Cognitive development

Question 1

What are the 4 stages of cognitive development in Jean Piaget’s theory (1936)

Answer 1

Sensorimotor (0-2 years) thinking is ego-centric
Preoperational stage (2-7 years) think about things symbolically eg. pretend play. inanimate objects
are alive
Concrete operational (7-12 years) understand reversablilty and conservation and beginning of logical
thought
Formal operational (12+) hypothetical thinking develop, think more flexibly and logic more abstract

Question 2

Key Stages in neural development before birth?

Answer 2

• Proliferation: multiplication of new cells
• Differentiation: cells of developing embryo undergo changes to specialise in structure and function
• Migration: most neurons are produced in middle of brain and then migrate out to final destination

Question 3

Key stages in neural development from fetal stage to adulthood

Answer 3

• synaptogenesis: formation of synapses between neurons as axons and dendrites grow. organisation of these circuits is very complex and is influenced by genetics, environmental factors, and experiences
• myelination: forms layer of myelin around axons during mid-gestation to 2 years. still occurs when learning complex tasks such as piano
• synaptic pruning: extra synapses are eliminated which increases efficiency in neural network. continues up til approx 10 years of age where 50% of synapses that were present at 2 years are eliminated

Question 4

What are the adaptation processes of Jean Piaget’s theory?

Answer 4

• assimilation: adding a new object or experience to an existing schema
• accommodation: changing schema or creating a new schema to include a new object or experience

Question 5

What are the 3 components of Jean Piaget’s theory?

Answer 5

• schemas: mental frameworks that organise past experiences and provide an understanding for future experiences
• adaptation processes: allow progression from one stage to another
• cognitive stages: reflect the stages of increasing sophistication of children’s thought

Question 6

What did Lev Vygotsky (1978) believe?

Answer 6

• children learn actively and through hands-on experiences
• parents, caregivers, peers, and culture were responsible for higher order functions
• development differ between cultures
• learning is inherently social-process

Question 7

What are the three themes in Lev Vygotsky’s theory

Answer 7

• more knowledgable other (MKO): anyone with better understanding or higher ability ability level than the learner
• zone of proximal development (ZPD): zone where a learner can complete a task with guidance/assistance of the MKO
• scaffolding: closely related to ZPD. temporary support given to a child by a MKO that enables the learner to perform a task until such time that they can perform the task independently

Question 8

What is involved in Information Processing Theory

Answer 8

• attention: improvements in selective and divided attention across development
• memory: improvements in working and long term memory
• processing speed: with maturation, children think more quickly, processing speed improve between age of 5 and mid-adolescence
• organisation of thinking: as children mature they are more planful. they approach problems with strategy, and are more flexible with different strategies in different situations
• metacognition: older children can think about thinking itself. monitoring ones own cognitive activity during the thinking process

Question 9

What did Jean Piaget (1936) believe?

Answer 9

• cognitive development depends on interaction of the brain’s biological maturation with personal experiences
• four different cognitive stages sequentially that are the same for every child regardless of culture

Question 10

What is plasticity

Answer 10

changes in neurological pathways and synapses based on experience. mainly earlier in life

Question 11

what are the two types of plasticity

Answer 11

• developmental plasticity: changes in neural connections as a result of interaction with the environment e.g development of motor control in infants
• adaptive plasticity: brain’s ability to compensate for lost functionality due to brain damage as well as in response to interaction with the environment. e.g. learning new language, strong neural connections develop from consistency

Question 12

what is critical period

Answer 12

finite periods during development where an organism has a heightened sensitivity to an external stimuli that are critical for the development of a function

Question 13

sensitive periods

Answer 13

specific times during development when biologial event is more sensitive to environmental stimuli