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DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCH > THEORIES OF DEVELOPMENT > Flashcards

THEORIES OF DEVELOPMENT Flashcards

1
Q

PIAGET

A

A constructivist theory of cognitive development

Children are like little scientists - they construct their own knowledge through interacting with their environment.

A stage theory: children can’t progress from one stage to the next unless they’ve mastered certain milestones.

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2
Q

Who’s theory of cognitive development was ‘constructivist’

A

Piaget

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3
Q

How do schemas develop?

A

Through the dual process of assimilation and accommodation.

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4
Q

Accommodation

A

The adjustment of schemas to new input, leading to growing and changing knowledge (changing schema to accommodate new knowledge)

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5
Q

Assimilation

A

The integration of new input into existing schemas, leading to more consolidated knowledge.

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6
Q

What is a schema

A

Mental representations/sets of rules that enable children to interact with their world in a meaningful way.
- they make up our frames of reference through which we filter new information.

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7
Q

Examples of how schemas are developed

A

Develop through experience and become more complex with development.

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8
Q

Stage 1 of the four stages of Piaget’s theory

A

The SENSORIMOTOR stage (birth - 2 years)
= infants trying to conquer their sensory motor system
= able to interact more with their environment
Key milestones:
> Object permanence (@ end of first year)
> Mental Representation (final substage -> 18 - 24 months)
> Self-awareness/Recognition (18 months plus)

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9
Q

What is object permanence

A

The idea that things (objects or people) continue to exist even when they’re out of sight.

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10
Q

What is mental representations

A

The ability to hold information in their heads without it being immediately present.

The building blocks of pretend play and memory

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11
Q

What is self-awareness/Recognition

A

The ROUGE test
Knowing their legs and arms are theirs
Making a connection between the self and the person in the mirror.

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12
Q

Stage 2 of the four stages of Piaget’s theory

A

The PRE-OPERATIONAL stage (2 - 7 years)
Subdivides into:
> Preconceptual/symbolic function substage (2-4 years)
- mentally representing an object that isn’t physically present
- expands childs’ mental world - evidence of this in pretend play
- egocentrism reduces
- understanding that other people’s mental states may differ from their own.

> Intuitive thought substage (4-7 years)
- a shift in children’s reasoning
- children begin to classify, order and quantify in a more systematic manner.
- ALTHOUGH, they do remain unaware of the underlying principles and what they know.
t/f children’s reasoning based largely on perception + intuition rather than rational thinking.
- children develop symbolic thought
- yet to be able to conserve for liquids and solids but can for mass and number.

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13
Q

Stage 3 of the four stages of Piaget’s theory

A

The CONCRETE OPERATIONS stage (7 - 12 years)
- children become more flexible and are able to focus on more than one thing at a time
- their thinking is h/e still v concrete, not abstract.
- towards the end of this stage, children develop the ability for metacognition - thinking about thinking.
- children can conserve, classify and categorise in multiple domains inc. liquids + solids.
> using strategies like: compensation, reversibility.
- also now start grasping cause and effect relations rather than using their egocentrism
- their thinking is still concrete, not abstract

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14
Q

Stage 4 of the four stages of Piaget’s theory

A

The FORMAL OPERATIONAL stage (12+ years)

  • when children become able to reason hypothetically (without objects present) ie. not concrete thinking
  • they can reason with verbal hypotheses + deduce conclusions from abstract statements.
  • hypothetic reasoning - ie. if i do X, Y will happen.
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15
Q

Evaluate Piaget’s work - limitations of his work

A
  • Often worked with just children
  • Problems with replicating his findings because he quite often didn’t write down the exact methods he was using
  • Development isn’t as fixed as Piaget thought - it’s a lot more fluid + lots of influences.
  • Experimental setup - not child friendly
  • Underestimated children’s ability for object permanence and mental representations - these may actually be available from a much younger age.
  • Children emerge as more competent than Piaget’s work would suggest.
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16
Q

Evaluate Piaget’s work - influence/implications

A
  • Set the groundwork for developmental psychology as a sub-discipline
  • Gave some of the first insights into children’s minds
    > developing new research
    > spurning research into cognitive development
  • Huge impact on education
    > supported child-centred learning
    > focus on play and active learners
  • Many of his findings have been replicated with new methods
17
Q

How does socio-culture influence development?

A

Vygotsky theorised that through interacting with other people and the environment (socio-culture) and language that functions infants are born with/have basic skills in become higher mental functions (advanced, more complex skills).

18
Q

The basis of Vygotsky’s theory

A

Marxist theories - no clear separation between social and individual development.

The belief that we can’t separate the child’s development from the context (culture, social world) in which they grow up (NURTURE).

19
Q

Implications of sociocultural theory to children

A

Sociocultural theory made a huge contribution to developmental psychology and education.

Developed/inspired techniques to help children learn much better.

20
Q

Limitation of the sociocultural theory in contrast to Piaget’s

A

Not as well developed as Piaget’s theory b/c Vygotzky died early.

21
Q

Basis of Vygotsky’s theory in relation to infant elementary functions and Nature Vs Nurture

A 
There are some elementary functions that children are born with:
Attention
Sensation
Perception
Memory

He focused on the role that society and culture has in nurturing these very basic functions.

Through interacting with other people and the environment (socio-culture) and language that they become higher mental functions (advanced, more complex skills).

22
Q

The importance of socio-culture in V’s theory

A

Children’s cognitive skills will be developed to handle the tasks and problems for their surroundings.

23
Q

How was V’s theory most unlike P’s?

A

Lots of different processes at play influencing a child’s development whereas P’s was more of a step-by-step system.

24
Q

Vygotsky specified the distinction between self-speech and inner speech, what was this?

A

A really important transition that occurs between the ages of 5 and 8 is when children go from speaking out loud to speaking internally (Self speech –> inner speech).

Children are not shy about self-speech (Talking out loud ie. talking when playing, talking to imaginary friends etc.)

V regarded self-speech as a transition from using language as a tool for communication to using language as a tool for thought
- t/f, self-speech = essential for children’s cognitive development.

25
Q

Around what age does the child start to use inner speech rather than self- or -private-speech?

A

At around the age of 7, V proposed that these monologues become internalised to become inner speech (which becomes thought)
- important transition - using language as a tool for thought and communication.

26
Q

Berk (1992) findings that was evidence that V was right about self-speech

A

Found that children engage in more self-speech if a task is challenging, if they are making mistakes or if they are confused about what to do…

(shows that self-speech = a function in helping child to think well)

27
Q

What is the zone of proximal development?

A

the increase in development that a child can reach through assistance by a more competent person compared to the development without this help.

Children learn best when in this zone - targeting teaching in this zone facilitates cognitive growth.

28
Q

What is scaffolding in children’s development?

A

Children’s learning is enhanced when more competent people provide a framework (climbing frame) that supports children’s thinking at a higher level than they could manage by themselves.
- this can be adjusted when children become more competent and capable.

There is a lot of evidence that scaffolding is helpful for children (especially when done regularly).

29
Q

Who proposed the idea of scaffolding?

A

BRUNER (1983)

30
Q

The 5 important aspects of scaffolding proposed by Wood et al (1976)

A
  1. Recruitment: engage a child’s interest
  2. Reduction of degrees of freedom: reduce the number of acts that are needed to arrive at a solution
  3. Direction (of attention) maintenance: maintain a child’s motivation.
  4. Marking critical features (of a particular task): older children/adults might understand more about the task.
  5. Demonstration: model the actions/solutions so that the learner (child) can try to imitate this to solve the problem.
31
Q

Application to education

A

Peers as tutors
Tutees benefit if the tutor is slightly ahead (within the zone of proximal development)
The jigsaw method - group work (scaffolding each others’ behaviour)
Technology is beneficial - computers can be useful ‘partners’

32
Q

Similarities between P and V

A

Agreed that children are active learners (although active for different reasons)
and that interaction with the world is important for children’s development
They are both constructivists - children construct their understanding of the world through experience and interaction).

33
Q

Differences between P and V in terms of the importance of other people in child development

A

The importance of the child v other people

  • piaget - childern as little scientists - they explore in their own efforts
  • V - children as social learners - focuses on the interaction with their social world
34
Q

Differences between P and V in terms of Cognitive Development

A

Cognitive development

  • P - distinct, discontinuous, step-like stages, qualitative shifts
  • V - more flexible, continuous, quantitative improvements, not universal - influenced by various factors.
35
Q

Differences between P and V in terms of Nature V Nurture

A

Nature V Nurture

  • P - focus on nature, maturation, development = predetermined.
  • V - focus on nurture, the social environment + culture is important.
36
Q

Differences between P and V in terms of Social Environment

A

Social environment

  • P - no interaction necessary, child determines development
  • V - interaction necessary for development
37
Q

Differences between P and V in terms of Culture

A

Culture

  • P - Nope
  • V - Important role
38
Q

Differences between P and V in terms of Self-speech

A

Self-Speech

  • P - egocentric
  • V - a transition

DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCH (7 decks)

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