Unit 3.4: Theories of Cognitive Development

Question 1

What is cognitive development?

Answer 1

The study of how an individual’s thinking and mental skills change over time.

Question 2

Who is Jean Piaget?

Answer 2

A psychologist known for studying how children learn and think about the world.

Question 3

What is a schema?

Answer 3

A mental framework used to understand and organize information about the world.

Question 4

What is an example of a basic schema in a child?

Answer 4

A child might call any four-legged furry animal a “dog.”

Question 5

How do schemas change over time?

Answer 5

They become more detailed and accurate as people learn and grow.

Question 6

What are the two processes through which schemas develop?

Answer 6

Assimilation and accommodation.

Question 7

What is continuous development?

Answer 7

A gradual, ongoing process of development with small changes over time.

Question 8

What is discontinuous development?

Answer 8

A stage-based process where big changes occur at specific points.

Question 9

What is assimilation?

Answer 9

Fitting new information into an existing schema without changing it.

Question 10

What is an example of assimilation?

Answer 10

Learning a new breed of dog and adding it to your “dog” schema.

Question 11

What is accommodation?

Answer 11

Adjusting a schema to include new information that doesn’t fit the existing schema.

Question 12

What is an example of accommodation?

Answer 12

A child learns that not all four-legged furry animals are dogs and creates a new schema for cats.

Question 13

What is the difference between assimilation and accommodation?

Answer 13

Assimilation adds to a schema without changing it; accommodation changes the schema.

Question 14

How many stages of cognitive development did Piaget propose?

Answer 14

Four stages.

Question 15

What is the first stage of cognitive development?

Answer 15

Sensorimotor stage.

Question 16

What age range does the sensorimotor stage cover?

Answer 16

Birth to about 2 years old.

Question 17

How do children learn during the sensorimotor stage?

Answer 17

Through physical interactions and sensory experiences.

Question 18

What is object permanence?

Answer 18

Understanding that objects continue to exist even when not visible.

Question 19

What stage does object permanence develop in?

Answer 19

Sensorimotor stage.

Question 20

What is the second stage of Piaget’s cognitive development theory?

Answer 20

Preoperational stage.

Question 21

What age range does the preoperational stage cover?

Answer 21

About 2 to 6–7 years old.

Question 22

What cognitive ability emerges during the preoperational stage?

Answer 22

Symbolic thinking.

Question 23

What is symbolic thinking?

Answer 23

The ability to think about things that are not physically present.

Question 24

What is pretend play?

Answer 24

Using imagination to act out scenarios with objects and people.

Question 25

What is animism in cognitive development?

Answer 25

Attributing human qualities to non-living things.

Question 26

What are two cognitive limitations of the preoperational stage?

Answer 26

Lack of understanding of conservation and reversibility.

Question 27

What is conservation?

Answer 27

Understanding that quantity stays the same despite changes in shape or appearance.

Question 28

What is reversibility?

Answer 28

Understanding that actions can be undone or reversed.

Question 29

What is egocentrism?

Answer 29

Difficulty in seeing the world from another person's point of view.

Question 30

What is the three mountains task?

Answer 30

A Piaget task to test egocentrism using a model with mountains and a doll's perspective.

Question 31

What does it mean if a child fails the three mountains task?

Answer 31

They are likely still egocentric.

Question 32

What is theory of mind?

Answer 32

The understanding that others have thoughts, feelings, and perspectives different from one's own.

Question 33

At what stage does theory of mind begin to develop?

Answer 33

Toward the end of the preoperational stage.

Question 34

What is the third stage of Piaget’s theory?

Answer 34

Concrete operational stage.

Question 35

What age range does the concrete operational stage cover?

Answer 35

About 6 or 7 to 11 or 12 years old.

Question 36

What major ability improves in the concrete operational stage?

Answer 36

Logical thinking about concrete events.

Question 37

What is classification in cognitive development?

Answer 37

Sorting objects by multiple attributes simultaneously.

Question 38

What is seriation?

Answer 38

Ordering items in a logical sequence, such as shortest to longest.

Question 39

What kinds of thinking are still difficult during the concrete operational stage?

Answer 39

Abstract and hypothetical thinking.

Question 40

What is the fourth and final stage of Piaget’s theory?

Answer 40

Formal operational stage.

Question 41

What age does the formal operational stage typically begin?

Answer 41

Around 11 or 12 years old.

Question 42

What are key abilities developed in the formal operational stage?

Answer 42

Abstract thinking, hypothetical reasoning, and deductive logic.

Question 43

What is deductive reasoning?

Answer 43

Starting with a general principle and applying it to specific situations.

Question 44

Did Piaget believe all people reach the formal operational stage?

Answer 44

No, he believed not everyone fully reaches it.

Question 45

Who is Lev Vygotsky?

Answer 45

A psychologist who emphasized the role of social interaction in cognitive development.

Question 46

What is Vygotsky’s theory called?

Answer 46

Sociocultural theory.

Question 47

What does Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory emphasize?

Answer 47

The importance of guidance, support, and environment in learning.

Question 48

What is the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)?

Answer 48

The range between what a learner can do alone and what they can do with help.

Question 49

What is scaffolding in Vygotsky’s theory?

Answer 49

Support provided by a teacher or guide to help a learner achieve a new skill.

Question 50

What is an example of scaffolding?

Answer 50

A teacher guiding a student step-by-step to solve a problem without giving the answer.

Question 51

Why are group discussions and peer tutoring valuable in Vygotsky’s theory?

Answer 51

They encourage learning through social interaction and scaffolding.

Question 52

What is crystallized intelligence?

Answer 52

Knowledge and facts accumulated over time (e.g., vocabulary).

Question 53

How does crystallized intelligence change with age?

Answer 53

It generally remains stable or improves with age.

Question 54

What is fluid intelligence?

Answer 54

The ability to reason quickly, solve new problems, and think flexibly.

Question 55

How does fluid intelligence change with age?

Answer 55

It peaks in early adulthood and tends to decline with age.

Question 56

Why does learning new things become harder as we age?

Answer 56

Because fluid intelligence declines over time.

Question 57

What is dementia?

Answer 57

A broad category of cognitive disorders that impair memory, reasoning, and other mental functions.

Question 58

What is the most common cause of dementia?

Answer 58

Alzheimer’s disease.