Did You Know...?
Preschool Development

Read each true/false statement and test your answers by placing your cursor over the question mark.

	By age 6, the child’s body is proportionately not very different from that of the adult.
	In multi-ethnic countries, Latinos tend to be somewhat shorter than children of African, Asian, and European descent.
	Although the right and left hemisphere of the brain have specialized functions, cognitive skill requires both sides of the brain.
	In terms of brain maturation, there is no reason that children should not begin formal schooling before age 6.
	Accidents are the leading cause of childhood death.
	Most serious childhood injuries truly are “accidents.”
	Most child maltreatment does not involve serious physical abuse.
	All reported cases of maltreatment are substantiated.
	Most maltreated children are friendlier than other children because they crave attention.
	Adoption is generally the best solution in preventing maltreatment of older children.
	Preschoolers’ thinking is often dictated more by their own subjective views than by reality.
	A 3-year-old is likely to believe that the same amount of ice cream is actually more when it is transferred from a large bowl to a small bowl.
	Research reveals that 2- to 6-year-old children are much less logical than Piaget believed.
	Older children use private speech less effectively than younger ones.
	Most 3-year-olds clearly understand that a belief can be false.
	Having an older brother or sister delays the development of a theory of mind.
	Early childhood seems to be a sensitive period for emergent literacy.
	By age 6, children’s vocabulary includes an average of more than 10,000 words.
	A preschooler who says “You comed up and hurted me” is demonstrating a lack of understanding of English grammar.
	Preschool education programs, such as Head Start, have been a disappointing failure in terms of compensating for children’s impoverished home environments.
	Most preschoolers underestimate their own abilities.
	Children do not have adequate self-understanding to empathize with others until they are 4.
	Observers can tell from the facial expressions of children engaged in rough-and-tumble play that they are engaging in aggressive, hostile behavior.
	Boys and girls are equally likely to use violent themes in sociodramatic play.
	Permissive parenting is almost always the most destructive parental style.
	Spanking seems to lead a child to be aggressive under all circumstances.
	Children who watch violent TV programs have lower grades, especially if they are girls.
	By age 2, children can apply gender labels.
	Children universally prefer same-sex playmates and certain toys and games during early and middle childhood.
	The idea that some gender differences are biologically based is becoming less well accepted with each passing year.