Cognitive Development in Early Childhood I. (Chapter 7) Flashcards
(35 cards)
Myelination
-Nerve cells are covered and insulated with a layer of fat cells which increases the speed at which information moves through the nervous system
Preoperational Stage
-2nd major stage in Piaget’s theory
-children begin developing symbolic thinking and language skills
-use symbols like words and images to represent objects and ideas
Conservation
-the idea that the amount of something remains the same despite changes in its form, shape, or appearance
Stages of Conservation Development
- Stage 1 (3-4 years olds): non conservers
- Stage 2 (5-6 years old): transitional period
- Stage 3 (7 and above): mature conservation
Limitations of Non-conserver’s Thinking
- Centration
-Appearance-Reality Problem
-Focus on States
-Irreversibility
Centration
-Focus on one aspect of a situation (height, length)
Appearance-Reality Problem
-Confuse what is real with outward appearance (someone wearing a costume is actually the character they’re dressed as)
Focus on States
- Failure to understand the transformation between states
Irreversibility
-Failure to understand that some operations can be reversed (if you pour the water back from a short wide glass into a tall, narrow glass, the amount of water remains the same)
Strategies of Mature Conservers
-Compensation: thinking about multiple aspects of situations simultaneously
-Identify: recognizing two things are actually the same material, even if they look different on the outside (ice and water)
-Nothing added or subtracted criterion: some changes can be undone to get back to the original state
-Reversibility
Conservation Development (Piaget)
-Factors: physical growth, including brain development and personal experience
Training Studies (Neo-Piagetian approach)
-Key Question: can conservationists be taught?
-Findings: 4 year olds cannot learn conservation; 6 year olds in transitional phase benefit from training
-Conclusion:Piaget’s belief in biological constraints is accurate; non-conservers and conservers think differently
Preoperational Thinking: Other Aspects
-Classification: age 3 uses (group things solely by color or shape) one criterion; age 4 uses two criteria (consider multiple attributes)
-Causation: transduction
-Living and Non-living things: animism- common aspect of imaginative and symbolic thinking in early childhood
Transduction
- Children mentally link two phenomena, even without logical or casual connection
Animism
-Tendency to attribute life to non-living objects
Egocentrism (preo. thinking)
-Piaget’s term for inability to consider another person’s point of view
Revised Design for Studying Egocentrism
-Researchers use familiar tasks that are less likely to trigger egocentrism in children
-By using tasks that children are already comfortable with, it is easier to observe how they react to situations when their egocentrism is reduced
-Example: if you want to see how a child shares toys with a friend, you might chose toys they’re familiar with, as this familiarity can help reduce their egocentric tendencies
Preoperational Thought’s Characteristics
-More symbolic than sensorimotor thought
-Inability to engage in operations; can’t mentally reverse actions; lacks conservation skills
-Egocentric (inability to distinguish between own perspective and someone else’s)
-Intuitive rather than logical
Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory
-Children are active in their learning and thinking
-Social interactions and specific culture practices play critical roles in the development of cognitive skills
Vygotsky’s Processes of Cognitive Development
-A collaborate process
-Children’s learning is guided by adults or more skillful individuals
-Language helps children learn to plan and regulate their own behaviors
Collaborative Process
-Children learn from social interactions)
Shared activities leads to internalization of society’s way of thinking and behaving
Children’s Learning is Guided by Adults or More Skillful Individuals
-Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD): the difference between what a child can do alone and with help
-Scaffolding: temporary support to help a child master a task
Language Helps Children Learn to Plan and Regulate their Own Behaviors
-Private speech
-Inner speech
Private Speech
-Audible speech that children direct to themselves in regulating their own behavior
