Child as a Physicist

Question 1

What is the Piagetian view on children acquisition of an understanding of physics?

Answer 1

Nothing innate. Is constructed over time - an understanding of physics relies on sensorimotor action (experience). Only after the development of object permanence, can a child begin to grasp physics through constructivism (assimilation / accommodation, equilibrium)

Question 2

What is object permanence

Answer 2

The understanding that an object out of sight does does not cease to exist

Question 3

What is A not B error

Answer 3

An error, where one sees an object being moved (from location A to B), but one still looks for the object in the old place (location A), instead of the new place (location B)

Question 4

What is the nativist view on the development of a childs understanding of physics

Answer 4

A child possesses “domain-specific principles” which “guide segmentation of visual input + reasoning about objects” pp. s. 4

Question 5

What kind of experiment did Baillargeon (1987) conduct to show that children do posses object permancence wayyy earlier than Piaget would predict

Answer 5

A toy truck was pushed down a ramp in front of a young child

Two conditions - a possible and an impossible scenario. Children look longer at impossible scenario (= surprise)

Possible:
1. Before pushing the truck down, a box was shown at the bottom of the tracks, behind the tracks

Then, the middle of the tracks were covered by a piece of paper, making the part of the track w the box behind it, out of sight

The truck was then pushed down, and drove to the end of the tracks

Impossible:
2. Before pushing the truck down, a box was shown on the tracks.

Then, the middle of the tracks were covered by a piece of paper, making the part of the track w the box behind it, out of sight

The truck was then pushed down, and drove to the end of the tracks.

Looking times compared.