7.2 how we think throughout our lives Flashcards
baby talk (parentese)
The different format of speech that adults use when talking with babies that involves the use of shorter sentences with a higher, more melodious pitch.
babbling
The rhythmic repetition of various syllables, including both consonants and vowels.
overextension
The application of a newly learned word to objects that are not included in the meaning of the word.
holophrase
A word used by an infant to express a complete idea.
underextension
the failure to apply a new word more generally to objects that are included within the meaning of the word.
telegraphic speech
Using two-word sentences with mainly nouns and verbs.
assimilation
Piaget’s term for the interpretation of new experiences in terms of present schemas.
accommodation
piaget’s term for the modification of present schemas to fit with new experiences.
sensorimotor stage
The first stage in Piaget’s theory of cognitive development, from birth to about age 2, during which infants learn about the world through their sensory and motor interactions with it and develop object permanence.
object permanence
The knowledge that an object exists independent of perceptual contact with it.
preoperational stage
The second stage in Piaget’s theory of cognitive development, from age 2 to 6, during which the child’s thinking becomes more symbolic and language-based, but remains egocentric and lacks the mental operations that allow logical thinking.
egocentrism
the inability to distinguish one’s own perceptions, thoughts, and feelings from those of others.
conservation
The knowledge that the quantitative properties of objects (such as mass and number) remain the same despite changes in appearance.
reversibility
The knowledge that reversing a transformation brings about the conditions that existed before the transformation.
centration
The tendency to focus on only one aspect of a problem at a time.
concrete operational stage
the third stage in Piaget’s theory of cognitive development, from age 6 to 12, during which children gain a fuller understanding of conservation and other mental operations that allow them to think logically, but only about concrete events.
formal operational stage
The last stage in Piaget’s theory of cognitive development, starting at age 12 or so, during which a child gains the capacity for hypothetical-deductive thought.
information-processing approach to cognitive development
An approach to studying cognitive development that assumes cognitive development is continuous and improves as children become more adept at processing information (taking in, storing, and using information).
zone of proximal development
According to Vygotsky, the difference between what a child can actually do and what the child could do with the help of others.
scaffolding
According to Vygotsky, a style of teaching in which the teacher adjusts the level of help in relation to the child’s level of performance while orienting the child’s learning toward the upper level of his or her zone of proximal development.
cross-sectional study
A study in which the performances of groups of participants of different ages are compared with one another.
longitudinal study
A study in which performance of the same group of participants is examined at different ages.
cohort effects
people of a given age (cohorts) are affected by factors unique to their generation, leading to differences in performance between generations.
