Ch 8. Piagetan Cognition Flashcards
Qualitative dimension
HOW children think and reason at different ages
Not numbers…
Cognitive dev is qualitative to piaget
Changes in kind rather than amount
Process vs content
Schemes
Internal concepts of certain things
How does knowledge grow?
Constantly building and adjusting schemes to match external environment
To achieve equilibrium: a balance
Assimilation
new knowledge or experiences incorporated into existing schemas
Accomodation
Build a new schema
Disequilibrium
Revision
Change cog structures based on new experiences
Constructivist
Children as constructing knowledge for themselves
Cog dev
Child as scientist
2 aspects to piag’s theory
Process of coming to know (assimilation vs accomodation) for equilibrium
Stages we move through as we gradually acquire this ability
Stage transitions
Where children reach a point where their theories are wrong so they must reorganize thinking
All children in same order
Sensorimotor
Birth-2
Schemes through senses and motor functions
Simple reflexes and interactions with ppl and objects
Preoperational
2-7 yrs
Mental representations but problem solving is limited: cant do basic operations
Egocentrism
Bloc example: will think that one with blocs more spaced out have more even if equal amount (and they even counted it)
CENTRATE: focus only on one aspect/ dimension: ex: look at length but dont look at volume (BEAKER EXPERIMENT)
(No conservation)
Concrete operational
7-11
Mental operations
Conservation
De-cent rate: can see multiple aspects of a stimulus
Formal operational
Teen-adult Formal problem solving Higher level abstract thinking, creative Question,criticize status quo Dev of frontal lobes
Sensorimotor milestone
Object permanence: realization that object continues to exist even if it cant be seen
A not B problem: child before milestone looks for object in original place even tho it was clearly put and hidden in another place: thinks that since the object cant be seen, it isnt there….
Preoperational milestone
Egocentrism/theory of mind: child only understands world in relation to their pov & cant understand others pov
Ex. 3 mountains test: can you tell me what i see? They will describe it from their pov
Concrete operational milestone
Conservation: properties such as volume, number and mass remain the same despite changes in forms of objects
Formal operational milestone
Deductive reasoning
Potential for moral reasoning
Major features of preoperational
Symbolic function: representational thought
Words for things
Deferred imitation: from observing models: with replicate behaviour automatically (ex. Waves goodbye at a stranger)
Symbolic play: uses one thing to stand for another (uses hockey stick as guitar)
Qualitative identity: cant conserve quantity but knows nature doesnt change (ex. Knows that water in beakers is still water)
Features of conc operational
Decentration
Reversibility
Class inclusion: knows that things belong to certain classes
Seriation: put things in order of length
Transitivity: ability to combine relations to deduce (ex. A>B …= A>C)
Perspective taking
Symbolic ability
Dual representations (ex. Tell difference between Scale models: child trying to fit in small car)
Features of formal operational
Hypothetical deductive reasoning: IF THEN statements
Generate, test hypotheses
Draw logical conclusions
Mental operations
Sensorimotor substages
Reflexes Schemes Discovering procedures Intentional behaviour Novelty and exploration Mental representation
Reflexes
Birth to 1 mo
Excersise inborn reflexes
Smelling
Developing schemes
1-4 mo
Reflexes evolve into acts centered on childs body: sucking thumb, kicking, blowing bubbles
Discovering procedures
4-8 mo
Beh outward projected onto OBJECTS
Push toy, touch mobile
Intentional beh
8-12
Intentional beh to achieve a GOAL
Push something out of way for toy
Novelty and exploration
Tertiary circular relations
12-18 mo
Experimenting to see what happens
Terrible 2s
Pull hair, push cup off table, etc
Mental representation
Symbolic capacity
18-24
Mental problem solving instead of overt trial and error
Words/gestures used to represent objects and desires
Piagets contributions
Study of cog dev itself
New constructivist view of children
Fascinating, counterintuitive discoveries
Limitations of piags theory
Stage inconsistencies (individ differences, domains, etc)
Underestimate childs abilities
Overlooks influence of cultural and social groups
Memory/language/motor components/ overlaps
Cognitive dev vs. information processing
Methodology problems
Piag vs info processing
Info process:
Continuous, no abrupt stages
Neuronal dev and efficiency dependin on environment and experiences with tasks
Ex. Conservation of #s first, then length, volume, etc… suggests that it is CONTINUOUS AND NOT ABRUPT
