3 - Cognition And Development Flashcards
What did Piaget believe?
That the difference between adults and children in terms of cognition is not just that ‘adults know more’ because we learn as we grow.
He believed that the reason cognition is so different is as a result of thinking differently. He suggested that cognitive development is a result of two things: maturation and environment.
State and define the 2 things that Piaget suggested cognitive development is a result of?
Maturation - the effects of the biological process of ageing and how someone processes become more processed to us as we grow.
Environment - interaction of the environment leads us to understand the world more complexly.
Define schema.
What are the 2 types of schema? Explain them.
Cognitive frameworks which we create through experiences to help us to represent concepts and allowers to understand how to act and behave and what to expect in new and familiar situations.
Behavioural - a schema that leads to an action.
Cognitive - a schema where you are aware of you surroundings.
What few, basic schemas are babies believed to already have?
What then happens to babies over time?
How do babies do this?
How do schemas become more complex?
Ability to grasp objects.
Distinguishing of the human face from other objects.
They develop and extend schemas and create new schemes.
They learn new schemas and alter existing schemas through experiences formed over time.
Through processes of assimilation and accommodation.
Define accomodation
A form of learning that takes place when we acquire new information that changes our understanding of the topic to the extent that we need to form one or more new schemas and/or radically change existing schemas in order to deal with a new understanding.
Define assimilation
A form of learning that takes place when we acquire new information.
Define equilibration
Encountering new information and building it into the understanding of the topic through assimilation or accommodation. Everything is again balanced, and we have escaped the unpleasant sensation associated with the lack of balance (disequilibrium).
Evaluate Piaget’s theory of cognitive development
+ application - transformed education into more activity-orientated classrooms that are more engaging. Often includes physical properties at a young age as supposed to A-levels which is more independent learning. Curriculum, exploratory play.
+ evidence - Frantz (‘61) infants as young as 4 days old show a preference for a schematic rather than jumbled up features of a face. This has been replicated in several studies, such as Goren et al (‘75), although insure if it’s just a liking for symmetrical things. They recognise their own species and elicit attachment - validity.
+ nature vs nurture. Nature = maturation, innate schema. Nurture = environment. Comprehensiveness increases validity.
- reductionist. Shows the importance of learning socially. Vygotsky - role of experts (MKO). Validity.
- culture bias - he studied a western society, causing ethnocentrism and imposed etic - generalisability.
Piaget’s stages of intellectual development consists of how many stages?
Name them in order.
4 Sensorimotor stage. Pre-operational stage. Concrete operational stage. Formal operational stage.
Explain the sensorimotor stage
Stage 1 of Piaget’s stages of intellectual development.
0-2 years. The first intellectual stage.
Key features include the development of ‘object permanence’ - the understanding that objects and people do still exist even when they can’t be seen. This develops at approximately 8 months.
The A not B error also happens here.
Children learn to coordinate sensory thinking, rely on appearance rather than reality.
‘Circular reactions’ describes the repetition of actions to test sensorimotor relationships.
Explain the A not B error
If a mother hides a toy underneath mat A the baby will look under mat A and find it. After several times of doing this they then put it under mat B. The kid then still looks under mat A. Lol dumb bitch.
Explain the pre-operational stage
Stage 2 of Piaget’s stages of intellectual development.
2-7 years old. He uses the word operation to explain the cognitive processes children use. They are egocentric.
Children’s logic can’t be used to explain how things work in the real world - eg: they believe most things are ‘alive’ like their teddy or a table.
They can’t preform logical reasoning and heavily rely on what they see ie. they rely on the appearance of things rather than their reality. Gibs is due to a lack of logical thinking.
Children cannot identify smaller groups contained in a larger category (class inclusion).
This is where the 3 mountains task and conservation of volume experiments occur.
Conservation is the most important achievement at this stage.
Explain the concrete operational stage
Stage 3 of Piaget’s stages of intellectual development.
7-11 years. A chilled stage. They have developed the ability to use logic at this stage, however they lack abstract thinking and reasoning.
Explain the formal operational stage
Stage 4 of Piaget’s stages of intellectual development.
11+ years. It can take a much longer time to adapt ourselves to abstract thinking. Some people never completely master abstract thinking. Tests allow people to use deductive reasoning, which requires us to draw conclusions based on reason. This stage allows us to think more like scientists. This stage is also linked to our development of ‘idealistic thinking’. Meaning we can use our imaginations to think of how things might be if we were going to make changes etc.
Explain the conservation of volume experiment
Three beakers are placed in front of a child, beaker A and B were identical. C is taller and skinnier. They asked the child which of A and B has more water. They said the same. They then pour all of the water from B in to see and asked the same question. The kids then respond C
Explain the 3 mountains task
There was a model of three mountains, one big and too small. They made the child sit whenever they walked around it. They then placed a door on the mountain somewhere in different positions. The child was then shown 10 pictures of the mountain from various positions. They were asked which photo the doll would see. The kid says their own perspective.
Explain Piaget’s concept of class inclusion
This is an advanced classification skill in which we recognise that classes of objects have subsets and are themselves subsets of larger classes. Pre-operational children usually struggle to place things in more than one class. Piaget and Inhelder (‘64) found that children under 7 struggle with more advanced skills of class inclusion.
Evaluate Piaget’s stages of intellectual development
- culture bias - Piaget placed considerable value on the role of logical thinking because he was from middle-class Europe. His studies involved academics children and families who values academia. Other cultures and social classes may focus on different values. Therefore, his theory may not be generalised/population validity.
- flawed methodology - The design of many experiments may have confused younger children in particular; this may explain why they appeared less capable. Eg: McGarrigle and Donaldson (‘74) found demand characteristics in conversion task due to deliberate transformation, demanding an alternative response to the 2nd question. Hughes (‘75) found that young kids cope more with egocentrism if it’s more realistic. ie. if asked the perspective of a police officer rather than a teddy. Piaget didn’t test everyday egocentrism - internal validity/mundane realism.
+ application - Piaget: ‘certain concepts should be taught at certain ages.’ If they’re not mature enough, they’ll acquire skills superficially. The Plowden report (‘67) changed primary education based on this. However, this only works if it’s only biology, and not individual maturity, as not amount of practice would help this.
+ the idea of biologically driven stages is correct - The evidence supports the view that they’re qualitative changes in cognitive development as a child matures. Critics use it to rigidly; supporters suggest it’s a useful model for understanding behaviour and generating research. Consistent evidence = reliability. Increase accuracy = validity.
What did Vygotsky believe?
There is a qualitative difference in children’s cognition as they grow and that the main reason for this was cultured.
What did Vygotsky argue are the key driving force for the development of cognition?
What is ability a result of?
Influences within our culture are the key driving force for the development of cognition, and ability is a result of social contexts.
What are elementary functions?
Give examples.
Give examples of higher mental functions.
How do elementary functions turn to higher mental functions?
Innate, biological functions.
Eg: perception and memory.
Eg: mathematical ability.
Cultural influence.
What is said that part of your learning process stems from?
Explain this.
The role of experts.
People who are better or more capable of doing a task and can assist in learning a skill.
This suggests that as children we are constantly learning from other people in our environment, usually from more knowledgable others (MKO’s). Eg: parents, teachers, siblings, friends.
What is language also known as?
What does the language or (_) involved in communication allow?
How does this happen?
Semiotics.
They allow children to develop intellectually.
Dialogue between parent and child (pre-intellectual speech) starts off the basis of learning, and as children develop and grow, they learn internal dialogue to discuss with themselves in order to resolve problems.
Dialogue begins basic but becomes more complex.
State the 5 parts of Vygotsky’s theory
Elementary and higher mental functions The role of experts The role of language Zone of proximal development Scaffolding
What is the zone of proximal development?
The region between a child’s ‘current’ abilities and tasks they can’t perform.
It focuses in on a ‘zone’ in which a child can learn information.
This child can do all of the tasks in the centre, but the child cannot really reach the outer layer as it is beyond that child’s ability.
However, the middle rind is the ZPD which suggests a child is able to learn in this ‘zone’ with a little help and guidance (scaffolding) when needed.
Explain scaffolding
Support given to the child, usually by the MKO, but only when really necessary. This can be taken away once the child is capable. Process of helping a learner cross the zone of proximal development and advance as much as they can.
Explain the role of language
The way in which we communicate will influence the learning process. Children over time develop the ability to use internal dialogue to help solve problems.
Give examples of both elementary and higher mental functions
Elementary - functions such as perception and memory.
Higher mental - functions such as mathematical ability and logic.
Compare Vygotsky and Piaget
Similarities:
Both believed that social interaction played a vital role in cognitive development.
Differences:
Piaget - cognitive development is influenced by social transmission.
Vygotsky - social interaction heavily influenced thoughts and languages.
Piaget - there are 4 cognitive development stages.
Vygotsky - strong connection between development of thinking and learning language.
Evaluate Vygotsky’s theory of cognitive development
+ clear evidence - Roazzi and Bryant. 4 year olds with sweets in a jar are on their own or with an older child. They had to estimate the number of sweets. Those with older child gave better estimations. They offered prompts. Supports - role of experts, ZPD, scaffolding - reliability.
- he overplayed social environment importance. If only social input was needed to advance cognitive development then learning would be a lot faster. Emphasis on social factors means biological ones ignored. Lacks detail coz he died so young - internal validity.
+ application - education. The ideas that children can learn more and faster with appropriate expectations has raised expectations of what they can achieve. Group work, peer tutoring and independent teacher assistance is scaffolding for ZPD.
- individual differences in social interactions. People can be introverts and extroverts - internal validity - extraneous variables.
+ less culturally biased. Accounts for the idea that people learn differently by culture - generalisability.
