Chapter 6

Question 1

Stages of prelinguistic development

Answer 1

Crying
Cooing
Babbling
Utterances

Question 2

What are the 6 sub-stages of sensorimotor intelligence and what is an infant doing at each stage?

Answer 2

1. Reflexes- 0-> 1 month: child understands the environment purely through inborn reflexes such as sucking and looking.
2. Primary Circular Reactions (1-4 months): coordinating sensation and new schemas.
3. Secondary Circular Reactions (4-8 months): purposeful action to illicit a response ( a child picks up a toy to put it in their mouth)
4. Coordination of Reactions (8-12 months): Children begin exploring the environment around them and will often imitate the observed behavior of others. (Pick up a rattle because they know it makes a noise)
5. Tertiary Circular Reactions (12-18 months): Children begin a period of trial-and-error experimentation(little scientist)
6. Early Representational Thought (18-24 months): children begin to move towards understanding the world through mental operations rather than purely through actions.