Big Questions, Methods, and Theories in Cognitive Development

Question 1

Structured Interviews

Answer 1

Useful when goal is to collect self-reports on same topics from everyone being studied

Question 2

Clinical Interviews

Answer 2

Useful for obtaining in-depth information about an individual child

Question 3

Naturalistic observation

Answer 3

• Examination of ongoing behaviour in an environment not controlled by researcher
• Everyday social interactions (Patterson, 1982)

Question 4

Structured observation

Answer 4

Method that presents identical situations to each child and record’s child’s behaviour

Question 5

Ethics

Answer 5

• Do no harm
• Correct inaccurate child impressions
• Explain main finding at developmentally appropriate level

Question 6

Piaget’s stage theory

Answer 6

• Sensorimotor
• Preoperational
• Concrete operational
• Formal operational

Question 7

Sensorimotor

Answer 7

Infant constructs an understanding of the world by coordinating sensory experiences with physical actions

Question 8

Preoperational

Answer 8

Words and images increase symbolic thinking and connect sensory information and physical action

Question 9

Concrete operational

Answer 9

Reason logically about concrete events and classify objects into different sets

Question 10

Formal operational

Answer 10

Adolescent reasons in more abstract and logical ways

Question 11

Vygotsky sociocultural theories

Answer 11

• Humans inclined to teach each other and learn from each other
• Development is continuous
• Children are social beings and social learners

Question 12

Intersubjectivity

Answer 12

• Mutual understanding that people share during communication
• Develops well beyond infancy

Question 13

Michael Tomasello

Answer 13

Human species has unique characteristics that are crucial to the ability to create complex and rapidly changing cultures

Question 14

Core-knowledge theories

Answer 14

Identify fundamental units for dividing relevant objects and events into a few basic categories

Question 15

Continuous cognitive change

Answer 15

Important changes are constantly occurring rather than being restricted to special transition periods between stages

Question 16

Child as a computation system

Answer 16

Cognitive development arises from children’s gradually surmounting their processing limitations through acquisition of new strategies and knowledge

Question 17

Children as active problem solvers

Answer 17

Children use a variety of approaches to solve problems

Question 18

Dynamic systems theory

Answer 18

Varied aspects of child function as a single integrated unit to produce behaviour

Question 19

Integrative perspective

Answer 19

Uses aspects of all other developmental theories to provide a grounding

Question 20

Self organisation

Answer 20

• Self-organisation involves integrating components as needed to adapt to a continuously changing environment
• Sometimes called soft assembly