4. Cognitive Skills & Development

Question 1

Vygotsky - Sociocultural Theory

Answer 1

Collaborative dialogue with more knowledgable members of society leads children to develop their culture’s beliefs, problem-solving strategies and values

Children’s most noteworthy cognitive skills can be traced back to social interactions (parents, teachers etc.)
Sociocultural context influences what form cognitive growth takes

Question 2

Vygotsky - role of culture

Answer 2

• Demands and values of culture impact how a child thinks and solves problems
• Non-universal
  Varies culture to culture

Question 3

4 Interrelated Levels of Interaction with Children’s Environments

Answer 3

Ontogenetic development
Microgenetic development
Phylogenetic development
Sociohistorical development

Question 4

V - Ontogenetic development

Answer 4

1. The development of an individual over their lifetime
2. This is used as the level of analysis for nearly all developmental psychologists

Question 5

V - Microgenetic development

Answer 5

1. Changes that occur over small periods of time
2. e.g. changes in ability over a period of weeks or even over 20 minute sessions

Question 6

V - Phylogenetic development

Answer 6

1. Changes occurring over evolutionary time
2. Over thousands to millions of years
3. Idea that understanding the history of a species gives insight

Question 7

V - Sociohistorical development

Answer 7

1. Cultural changes and how this impacts its values, norms and technologies
2. Most emphasized perspective by modern day psychologists

Question 8

V - Tools of intellectual adaption

Answer 8

Methods of thinking & problem solving strategies internalized by children from their interactions with more competent members of society

Question 9

V - Zone of proximal development

Answer 9

the range of tasks which require guidance and encouragement from a more skilled parter as they are too complex to be mastered alone

Question 10

V - Scaffolding

Answer 10

The way an expert notices and responds to the behaviour of the person they’re teaching, gradually increasing their understanding

Question 11

V - Guided participation

Answer 11

Children’s cognitions and modes of thinking are shaped by adult-child interactions as they observe and engage in activities relevant to their culture

Question 12

V - Context-dependent learning

Answer 12

Learning for learning’s sake, the subject area is not relevant to the present context/situation

Question 13

V - Criticism

Answer 13

• Guided participation relies heavily on verbal instruction
  
  • Vygotsky described how this is ‘less adaptive’ in certain cultures
• Collaborative problem solving isn’t always helpful or effective
  
  • Instructor may not be very good/may not adapt to the needs of the learner

Question 14

V - Elementary Mental Techniques

Answer 14

1. Sensation
2. Attention
3. Perception
4. Memory

From birth, later developed into higher mental functions

Question 15

Vygostky Criticism

Answer 15

• Nurture, no nature
• Too much emphasis on language
• Collaborative problem solving isn’t always good or helpful

Question 16

Vygotsky Education

Answer 16

Small learning groups (grouped by ability) are more efficient
Social context & collaboration
Teachers tailor learning to child

Question 17

Piaget - Genetic Epistemology

Answer 17

Piaget’s experimental study of the development of knowledge
Genetic meaning developmental

Question 18

Piaget Intelligence

Answer 18

A basic life function enabling an organism to adapt to its environment
Goal of intellectual activity: to achieve cognitive equilibrium

Question 19

Piaget - Cognitive Equilibrium

Answer 19

A balanced/harmonious relationship between our thought processes and the environment

Accommodation over assimilation

Question 20

Piaget - Cognitive Disequilibria

Answer 20

• Children are continuously challenged by new stimuli and events
• This leads them to make mental adjustments, enabling them to restore equilibrium by coping with these new, confusing experiences

Assimilation over accommodation

Question 21

Piaget - Constructivists

Answer 21

A person who gains knowledge through action towards objects/events, allowing them to discover more about them
Constructing knowledge yourself
Children are constructivists (Piaget)

Question 22

Piaget - Schemes/Schemas

Answer 22

Patterns of thought or action seen as base knowledge which we use to interpret the world
- Mental systems underlying intelligence
- Representations of reality

Two Types:
Behavioural - physical activities
Mental - cognitive activities

Enable you to get used to new situations quicker (e.g. new teacher but knowing classroom etiquette remains the same)

Question 23

Piaget - Construction & Modification of Schemas

Answer 23

1. Organisation
2. Adaption
   2.a. Assimilation
   2.b. Accommodation

Question 24

Piaget - Organisation

Answer 24

• Combining existing schemas to form new and more complex schemas
• e.g. gazing, reaching & grasping reflexes are combined to form visually directed reaching (a more complex structure)
  Isolated behaviours grouped into a higher order

Goal: to promote adaptation

Question 25

Piaget - *Adaption/Adaptation?

Answer 25

• The process of adjusting based on what the environment demands
• Adaptation occurs through two activities (complimentary)

Question 26

Piaget - Assimilation

Answer 26

• Children use their existing schemas to interpret new experiences
• e.g. connecting a horse is a dog because they both have 4 legs, thinking they are the same animal

Question 27

Piaget - Accomodation

Answer 27

• We modify existing schemas based on new experiences
• e.g. recognizing that there are key differences between a horse and a dog and asking what the horse is

Cognitive dissonance

Used when assimilation doesn’t help us understand

Question 28

Piaget’s Stages of Development

Answer 28

1. Sensorimotor (0-2)
2. Pre-operational stage (2-7)
3. Concrete operational stage (7-11)
4. Formal operational stage (11+)

Question 29

Piaget - Sensorimotor stage breakdown

Answer 29

1. Reflex activity/simple reflexes
2. First habits & primary circular reactions
3. Secondary circular reactions
4. Coordination of secondary circular reactions
5. Tertiary circular reactions
6. Symbolic problem solving/internalization of schemes