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
information-processing theories
a class of theories that focus on the structure of the cognitive system and the mental activities used to deploy attention and memory to solve problems
task-analysis
the research technique of specifying the goals, obstacles to their realization, and potential solution strategies involved in problem solving
computer simulation
a type of mathematical model that expresses ideas about mental processes in precise ways
problem solving
the process of attaining a goal by using a strategy to overcome an obstacle
working memory
memory system that involves actively attending to, maintaining, and processing information
long-term memory
information retained on an enduring basis
basic processes
the simplest and most frequently used mental activities
encoding
the process of representing in memory information that draws attention or is considered important
rehearsal
the process of repeating information multiple times to aid memory of it
selective attention
the process of intentionally focusing on the information that is most relevant to the current goal
overlapping waves theory
an information-processing approach that emphasizes the variability of children’s thinking
core-knowledge theories
approaches that view children as having some innate knowledge in domains of special evolutionary importance and domain-specific learning mechanisms for rapidly and effortlessly acquiring additional information in those domains
domain specific
information about a particular content area
nativism
the theory that infants have substantial innate knowledge of evolutionarily important domains
constructivism
the theory that infants build increasingly advanced understanding by combining rudimentary innate knowledge with subsequent experiences
sociocultural theories
approaches that emphasize that other people and the surrounding culture contribute greatly to children’s development
guided participation
a process in which more knowledgeable individuals organize activities in ways that allow less knowledgeable people to learn
social scaffolding
a process in which more competent people provide a temporary framework that supports children’s thinking at a higher level than children could manage on their own
cultural tools
the innumerable products of human ingenuity that enhance thinking
private speech
the second phase of Vygotsky’s internalization-of-thought process, in which children develop self-regulation and problem-solving abilities by telling themselves aloud what to do, much as their parents did in the first stage
intersubjectivity
the mutual understanding that people share during communication
joint attention
a process in which social partners intentionally focus on a common referent in the external environment
dynamic-systems theories
a class of theories that focus on how change occurs over time in complex systems
