ATTENTION, PERCEPTION AND MEMORY

Attention is taking cognizance of things around. To some extent children are influenced by their attentional bias (what they are interested in). these interests are governed by their curiosity, previous knowledge and ability to focus attention. Perception presupposes some attentional abilities. It is the process by which children detect, recognize and interpret information from the large number of things around. Perception helps to understand voice. He sees people on the road running and also runs because he concludes that there must be some danger. And when he hears the whistle of a train, he assumes that there is a train in the vicinity. These abilities strengthen in the course of normal development and can be improved and directed specifically to gain required knowledge. Memory is registering an event, keeping it stored and alive in the consciousness, and recalling it when needed. There are two main types of memory – recognition and recall. It is easier to recognize than to recall for most of us as there are sensory cues which aid recognition. The ability to remember accurately over a long time is governed by many factors. The first is superior mental ability, the second is ‘association’, that is, the contest in which the event occurred, the third is how important the event was and the last is the kind of repercussions the event generated. A child will not for get the day his teacher praised him during assembly.

IQ OR INTELLIGENCE QUOTIENT

Many parents want to know what IQ means and how it is determined. IQ is a ratio developed to denote the level of mental abilities whether they are superior, average or below normal. It is quotient which is obtained arithmetically. The mental age of a child is ascertained in months by using well-developed intelligence tests. A mental age of eight years implies that the child is doing things which and average eight year old can do. Mental age is months, ascertained by an intelligence test is divided by chronological age which is (the actual age) in months. The ratio is multiplied by 100 to overcome the fractions. An IQ between 90 and 110 is average. A child with higher IQ is supposed to be mire intelligent. Psychologists and educationists have spent years to develop and then to standardize tests of mental abilities. These tests consist of all the major abilities which have been identified as the components of intelligence. The commonly included abilities are numerical ability, verbal ability, abstract thinking, reasoning, space relations and perception with time, psychologists have added more dimensions to make the test as universal as possible. Tests which were based mainly on manipulation and adaptation skills were developed as it was felt that there was too much stress on language. Administration and scoring of a test is also planned carefully and only a trained person can administer a test accurately.

WHAT IS INTELLIGENCE?

It is easy to define intelligence, as it cannot be isolated from other abilities, yet its influence can be seen in the everyday life and behavior of people. What does it take to get good grades in school? Is it a child’s ability to learn quickly and easily? Or is it his ability to remember whatever he has learnt accurately for a long time? And how do we describe child who is intelligent out of school, a sportsman, a painter, a musician, a sculptor, a writer or an artist? Are the mental abilities of a sportsman who takes appropriate decisions within thirty seconds and wins a match an indication of his superior mental abilities? When a mother divides two apples among her three children and when a carpenter designs the kitchen cupboards to accommodate all the needs of the user is he intelligent? Yes, they are all intelligent. All actions-planning, remembering, organizing, learning, thinking and judging – require intelligence. Intelligence is not restricted to quizzing, getting high grades and solving intricate problem. Repairing a tape recorder, designing dresses and composing music all require intelligent thought, what we call special intelligence. Such people are aware of their special abilities and have learnt to manipulate their skills. Intelligence can be defined as generalized ability to think of new ideas and learn new skills quickly and to solve problems efficiently by applying previous knowledge.

INTELLIGENCE

One of the most important areas in which children differ from each other is in intelligence. These differences are present at birth but they are hard to measure that early. As the child grows a little older, his behavior is compared with hundreds of other children of his age to see whether he can do more, less, or the same number of intelligent things. When a grandmother says ‘don’t worry if he starts walking at fifteen month, many children walk late’, her statement is based on observations of many children of that age. With age, individual differences in intelligence become clear and acquire greater importance in the lives of children and their parents. Individual differences in intelligence are mainly inherited. Neither you nor your baby have any control over heredity. Normally, if both the parents and grandparents are intelligent, the child will probably be intelligent. A person is termed intelligent when he is able to grasp quickly and understand things.

CHILDREN IN SINGLE PARENT HOMES

In the twenty-first century, there is also the greater possibility of many single parent homes. Single parents (and many will be single mothers) have the Herculean task of providing everything for the child on their own. Often such children will be alone at home for long hours and even after the mother has returned, she will have a whole lot of domestic work. Such a mother will have to be extra careful about shaping the child and helping him to a self-confident person assured of his self-worth. Children can feel more insecure in an incomplete home. The single parent may not be very well off, financially. Children form such homes often avoid social gatherings and tend to be loners as they experience a sense if inadequacy. A thoughtful single parent can take care to ensure that the child gets everything within her means. With care, such a child can grow up with good feelings of self-worth. There are certain facts which all parents need to remember about personality; firstly, it is not one specific attribute but rather the quality of the individual’s total behaviour. Secondly, it is not something which changes overnight or by a quick course on personality development. It is something that grows with the child, with physical maturation and mental development. There factors are important: hereditary endowments, early experiences within the family, and events in later life. For example, children who learn to think of themselves as inferior due to the treatment they receive in the home or outside the home learn to adjust in ways markedly different form those who were brought up with a more favourable self image. Similarly, relationship with parents often determines the kind of attitudes that the child will develop with members of both sexes later in life . A girl’s initial attitude towards boys and men is greatly modified by her father’s reactions to her and a boy’s first lessons in relating to girls are learnt in his relationship with his mother.