Cognitive Development Flashcards
(112 cards)
1
Q
What was Piaget’s main idea about child development?
A
Children are like little scientists, form hypotheses about world. They explore and want to understand the world , thinking changes qualitatively with age-all kids make the same kinds of mistakes at the same stage and explain why in the same age
2
Q
What does it meant that children have a constructivist approach?
A
Kids construct their own knowledge
3
Q
Is a childs development continuous or discontinuous according to Piaget?
A
Discontinuous
4
Q
What are the 4 invariant, universal stages that all children go through according to Piaget?
A
1) Sensorimotor
2) Preoperational
3) Concrete operational
4) Formal Operational
5
Q
What is a schema?
A
A mental model of an object, person,or event
6
Q
What is unique about Piaget’s theories?
A
He didn’t focus on just one area of development-he tried to capture the overall cognitive system of development
7
Q
How do children learn according to Piaget?
A
Through developing schemas about the world-involves assimilation and accommodation
8
Q
What is assimilation?
A
When new experiences are incorporated into existing schemas-see something new and relate it to something you already know
9
Q
What is accommodation?
A
Process by which schemas are adjusted and changed based on experiences.
10
Q
What is disequilibrium and how do we change this?
A
When the existing schema doesn’t work super well-we don’t like this. Adjust schemas to gain equilibrium
11
Q
What is the sensorimotor stage?
A
When kids learn about the world through senses/actions
12
Q
What age does the sensorimotor stage happen?
A
0-2
13
Q
What are circular reactions (sensorimotor)
A
When the baby accidentally does motor action and likes the consequences of that action, then repeats the action over and over and over
14
Q
What can ciruclar reactions eventually turn into?
A
Schemas, and can make children more goal oriented/experimental.
15
Q
What is object permanence?
A
The understanding that an object still exists even if it’s hidden from view
16
Q
When did Piaget believe we begin to develop object permanence?
A
8 months
17
Q
What is perseveration (aka the A not B error)
A
When you hide something in location A, and the baby finds it. Keep hiding it in location A over and over… and then hide it in location B. Baby still looks in A!
18
Q
When did Piaget believe we outgrow perseveration?
A
12 months
19
Q
What has shown that object permanence may develop earlier (around 5-9 months of age)?
A
Predictive eye tracking and Violation of expectancy
20
Q
What is the violation of expectancy?
A
Show children an impossible outcome and see which they stare longer at. If it’s at the impossible outcome, shows that they understand object permanence (4-5 month olds can do this)
21
Q
What is an explanation of testing on the A not B error?
A
Even when children reach for A, they look at B-if we slow them down, they reach for the correct location earlier! Also depends on how many times we hid it in A.
22
Q
What is the developmental trend that may explain the A not B error?
A
Lack of inhibitory control to stop the self. First we learn a skill (ex: reaching out), then we learn how to stop it (how to stop reaching for A)-inhibition shows kids need less practice doing the skill (mastery)
23
Q
When did Piaget think we start to imitate and what was the issue with this?
A
18 months, however he was testing for complex skills (ex: shaking a rattle)
24
Q
When can children actually begin to imtiate?
A
Facial expressions: 6 weeks
Objects: 6- 9 months
Skillful: 12-18 months
25
What are deferred imitations?
Will the kid imitate something after not seeing it for a bit? At age 6 months, they can delay for a day. Gets longer with age (drinking like a flamingo)
26
What is symbolic understanding?
Understanding symbols-understanding that a photo of something is different than the object itself. Babies tend to treat photos the same as the real object.
27
When does symbolic understanding and gestures and pretend play develop?
12-15 months
28
How well does Piaget's sensorimotor stage hold up?
He identified correct general trends, approximate agets where skill is learned BUT evidence can be seen earlier if studied differently.
29
What is the preoperational stage?
Lots of pretend play! Can represent things symbolically, but don't understand mental operations (rules).
30
When does the preoperational stage begin?
2-7 years
31
How do kids differ in their pretend play before the preoperational stage versus after?
Before 2 years: Kids use objects as intended
After: More likely to realize that one object can have "multiple identities"- ex: a stick can be a sword, pool cue, etc. Play also becomes less self centred and and starts to combine schemas
32
What is an example of how play becomes less self-centred around age 3?
Kids will start to serve tea to others rather than to themselves
33
When do we begin assigning intentions to objects (ex: doll drinks tea herself)
After 3
34
What is an example of how we combine schemas?
You don't just drink the tea... have to pour it THEN drink
35
What is sociodramatic play?
Playing make believe with others. Build on ideas, combine schemas, complex story lines, create and coordinate roles.
36
What did Piaget believe make believe play was used to do?
Practice representational schemas (ex: typical day at school, after school etc).
37
What have modern researchers found that make believe play is used for?
Emotional integration, social and language skills, attention, memory, logical reasoning, creativity
38
How is drawing done at age 2?
Basically a bunch of scribbles
39
How does drawing progress after age 2?
3 year olds will draw something and THEN name it. Also start to outline objects
40
What is a major milestone with drawing?
Being able to draw objects and people
41
What are tadpole humans?
Kids draw people as circles with arms and legs sticking out.
42
What is dual representation?
Realization that a symbolic object is both a symbol and an object (ex: Toy house is a toy but also represents MY house)
43
When does dual representation happen?
Around age 3
44
What does Piaget define his stages by?
What kids cannot do-each subsequent stage means kids are just slightly more competent
45
What are operations?
Mental representation of actions that obey logical rule- preoperational stage cannot do this
46
What is egocentrism?
Failing to distinguish others viewpoints as being different from one's own.
47
What is the 3 mountain task and how does this represent egocentrism?
Have kid and doll sitting on either side of table, looking at 3 mountains. Ask the kid which mountain the doll can see best, kid will point to the one they can see
48
What is animistic thinking?
Belief that inanimate objects have thoughts, wishes, feelings, intentions.
49
What is conservation?
When some physical characteristics of objects remain the same, even if the objects physical appearance changes. Kids have a hard time seeing this.
50
What are the four types of conservation?
1) Liquid
2) Number
3) Length
4) Mass
51
What types of conservation task can 5 year olds do?
Number, but not liquid
52
What happens when you are able to pass ALL conservation tasks?
Pass into concrete operational
53
What are the 2 error types kids make with the conservation task?
Centration and irreversibility
54
What is centration?
When you can only focus on one aspect and not the others (ex: height of liquid as opposed to height and width).
55
What is irreversibility?
The inability to mentally reverse a transformation that has occured.
56
What is another task that preoperational children have difficulties with?
Hierarchical classification: Difficulties moving from subset to total (ex: are there more red flowers or more flowers? Kid will say red flowers, even if it's more flowers in general)
57
What makes Brazilian street vendor children do better on hierarchical classification tasks?
If you frame the question like you're selling a product
58
What was one of the things Piaget got right with his preoperational stage?
Preschoolers do develop the beginnings of logical thinking
59
What happens with the preoperational stage if we give children easier conservation and egoism tasks?
They will pass them
60
Is development in the preoperational stage gradual or all at once?
Gradual
61
What did Piaget get wrong when it comes to animism/ego?
Kids are not as egotistical as Piaget thought-they will speak slower and more high pitched to little children and understand that an adult might not be able to see an object like they can
62
When does the concrete operational stage start?
Age 7-11
63
What is the concrete operational stage?
Can perform conservation tasks. Evidence that they can perform operations. Child can use logic about concrete objects (not abstract)
64
What are operations?
Mental representations that obey logical rules such as reversibility and decentration
65
What are some of the things children in the concrete operational stage can do?
1) Perform classification problems
2) Serviation
3) Transitive inference
4) create complex maps of places that they can't immediately see
66
What is seriation?
When you place items in order along a single dimension (ex: order these apples smallest to largest)
67
What is transitive inference?
Ex: Show a kid two people. Say "look, see John is taller than Mary". Then show a kid another set of people. Say "see, Mary is taller than Susan." Then ask the kid who is the tallest out of everyone.
68
What can concrete operational children not do with transitive inference?
Word problems. Can only do transitive inference if they can see the problem in front of them.
69
Does culture and teaching affect performance?
YES. Most notably in concrete operational and formal operational. Experience with Piagetian tasks can speed you through his stages.
70
What did Piaget get right with his concrete operational stage?
Overall, Western children develop more logical forms of reasoning during this time
71
What do cultural variations in the concrete operational stage demonstrate?
That development patterns are not universal as Piaget said. Concrete operations don't just develop spontaneously.
72
When does the formal operational stage start?
11-12 and beyond.
73
What is the formal operational stage?
Involves abstract, systematic, scientific thinking. Have adult-like minds.
74
What is hypothetico-deductive reasoning?
When children can form a hypothesis about variables affecting an outcome and deduce a logical, testable idea. Then can combine and eliminate variables to test their hypothesis
75
What was the Pendulum Problem?
Kids are given different lengths of string with different weights to attach. Are asked what influences the speed of the pendulum?
76
How do formal operational children do the Pendulum Problem differently from concrete operational childrem?
Formal operational: Isolates variables and tests them (Is it weight? Uses different weights and leaves string length constant etc)
Concrete: Will not isolate variables. Tests everything randomly
77
What is propositional thought?
Evaluating the logical thoughts of a verbal statement without referring to the real world (without seeing evidence)
78
What are the 4 consequences in adolescence that the formal operational stage has?
1) Argumentativeness
2) Idealism and Criticism
3) Suboptimal decision making
4) Adolescent Egoism
79
What defines argumentativeness according to Piaget?
Teens practice their new formal reasoning skills by using facts to build cases or justify behaviours.
80
What is idealism and criticism?
Formal, abstract reasoning allows one to imagine a hypothetical world. Adolescents then criticise others around them for failing to meet their ideals.
81
Why do adolescents make suboptimal decisions?
Because they are often swayed by large, immediate rewards. Risks and consequences are not thought of. Limbic system (emotion) reaches full maturity before the prefrontal cortex
82
What is adolescent egoism?
Teens spend lots of time thinking about themselves, social circumstances, their place in the world. Leads to distorted view of one's own importance/uniqueness
83
What are the two types of adolescent egoism?
1) Personal Fables
| 2) Imaginary Audience
84
What are personal fables?
Overestimation of one's own uniqueness. Ex) "No one understands me/has ever felt this way etc".
85
What is the imaginary audience?
Adolescents believe they are always being watched. Everyone will notice and care about how they look and behave (not really the case).
86
What did Piaget's formal operational stage get right?
Children do develop more logical reasoning, and many "consequences" of thinking in adolescence are very common
87
Is the formal operational stage universal?
It might not be because even adults make errors!
88
What is discovery learning?
When you provide kids with a rich environment to explore. Teacher provides material, kids learn about the world. More acceptance of individual differences and a sensitivity to children's readiness to learn.
89
Does cognition develop in jumps and stages like Piaget believed?
No. It's more gradual. Some children can do tasks in a higher stage than they are if they are tested differently/
90
Are children as competent as Piaget believed?
No. They are more
91
Do kids take as much control over their learning as Piaget believed?
No. They don't take as much initiative.
92
What did Vgotsky believe set us apart from other animals?
Culture and language
93
How much does culture, according to Vgotsky, influence our development?
A LOT. Leads to a bunch of possibilities and endpoints for development. Adults teach us how to succeed in our world. Culture shapes a child's skills, abilities, and learning
94
What is the zone of proximal development?
Tasks a child cannot and will not do alone, but can get better at and learn with an adults help. Zones move up as skills move up
95
What is cognition based on according to Vgotsky?
Social interaction and language. Will change how a person thinks!
96
Where does all learning take place according to Vgotsky?
In the zone's of proximal development
97
What is scaffolding?
Teachers should adjust the amount of support they give to fit the childs performance. Withdraw support as child gets better at task.
98
What did Piaget believe private speech was used for?
That it is directed at adults, and kids believe adults can understand them because they're egocentric. Sign of immaturity
99
What did Vgotsky believe private speech was used for?
Children use private speech to guide themselves. Intended audience is not the adult, it is themselves. Private speech is critical to learning and cognition
100
What types of tasks do children use private speech on the most?
Moderately difficult tasks. Low difficulty: no need to talk themselves through. High difficulty: no idea where to even start
101
What did Vgotsky believe make-believe play was used for?
Used for kids to take on societal roles. Is the ONLY time kids advance themselves on their own and improve their cognition through social interaction, and learn about symbolism. Lays the foundation for future language development
102
How does pretend play help us understand social norms and expectations (theory of mind)
Makes us think about the rules involved in everyday life.
103
What is some evidence that supports Vgotsky's ideas on pretend play?
It takes a lot of practice and support to do pretend play. At a year old, pretend play is initiated bt the parent. As the kids get older, they start to take on more responsibility and pretend play on their own. Scenarios are much more complex with adults.
104
What is the assisted discovery education idea by Vgotsky?
Schools should emphasize social context and collaboration. Teacher guides child to discover on their own. Tailors help to zone of proximal development.
105
What is reciprocal teaching?
Students take turns leading discussions
106
What are the responsibilities of the leader?
To ask questions of the group, and summarize passages
107
What are the responsibilities of the group members?
Group tries to help clarify unfamiliar ideas and predict upcoming content
108
What is cooperative learning?
Small groups of children working together towards a common goal. Only works if all group members are on the same page.
109
Why is a range abilities the best in cooperative learning?
Because the lower abilities learn faster and the higher abilities gain self-esteem from being leaders.
110
Children from which part of the world typically need more help to work together?
Westernized parts
111
What were some criticisms of Vgotsky's ideas?
Too much language emphasis and a passive view of the child.
112
What are some of the things that Vgotsky got right?
Cultural diversity in cognition, emphasizes importance of teaching
