Chapter 1: Introduction to Cognitive Development Flashcards
What is cognition?
The process or faculties by which knowledge is acquired or manipulated.
What is development?
Changes in structure or function over time.
What are the structures in development?
Brain and cognitive framework.
What can the function of the brain be during development?
Internal, external, changes in operation and stimulation.
What causes development?
Growing older
How can we measure cognition?
Not directly, can be inferred by observation of behaviour.
Cognition includes _ and _ processes, like memory by choice and memory of trauma.
Conscious and unconscious.
What is the purpose of studying cognition?
Understand how they see world and then work to optimize it.
_ _ thought is built off _ (encoding).
Higher order, basic
Development is _ changes between _ and _.
Bidirectional
Structure and Function
Give an example of the function and structure relationship.
Young child is read to and interactive stories<->Develops language structure in brain <-> learns how to read without parents
Infants + young children’s brain structures are… Not underdeveloped.
Suited to their particular time in life
Can early learning interfere with later learning? Give an example. Which monkeys did he use?
Yes, Harlow’s monkeys that started a hard task earlier did not improve, slightly older ones did not. Rhesus monkeys
Can you explain the task Harlow got young and old monkeys to do?
Blue object picked up=treats
What are the 7 truths of cognitive development?
Cognitive development happens because of a complex relationship between internal and external factors (not nature vs. nurture).
Development is in a social context
Stability and plasticity over time
Changes in the way information is presented
Children have increasing control over behaviour and cognition
Developments happen in domain-general and domain-specific ways
Existing knowledge base helps guide development
What were the two philosophical groups about nature/nurture debate?
Nativism/genetic determinism(biology only), empiricism (learning and experience only)
What did nativist believe?
Development was only nature
What did empiricists believe?
Development was only nurture
What is the actual answer to the nativist/empiricist debate?
It is a false dichotomy.
What is the name for culture influencing how one thinks? Give example.
Sociocultural (Vygotsky ZPD)
What does segregation from adults lead to for young people?
Different skills, different play
What is stability in development?
Students on top stay on top (ex. IQ)
What is the tape recorder model of development? What is it an example of?
Carry our lack of experience with us. Ex. if deprived, we stay deprived, we do not have that early experience, same with early advantages
Stability in development.
What is plasticity in development?
How much children can be changed by experience/intervention
IQ scores _ be improved after removal from a _ environment.
Can
deprived
What is representation in cognitive development? Name an example
Mental encoding of information
Infantile amnesia
What is infantile amnesia?
Before age 3, information is processed differently and can’t be translated.
Is there symbolic representation in newborns?
No, does not exist once gone
Children develop increasing _ _ over their behaviour and cognition.
Intentional control
What are strategies?
Deliberate, goal-directed mental operations aimed atn solving a problem.
What is the role of executive function (3)?
Working memory, cognitive flexibility and resisting interference.
What are domain general abilities?
Brain works together to create an outcome in many different areas.
What are domain-specific abilities?
Brain can change when focused on specific problems (modular brain) right brain change> left
What are mechanisms?
The things for how and why change.
Why do we care about studying cognitive development?
Want to apply to real-world context.
