chapter 4: theories of cognitive development Flashcards
Piaget’s theory
the theory of Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget, which posits that cognitive development involves a sequence of four stages – the sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational stages – that are constructed through the processes of assimilation, accommodation, and equilibration
assimilation
the process by which people translate incoming information into a form that fits concepts they already understand
accommodation
the process by which people adapt current knowledge structures in response to new experiences
equilibration
the process by which children (or other people) balance assimilation and accommodation to create stable understanding
sensorimotor stage
the period (birth to 2 years) within Piaget’s theory in which intelligence is expressed through sensory and motor abilities
preoperational stage
the period (2 to 7 years) within Piaget’s theory in which children become able to represent their experiences in language, mental imagery, and symbolic thought
concrete operational stage
the period (7 to 12 years) within Piaget’s theory in which children become able to reason logically about concrete objects and events
formal operational stage
the period (12 years and beyond) within Piaget’s theory in which people become able to think about abstractions and hypothetical situations
object permanence
the knowledge that objects continue to exist even when they are out of view
A-not-B error
the tendency to reach for a hidden object where it was last found rather than in the new location where it was last hidden
deferred imitation
the repetition of other people’s behavior a substantial time after it originally occurred
symbolic representation
the use of one object to stand for another
egocentrism
the tendency to perceive the world solely from one’s own point of view
centration
the tendency to focus on a single, perceptually striking feature of an object or event
conservation concept
the idea that merely changing the appearance of objects does not necessarily change the objects’ other key properties