between early childhood and adolescence, defined by increasing cognitive development, emotional regulation, and relative social independence" (Campbell, 2011). Children in this stage range between the ages of 7 and 11 years of age. During this stage, children are exploring their social interactions under the guidance of adults. I think that this topic is important because executive functions control the well being of the whole individual. Executive functions control social, emotional, and cognitive development.

            I found an article on the development of mathematical concepts of children  in middle childhood located in West Africa. This study focuses on the mathematical ability  differences between schooled and unschooled children. Posner (1982) state "The advancement of quantitative understanding appears to be dependent on certain types of experiences that both schooling and a merchant culture afford" (Posner, 1982). Children who were born to wealthier families and attended school were more likely to do better in math. In conclusion, Middle childhood is essential because it is the beginning foundation of adolescence. Some of the aspects of foundations of adolescences are "mental representation, the advent of concrete operations, basic level abilities, speed of processing, short term memory, knowledge base, strategies and problem solving" (Bjorklund & Rosenbaum, 2000). Each of these life skills prepare the child for adolescence.

References

Bjorklund, D. E., & Rosenblum, K. (2000). Middle childhood: Cognitive development. In A. E. Kazdin, A. E. Kazdin (Eds.) , Encyclopedia of psychology, Vol. 5 (pp. 225-229). Washington, DC, US; New York, NY, US: American Psychological Association. doi:10.1037/10520-103

Campbell, B. C. (2011). An introduction to the special issue on middle childhood. Human Nature, 22(3), 247-248. doi:10.1007/s12110-011-9118-4

Posner, J. K. (1982). The development of mathematical knowledge in two West African societies. Child Development, 53(1), 200-208. doi:10.2307/1129654