Cognitive Development

Question 1

Cognitive development

Answer 1

Age-related changes

Question 2

Invariant stages

Answer 2

The same stages, in a fixed order, that the development of a child’s ability to think goes through

Question 3

Universal stages

Answer 3

The order of development of thinking is the same for all children, everywhere

Question 4

Piaget’s theory (2)

Answer 4

• A general stage theory of cognitive development (invariant order, behaviour improves by stage & universal)
• 1. Sensori-motor stage
     2. Pre-operational stage
     3. Concrete operational stage
     4. Formal operational stage

Question 5

Sensori-motor stage (3)

Answer 5

1. Body schema- can recognise that it exists physically
2. Motor coordination- learns to coordinate different body parts
3. Object permanence- knowing that an object or person still exists even if they cannot be seen

Question 6

Pre-operational stage (3)

Answer 6

1. Animism- treating inanimate objects as if they were alive
2. Reversibility- unable to think ‘backwards’
3. Egocentrism- Seeing and thinking from your point of view only

Question 7

Concrete operational stage (3)

Answer 7

1. Linguistic humour- understanding word games and double meanings
2. Seriation- the ability to put things in rank order
3. Conservation- the properties on an object stay the same even if it appears to change

Question 8

Formal operational stage (2)

Answer 8

1. The ability to think hypothetically

2. Develop general principles to apply to other situations

Question 9

Piaget’s theory evaluation (3)

Answer 9

1. The cognitive stages are not as fixed or rigid- some children can flick through stages, suggesting that it is not invariant
2. No guarantee that people develop through all the stages- only 50% make it to formal operational
3. Thinking does not develop the same everywhere, for example, Aboriginal children developing concrete operational thinking which is useful for survival earlier than European children

Question 10

Cognitive development alternative theory:

Vygotsky (3)

Answer 10

• Children are born with considerable thinking abilities, but their development is nurtured socially and culturally
• Everyone is born with a thinking potential
• Zone of proximal development

Question 11

Zone of proximal development

Answer 11

The gap between where a child is with their learning, and where they can potentially get to with the support and help of others

Question 12

Piaget and Conservation of number (1952)

Answer 12

• Procedure: Cross-sectional study on conservation. Children shown 2 identical rows of counters, then one spread out. Asked at both stages about changed quantities of counters
• Findings: Children in the pre-operational stage could not conserve and said there were more counters. Children in the concrete operational stage were able to conserve

Question 13

Piaget and Conservation of number (1952) evaluation (3)

Answer 13

1. The way that the child is asked the same question twice may affect their response as in normal circumstances, this would mean that they were wrong on the first attempt
2. The nature of the task was contrived and not very child-friendly
3. Small sample of children was not representative > cannot be said as ‘universal’

Question 14

Cognitive Development applications of research:

Educating Children

Answer 14

• Piaget: the concept of readiness, that subject specifications should match the cognitive stage of the student
• Vygotsky: the teacher should actively play a role in the pupil’s zone of proximal development. A spiral curriculum also aids this.