To provide support to the boys and girls who go through this turbulent stage, there are not always professionals with a thousand and one specialized degrees and years dedicated to studying in the academy to know how to face the challenges of caring for the little ones, but rather, in most of the time, fathers and mothers moved by their will, their capacity for effort and, of course, the love and attachment they feel for their children They are the true experts on the subject.
However, this does not mean that these fathers and mothers must do without the knowledge that education gives us. child psychology, given the large number of hours they dedicate and how much is at stake in their way of relating to their sons and daughters. This is a field of research and intervention in which there is much to learn and even more to discover, and it can be extremely useful when it comes to knowing the mental processes and typical behavioral styles of the youngest people.
Within the branch of evolutionary psychology (also called developmental psychology), responsible for the study of behavioral changes in human beings throughout their lives, the stage of childhood is of special importance. In this vital phase, a host of situations occur that cause, on the one hand, many changes to occur in our body, and on the other, we are especially sensitive to both these internal dynamics and those that have to do with the environment in which we live. that we grow and learn. That is why today it is common to use not only the concept of developmental psychology, but also, more specifically, that of child psychology.
Child psychology It has important connections with biology and psychopedagogy so that its most important areas of study have to do with the behavioral and neuroendocrine changes that boys and girls tend to experience and, on the other hand, the educational styles and learning strategies that can best adapt to them.
Below you can see some of the great conclusions about children’s minds that have been reached through lines of research in child psychology.
Understanding sons and daughters: 7 keys to child psychology
1. The stage with the most changes
The stages of cognitive development that we work with in evolutionary psychology They place special emphasis on the period from the first months of life to adolescence, since it is in that age range where the greatest number of stages occur. This is what happens, for example, in Jean Piaget’s theory of cognitive development.
This, of course, has implications for child psychology. The development of cognitive abilities (such as intelligence, memory, etc.) develop more or less at the same rate as the most observable changes as a person grows. This means, among other things, that it is not unusual that in the first ten or twelve years of a boy or girl’s life their personality, tastes or customs seem to change radically in some aspects.
2. The moment of greatest plasticity
Many studies suggest that Childhood is the life stage in which the brain is most likely to change with the most insignificant external stimuli This means that certain learning can be carried out more easily in the first months or years of life, but it is also possible that certain phenomena related to the context negatively affect both the cognitive development of children and their emotional stability.
3. Tendency towards egocentrism
One of the main conclusions that have been reached from both child psychology and neuroscience is that All boys and girls have a clear tendency towards a style of egocentric thinking. This does not mean that your morality has developed to make your needs and goals above those of others, but rather that your brain is not prepared to process information related to society or the common good. This ability will appear with the myelination of certain neuronal circuits that connect the frontal lobe with other structures.
4. There are many reasons not to use physical punishment
Beyond the ethical dilemma of whether to apply physical punishment to boys or girls, there is more and more research that reinforces the hypothesis that this option has negative effects that should be avoided. To know more, you can see the article The 8 reasons not to use physical punishment towards children.
5. Not all learning is literal
Although the little ones do not have the ability to grasp the subtleties of language correctly, Only a very small part of what they learn has to do with clear statements and firm judgments about reality (normally coming from parents or teaching staff). Even at such young ages, actions teach more than words.
6. Boys and girls act following a purpose
Child psychology teaches us that, although their behavior may seem chaotic and impulsive to us, There is always a logic that guides the actions of the youngest Likewise, they may have problems adapting to certain contexts if they do not understand why certain norms must be respected. The proper fit between our visions of reality involves good communication with our sons and daughters, adapting the discourse to their ability to understand more or less abstract concepts.
7. More is not always better
Although it may seem counterintuitive, Trying to get children to learn as much as they can in the shortest time possible is not recommended The development of their brain is dictated by times that do not have to keep up with the difficulty curve of the lessons you are trying to teach them. This means, for example, that at certain ages it is not appropriate to be given lessons that involve dividing or multiplying, even if they have learned the previous steps that would enable an adult to learn these subjects.
