chapter 4: theories of cognitive development

Question 1

Piaget’s theory

Answer 1

the theory of Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget, which posits that cognitive development involves a sequence of four stages – the sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational stages – that are constructed through the processes of assimilation, accommodation, and equilibration

Question 2

assimilation

Answer 2

the process by which people translate incoming information into a form that fits concepts they already understand

Question 3

accommodation

Answer 3

the process by which people adapt current knowledge structures in response to new experiences

Question 4

equilibration

Answer 4

the process by which children (or other people) balance assimilation and accommodation to create stable understanding

Question 5

sensorimotor stage

Answer 5

the period (birth to 2 years) within Piaget’s theory in which intelligence is expressed through sensory and motor abilities

Question 6

preoperational stage

Answer 6

the period (2 to 7 years) within Piaget’s theory in which children become able to represent their experiences in language, mental imagery, and symbolic thought

Question 7

concrete operational stage

Answer 7

the period (7 to 12 years) within Piaget’s theory in which children become able to reason logically about concrete objects and events

Question 8

formal operational stage

Answer 8

the period (12 years and beyond) within Piaget’s theory in which people become able to think about abstractions and hypothetical situations

Question 9

object permanence

Answer 9

the knowledge that objects continue to exist even when they are out of view

Question 10

A-not-B error

Answer 10

the tendency to reach for a hidden object where it was last found rather than in the new location where it was last hidden

Question 11

deferred imitation

Answer 11

the repetition of other people’s behavior a substantial time after it originally occurred

Question 12

symbolic representation

Answer 12

the use of one object to stand for another

Question 13

egocentrism

Answer 13

the tendency to perceive the world solely from one’s own point of view

Question 14

centration

Answer 14

the tendency to focus on a single, perceptually striking feature of an object or event

Question 15

conservation concept

Answer 15

the idea that merely changing the appearance of objects does not necessarily change the objects’ other key properties

Question 16

information-processing theories

Answer 16

a class of theories that focus on the structure of the cognitive system and the mental activities used to deploy attention and memory to solve problems

Question 17

task-analysis

Answer 17

the research technique of specifying the goals, obstacles to their realization, and potential solution strategies involved in problem solving

Question 18

computer simulation

Answer 18

a type of mathematical model that expresses ideas about mental processes in precise ways

Question 19

problem solving

Answer 19

the process of attaining a goal by using a strategy to overcome an obstacle

Question 20

working memory

Answer 20

memory system that involves actively attending to, maintaining, and processing information

Question 21

long-term memory

Answer 21

information retained on an enduring basis

Question 22

basic processes

Answer 22

the simplest and most frequently used mental activities

Question 23

encoding

Answer 23

the process of representing in memory information that draws attention or is considered important

Question 24

rehearsal

Answer 24

the process of repeating information multiple times to aid memory of it

Question 25

selective attention

Answer 25

the process of intentionally focusing on the information that is most relevant to the current goal

Question 26

overlapping waves theory

Answer 26

an information-processing approach that emphasizes the variability of children's thinking

Question 27

core-knowledge theories

Answer 27

approaches that view children as having some innate knowledge in domains of special evolutionary importance and domain-specific learning mechanisms for rapidly and effortlessly acquiring additional information in those domains

Question 28

domain specific

Answer 28

information about a particular content area

Question 29

nativism

Answer 29

the theory that infants have substantial innate knowledge of evolutionarily important domains

Question 30

constructivism

Answer 30

the theory that infants build increasingly advanced understanding by combining rudimentary innate knowledge with subsequent experiences

Question 31

sociocultural theories

Answer 31

approaches that emphasize that other people and the surrounding culture contribute greatly to children's development

Question 32

guided participation

Answer 32

a process in which more knowledgeable individuals organize activities in ways that allow less knowledgeable people to learn

Question 33

social scaffolding

Answer 33

a process in which more competent people provide a temporary framework that supports children's thinking at a higher level than children could manage on their own

Question 34

cultural tools

Answer 34

the innumerable products of human ingenuity that enhance thinking

Question 35

private speech

Answer 35

the second phase of Vygotsky's internalization-of-thought process, in which children develop self-regulation and problem-solving abilities by telling themselves aloud what to do, much as their parents did in the first stage

Question 36

intersubjectivity

Answer 36

the mutual understanding that people share during communication

Question 37

joint attention

Answer 37

a process in which social partners intentionally focus on a common referent in the external environment

Question 38

dynamic-systems theories

Answer 38

a class of theories that focus on how change occurs over time in complex systems