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Scarlett Sea
Professor Striano
Psych 370: Cognitive Development
September 24 th
, 2014
Assignment #1- “Picture it!”
Research has shown that early child development is critical in enhancing the long-term language, cognitive, emotional, and interpersonal development of children. Evidently, there is a connection between language development and later reading, where the earlier a child is involved in literacy development the more advanced their language and cognitive abilities will be in the future. Dickinson et al. illustrate this idea in their article titled “How Reading Books
Fosters Language Development around the World”, while also exploring how interventions can be developed in order to provide language development improvement in different countries,
(Dickinson et al., 2011). The basis of these interventions has to do with the benefit of children having books be read to them aloud. Dickinson et al. provide six principles of language learning that are meant to help describe an environment in which children are able to learn through book reading. One particular children’s book that highlights some of these principles is
Rescue Ready by Kim Mitzo Thompson and Karen Mitzo Hilderbrand. Ultimately, the understanding of how these six principles can be applied to children’s literacy and language development will prove to be a useful tool in getting children prepared for later learning.
The first principle addresses how children need to be exposed to many words on a regular basis, because it helps them develop a better understanding of the meanings of words.
Additionally, the advantage of having children exposed to more words is they will gain a broader range of vocabulary that will help their learning in the future. As the article pointed out, if a child

Sea 2 is limited in their knowledge of words, when a complex sentence is spoken to them they will most likely try processing it and get left behind, (Dickinson et al., 2011). In the children’s book,
Rescue Ready , the authors provide different words (related to being ready to rescue someone in an emergency) in which they say what the word is on the first page, and then explain the meaning of it in a bit more depth on the next page. This fits the first principle in that not only are the children being exposed to new vocabulary, but they are also receiving the definitions of those terms they are being exposed to.
The second principle speaks about how children must be interested in the words that they are learning in order for it to be effective. It has been shown that when children are more engaged and interested in what they are learning, they are able to develop their language learning at a better rate. Also, research has shown that parents who are successful in creating moments of joint attention (where the parent and child are focusing on the same object or event) have children with a more advanced vocabulary than of those parents whose children do not show interest and don’t focus their attention on where their parents are, (Dickinson et al., 2011). In
Rescue Ready, the authors provide real life colorful illustrations to supplement the words, which may be a factor that helps children to focus their attention on what they are learning. This enhances their learning experience because the pictures are not drawings but rather real life images that they are able to relate to what they have seen in their everyday lives.
The third principle explains that children learn best when adults are being responsive to them or in other words when the adult reading to them is being interactive. Studies found that that young children had faster rates of cognitive development when mother’s acknowledged their children’s focus of attention and interests, (Dickinson et al., 2011). This principle can be applied to Rescue Ready in that the adults can further emphasize the words by associating them with

Sea 3 sounds that represent them. For example, for the word “police” the adult can make a siren sound in order to capture the child’s interest. This can be a way to get the children interacting back with the adult and further developing their interest in the word while also developing their social and cognitive skills.
The fourth principle of language learning addresses the fact that children need to have the definitions of words be explained to them clearly so that they in turn will be able to understand them and be able to use them later on. Additionally, it is helpful for the adult not to directly give the child the meaning of the word but rather for them to use a gesture pointing to it or some other signal for it, (Dickinson et al., 2011). Rescue Ready fits into this principle because the article also mentions that when learning the meaning of a word it is best to do so with other words that are connected to it conceptually. For example, the child learns what “fire truck” is along with other words like “police car” and “ambulance” that are also associated with it in order for them to be able to retain the meaning easier. So again, this principle plays out in Rescue Ready because all the terms that they are learning have to do with being ready to rescue someone and therefore are connected to each other and make the meaning more apparent to the child.
The fifth principle of language learning is described as being how children learn vocabulary and grammar together. Vocabulary and grammar share a relationship in which they interchangeably influence one another, in other words, the vocabulary knowledge of a child will influence their grammar skills, and in the same way their grammar skills will have an influence on their knowledge of vocabulary, (Dickinson et al., 2011). Rescue Ready partially fits into this principle in that it provides concise definitions of the words, which in some way is developing their vocabulary and then based on this particular principle, should also have a positive effect on their grammar skills.

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The sixth principle of language learning addresses the importance of keeping it positive for the children. Dickinson et al. point out that it is more common in low-income families to hear prohibitions, which are negatively toned and close the conversation with the child, rather than affirmations which are positively toned and open up the conversation with the child (2011). This type of a method encourages the children to speak up in full sentences and build on their grammar and vocabulary skills while also affirming and appreciating their interests and responses. Rescue Ready is able to fit in this principle because you can encourage the children to participate or ask questions about any of the things you will be reading. Also, the adult can affirm the child anytime they share something exceptional about the reading, acknowledging that their interest in the book is validated and that you encourage them to think critically about the books they read all the time while being positive with them.
After analyzing the six principles of language learning, it is evident that book reading is a useful tool for helping children develop their long-term language, cognitive, social, and interpersonal skills. Book reading proves to be effective because the children will be given an opportunity to expand their vocabulary and practice improving their grammar, while gaining a greater interest for reading and focusing their attention on the task. They also will be learning to be engaged and interactive with what they learn from the reading which is beneficial for language development. The children’s book Rescue Ready serves as a good example of a book that can be used to demonstrate how these principles can all be put to use. The understanding of these six principles of language learning give insight to the fact that more children need to be taught through the method of book reading early on in their lives. Further intervention should be done to ensure that all parents instill book reading in their children’s lives, so that as a result they will reap the benefits of acquiring language advantages for later reading in their future.

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References
Dickinson, D., Griffith, J., Golinkoff, R. M., Hirsh-Pasek, K. (2012). How reading books fosters language development around the world .
Child Development Research , 2012, 1-15.
Thompson, Kim M., and Karen M. Hilderbrand. Rescue Ready . Stow, Ohio: Twin Sisters
Productions, 2014. Print.