Chapter 2 Flashcards
Accommodation
The process of adapting existing schemas to incorporate new information or experiences, contributing to cognitive development.
Adaptation
The process of adjusting to environmental changes or challenges, involving behavioral, cognitive, or physiological modifications to enhance well-being.
Adolescent Egocentrism
A cognitive distortion where adolescents believe that others are highly attentive to, and critical of, their thoughts and behaviors, leading to heightened self-consciousness and self-focus.
Assimilation
The cognitive process of fitting new information into existing mental frameworks or schemas, facilitating the integration of new experiences into one’s current understanding.
Assisted Learning
A teaching approach that involves providing support, tools, or guidance to help learners acquire new knowledge and skills, tailoring assistance to individual needs and abilities.
Classification
The systematic categorization or grouping of objects, behaviors, or concepts based on shared characteristics.
Coactions
The simultaneous influence or interaction of multiple factors, often studied to understand their combined effects on behavior or mental processes.
Co-constructed Process
A collaborative and interactive development or creation of knowledge, understanding, or meaning, involving the mutual contributions of individuals within a social or cultural context.
Cognitive Development
The progressive growth and maturation of mental processes, including perception, memory, reasoning, and problem-solving abilities, over the course of an individual’s lifespan.
Collective Monologue
A communication pattern observed in early childhood where children engage in parallel monologues, talking alongside each other without a true exchange of ideas or understanding of each other’s perspectives.
Compensation
A defense mechanism where individuals consciously or unconsciously make up for a perceived weakness or deficiency in one area by emphasizing or excelling in another aspect of their life.
Computerized Axial Tomography (CAT)
A medical imaging technique that uses X-rays and computer technology to create detailed cross-sectional images of the brain, assisting in the diagnosis and study of neurological conditions.
Concrete Observations
The direct and specific examination of observable behaviors or events, focusing on tangible and measurable aspects rather than abstract or subjective interpretations.
Conservation
The understanding, typically acquired during Piaget’s developmental stages, that certain properties of an object (such as quantity, volume, or number) remain constant despite changes in appearance or arrangement.
Cultural Tools
Artifacts, symbols, or technologies within a culture that individuals use to facilitate thinking, communication, and problem-solving, shaping cognitive processes and social interactions.
Decentering
The ability to consider multiple perspectives or dimensions in thinking, allowing individuals to move beyond a narrow focus and consider a broader, more inclusive view of a situation.
Development
The systematic and lifelong process of growth, change, and maturation in physical, cognitive, emotional, and social aspects, influencing an individual’s abilities and behaviors over time.
Disequilibrium
An imbalance or cognitive discomfort that occurs when individuals encounter new information or experiences that challenge their existing mental structures or understanding, motivating cognitive adjustment and learning.
Egocentric
A perspective characterized by self-centeredness, where individuals perceive the world primarily from their own point of view, often observed in early childhood cognitive development.
Electroencephalogram (EEG)
A recording of the electrical activity of the brain, measured through electrodes placed on the scalp, used to assess brain function, study sleep patterns, and diagnose neurological conditions.
Equilibration
The dynamic process of achieving balance or equilibrium between assimilation and accommodation in cognitive development, according to Jean Piaget’s theory of cognitive development.
Event-related Potential (ERP)
The measured electrical activity of the brain in response to specific stimuli, used to study cognitive processes and neural activity associated with perceptual and cognitive tasks.
Executive Functioning
Mental processes that manage and control cognitive functions, including planning, problem-solving, attention, and decision-making, crucial for goal-directed behavior and adapting to new situations.
Formal Operations
The fourth stage of cognitive development in Piaget’s theory, characterized by abstract and hypothetical thinking, logical reasoning, and the ability to consider multiple perspectives and possibilities.
Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI)
A neuroimaging technique that measures and maps brain activity by detecting changes in blood flow, providing insights into the functioning of different brain regions during various cognitive tasks.
Glial Cells
Non-neuronal cells in the nervous system that provide support, nourishment, and protection to neurons. They play a crucial role in maintaining the structural and functional integrity of the brain and spinal cord.
Goal-directed Actions
Behavioral activities driven by specific objectives or desired outcomes, reflecting purposeful and intentional efforts to achieve particular goals.
Hypothetico-deductive Reasoning
A cognitive process where individuals generate hypotheses and systematically test them through deductive logic to arrive at conclusions, commonly associated with Piaget’s formal operational stage of cognitive development.
Identity
The unique and stable sense of self, encompassing personal values, beliefs, roles, and a coherent understanding of one’s individuality and continuity over time.
Lateralization
The specialization of functions in the right and left hemispheres of the brain, where each hemisphere tends to be associated with specific cognitive and motor functions.
Maturation
The natural biological process of growth and development that unfolds over time, leading to changes in physical, cognitive, and emotional functioning, independent of environmental influences.
Myelination
The process of forming a myelin sheath around nerve fibers, enhancing the efficiency of neural transmission and supporting the development of cognitive and motor skills.
Near-infared Optical Tomography (NIR-OT)
A neuroimaging technique that uses near-infrared light to measure changes in blood oxygen levels in the brain, providing insights into regional brain activity and function during cognitive tasks.
Neo-Piagetian Theories
Contemporary approaches building upon Jean Piaget’s cognitive development theory, emphasizing individual differences, information processing, and factors such as working memory and processing speed in understanding cognitive development.
Neurogenesis
The process of generating new neurons in the brain, often occurring in specific regions such as the hippocampus, and playing a role in learning, memory, and adaptation.
Neurons
Specialized cells in the nervous system responsible for transmitting information through electrical and chemical signals. Neurons play a key role in various cognitive and motor functions.
Object Permanence
The understanding that objects continue to exist even when they are out of sight, a crucial developmental milestone typically observed in infants as part of Piaget’s sensorimotor stage.
Operations
Mental actions or processes that individuals use to manipulate and transform information, a concept central to Jean Piaget’s theory of cognitive development.
Organization
The mental process of arranging and structuring information into meaningful patterns, contributing to cognitive development and understanding in various domains.
Personal Development
The ongoing process of acquiring skills, knowledge, and self-awareness, fostering emotional, social, and cognitive growth to enhance overall well-being.
Physical Development
The biological and physiological changes in an individual’s body over time, encompassing growth, motor skills, and other bodily functions from infancy to adulthood.
Plasticity
The brain’s ability to reorganize and adapt by forming new neural connections throughout life, allowing for learning, recovery from injury, and adaptation to new experiences.
Positron Emission Tomography (PET)
A neuroimaging technique that measures metabolic activity in the brain by detecting the radiation emitted from a positron-emitting tracer substance, providing insights into brain function and activity.
Preoperational
The second stage of Piaget’s theory of cognitive development, characterized by the ability to represent objects through language and mental imagery but limited in logical reasoning and understanding of conservation.
Private Speech
The use of verbal expressions or self-talk by individuals, often observed in childhood, serving cognitive functions such as problem-solving, guidance, and regulation of behavior.
Reversibility
The understanding, often observed in Piaget’s concrete operational stage, that certain operations or transformations can be undone, allowing for mental manipulation and logical reasoning about changes.
Reversible Thinking
The cognitive ability to understand that certain actions or operations can be mentally undone or reversed, a concept associated with Piaget’s theory of cognitive development.
Scaffolding
A teaching strategy where support, guidance, or assistance is provided to learners to help them acquire new skills or knowledge, gradually reducing support as individuals gain proficiency.
Schemes
Mental structures or organized patterns of thought that individuals use to interpret and understand their experiences, forming the basis for cognitive development according to Piaget’s theory.
Semiotic Function
The ability to use symbols, signs, or language to represent and convey meaning, playing a crucial role in cognitive development and communication.
Sensitive Periods
Specific developmental windows during which an individual is particularly responsive to environmental stimuli or experiences, with a heightened capacity for learning and adaptation.
Sensorimotor
The first stage of Piaget’s theory of cognitive development, characterized by the infant’s exploration of the world through sensory experiences and motor actions, without developed language or symbolic thought.
Seriation
The ability to mentally arrange objects or stimuli in a specific order, often based on size, quantity, or other dimensions, reflecting cognitive development according to Piaget’s theory.
Social Development
The gradual acquisition of social skills, emotional regulation, and interpersonal understanding, contributing to an individual’s ability to form and maintain relationships and navigate social interactions.
Sociocultural Theory
A theoretical perspective, advanced by Vygotsky, emphasizing the influence of social and cultural factors on cognitive development, highlighting the importance of social interactions, language, and cultural tools.
Synapses
Junctions between neurons where electrical or chemical signals are transmitted, allowing communication between nerve cells and playing a crucial role in information processing within the nervous system.
Synaptic Plasticity
The ability of synapses to strengthen or weaken over time in response to neural activity and experience, contributing to learning, memory, and adaptation in the brain.
Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)
The gap between what an individual can do independently and what they can achieve with the guidance and support of a more knowledgeable person. (Vygotsky)
