Lecture 13 Core Knowledge Flashcards
(18 cards)
Core Knowledge Theory definition
- Infants born with innate, domain-specific knowledge systems for evolutionarily important areas (objects, space, number, agents, social partners)
- apply to all culture
Five core knowledge domains (ONASS)
1) Objects & interactions
2) Agents & goals
3) Number/magnitude
4) Spatial/geometric relations
5) Social partners –> via language
Key features of core knowledge
- Domain-specific,
- Active Child:biologically prepared,
- Nativeism & Constructivism
- Continuous development
Habituation paradigm
Research method: Measure infant looking time decrease to familiar stimulus, increase to novel/impossible events
Preferential looking technique
Method where longer looking at one stimulus indicates preference/surprise (reveals innate expectations)
Object permanence in core knowledge
Infants as young as 3-4 months show surprise at impossible object events (earlier than Piaget claimed)
Infant number sense
surprise at 1+1=1 impossible event,
indicating that they are surprised and therefore they must have had some kind of ability to represent that there were indeed two objects there.
Agent understanding
Infants expect goal-directed actions; leads to over-imitation (copying even unnecessary steps)
Social partner identification
Prefer native language speakers from birth; influences food preferences and imitation choices
Limitations of core knowledge
- Domain-specific,
- task-specific
- encapsulated (e.g., number skills separate from other cognition)
Violation of expectation
Impossible events trigger surprise → motivates exploration and learning (link to Piaget)
Over-imitation example
Child copies unnecessary stick-wiping action, attributing purpose to all adult behaviors
Language as social cue
Infants use language to identify group members, influencing imitation and preferences
Continuous vs stage development
Core: Continuous refinement of innate systems Piaget: Discrete stages with qualitative shifts
Encapsulation example
Dyscalculia (number impairment) can occur without other cognitive deficits
Cultural universality
Core knowledge systems appear across all cultures (evolutionary basis)
Object principles
1) Move as connected wholes
2) Move on unobstructed paths
3) Don’t interact at distance
4) infans can track only ~ 3 objectss at a time
Agent principles
Actions are goal-directed and use efficient means to achieve purposes
