The Theory of Mind
Discussion 1
Watch the following short film,theory of mind.mov(transcript), which demonstrates the theory of mind using a juice box experiment.
At around four years of age, a fundamental change occurs in children's understanding of others' behaviors or what is also calledtheory of mind. Using your knowledge from our readings, watch the video to determine which stage both Jacob and Patrick are currently in respectively.
Discuss both Jacob's and Patrick's reaction to the "mean monkey." What stage would Erickson say each child is in? How do these different stages influence their values and attitudes? Do you think it is possible for a child over the age of three to have trouble understanding that his or her beliefs can be false? Explain your reasoning.
Discussion 2
Self-Regulation
Regardless of a child's unique qualities, one thing remains the same; to improve learning and behavior, children must develop strong self-regulation skills. Read the article from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), "Developing Young Children's Self-Regulation Through Everyday Experiences."
The marshmallow experiment is a famous test conducted by Walter Mischel at Stanford University and discussed by Daniel Goleman in his popular work. In the 1960s, a group of four-year-olds were given a marshmallow and promised another only if they could wait 20 minutes before eating the first one. Some children could wait and others could not. The researchers then followed the progress of each child into adolescence, and demonstrated that those with the ability to wait were better adjusted and more dependable (determined via surveys of their parents and teachers), and scored an average of 210 points higher on the Scholastic Aptitude Test. Read the American Psychological Association (APA) article, "Delaying Gratification."
Reflect on the information in the NAEYC article, the article, and your text and explain how toddlers with better self-regulation skills are less likely to demonstrate behavior problems in preschool. Explain why these self-regulation skills are so important and how you will promote the learning of self-regulation. How will you deliberately teach self-regulation as part of everyday experience? Share an example of your own self-regulation skills that you can model for others.