A2 - Intellectual development across the life stages Flashcards
What are the 5 important aspects associated with intellectual development?
- Language development
- Problem-solving
- Memory
- Moral development
- Abstract thoughts
What happens with intellectual development in infancy and childhood?
Stages of rapid intellectual development
What happens with intellectual development in adolescence to early adulthood?
Development of logical thought, problem solving and memory recall skills
What happens with intellectual development in middle adulthood?
Can think through problems and make sound judgements using life experiences
What happens with intellectual development in later adulthood?
Changes in the brain can cause short-term memory decline and slower thought processes and reaction times.
In infancy and early childhood, what is their rapid growth off?
Language and intellectual skills
At around 3 months old, what language development occurs?
Infants begin to make babbling noises as they learn to control the muscles associated with speech
At around 12 months old, what language development occurs?
Infants begin to imitate sounds made by carers such as ‘da da’. This develops into single words
At around 2 years old, what language development occurs?
- Infants begin to make two-word sentences
- Infants begin to build their vocabulary
What happens at around 3 years old in language development?
- Children begin to make simple sentences
- This develops into the ability to ask questions
- Knowledge of vocabulary grows rapidly
What occurs at around 4 years old in language development?
- Children begin to use clear sentences that can be understood by strangers
- Children can be expected to make some mistakes with grammar
What happens at around 5 years in intellectual development
- Children can speak using full adult grammar
- Most children can be expected to use language effectively
What is language development essential for?
Organising thoughts
What does problem solving involve?
- To work things out
- To make predictions about what may happen
What is memory required for?
Storing, recalling and retrieving information
What does moral development allow?
Allows for reasoning, making choices and informs that individual how to act in particular situations and how to act towards themselves and others
What is abstract thoughts and creative writing essential for?
For thinking and discussing situations and events that cannot be observed
How do you encourage language development in infants?
- Blow bubbles
- Play with puppet
- Look at picture books
How do you encourage language development in young children?
- Imaginary play
- Share stories and rhymes
- Play word games and riddles
How do you encourage development in adolescence?
- Read a wide range of books and journals
- Take part in group projects
- Discuss ideas
What is language acquisition?
The process of how humans acquire the capacity to perceive and comprehend language
What is cognitive development?
A Childs ability to learn and solve problems
What did Piagets research focus on?
On how children acquire the ability to think
What are the 4 stages of Piaget’s theory?
- Sensorimotor
- Pre-operational
- Concrete operational
- Formal operational
What is the sensorimotor stage?
- 0 to 2 years
- Can learn through the senses
- From 8 months, memory starts to develop as they start to look for hidden objects
- Lack object permanence
- Lacks internal mental schemas
What is the pre-operational stage?
- 2 to 7 years
- Can add and create schemas
- Dominated by the sensory information it recieves
- Can’t carry out logical operations
- Are egocentric
- Not able to conserve weight, volume, number
What is the concrete operational stage?
- 7 to 11 years
- Can carry out mental operations
- Become less egocentric
- Develop ability to conserve
- They need visual aids to understand logic operations
What is the formal operational stage?
- Aged 11+
- Don’t need visual aids
- Can do things logically
- Can think abstract
What are the key features of Piagets theory?
- 4 stages
- The ages are approximate
- The stages are innate
- You can’t skip a stage
- Children learn from experience
- Children can learn things without adults
What is a schema?
A category of knowledge and the process of acquiring knowledge
What is the process of acquiring knowledge according to Schemas
- A child develops concepts about the world around them ( a state of equilibrium)
- Where new information is provided the schemas reach a stage of disequilibrium
- New information is accommodated by making a new schema or modifying existing ones.
What is equilibrium?
A state of cognitive balance when a Childs experience is in line with what they understand
What is disequilibrium?
A state of cognitive imbalance between experience and what is understood
What is accommodation?
Modifying schemas in relation to new information and experiences
What stage of Piagets theory do the tests of conservation relate too?
Pre-operational stage
What are the three conservation tests?
- Number (coins on the table, two rows spread out differently, think longer row has more coins)
- Volume (two different shaped beakers with the same water volume)
- Weight ( Playdough balls same weight but different sizes)
What is egocentrism?
A young Childs inability to see a situation from another persons point of view
What are the criticisms of Piaget?
- Theory based on a small number of children
- Critics say the stages may be more fluent than Piaget thought
- Piaget underestimated or overestimated children’s cognitive abilities ( E.g children age 5 less egocentric than he claimed)
- Research suggests it takes longer than 11 years to learn abstract logical thinking
Who created the model of language acquisition?
Chomsky
What did Chomsky believe?
The ability to develop a signed or spoken language is genetically programmed into individuals. All individuals become fluent in their language by 5 or 6
What is Chomsky’s theory?
- All individuals are born with a language acquisition device (LAD)
- Your pre-disposed to speak
- A instinctive mental capacity enables children to acquire and produce language
What is the Genie Wiley case study?
- Locked in a room and not spoken to
- She never got the ability to learn speech as she missed the critical age to learn
What is the critical period to acquire language according to Chomsky?
Up to 3 years
What are the criticisms of Chomsky’s theory?
- Lack of scientific evidence
- Bruner would argue social interaction is critical and has more influence on children that Chomsky suggested
- Some argue he put too much emphasis on grammar
- Doesn’t take into consideration those with delayed language development
What happens in early adulthood with intellectual development?
- Apply the knowledge and skills they gained during their life
- This helps them to think logically and find realistic answers
- New brain cells will continue to develop
What happens in middle adulthood with intellectual development?
There may be a gradual decline in the speed of processing information
What is memory loss assumed to be associated too?
The ageing process
What can have an impact on brain health?
Lifestyle, health, daily activities
What part of the brain is involved in the formation and retrieval of information?
Hippocampus
What protects and repair brain cells?
hormones and proteins
What happens to the hormones and proteins that protect and repair the brain?
They decline with age
How does decreased blood flow to the brain due to age affect the brain?
- Impairs memory
- Changes in cognitive skills
What are normal age-related memory changes?
- Able to function independently and pursue normal activities despite occasional memory lapses
- Able to recall and describe incidents of forgetfulness
- May pause to remember directions
- Doesn’t get lost in familiar places
- No trouble holding conversation
- Judgement and decision making the same
What are symptoms that may indicate dementia?
- Difficulty performing simple tasks
- Unable to recall or describe specific instances where memory loss causes problems
- Gets lost or disorientated even in familiar places
- Words are frequently forgotten, misused or garbled
- Trouble making choices, poor decision making
