Chapter 5 Flashcards
the cognitive process of organizing, coordinating, and interpreting sensory information
perception
technique used to test infant visual perception. if infants consistently look longer at some patterns than at others, researchers infer that the infants can see a difference in the patterns
preferential-looking technique
the recovery or increase in infant’s response when a familiar stimulus is replaced by one that is novel
dishabituation
the process of combining or integrating information across sensory modalities
intermodel perception
the view that people construct their own knowledge and understanding of the world by using what they already know and understand to interpret new experiences
constructivist view
an organized pattern of physical or mental action
scheme
the tendency to integrate separate elements into increasingly complex higher-order structures
organization
in cognitive development, the process of changing a cognitive structure or the environment (or both) in order to understand the environment
adaptation
the process of bringing new objects of information into a scheme that already exists
assimilation
the process of modifying old schemes or creating new ones to better fit assimilated information
accommodation
the dynamic process of moving between states of cognitive disequilibrium and equilibrium
equilibration
the process of noticing and thinking about the implications of information and experiences
reflective abstraction
thought that is based only on sensory inputs and physical (motor) actions
sensorimotor thought
the ability to form symbols (or mental representations) that stand for objects or events in the world
symbolic (representational) thought
the fact that objects, events, and people continue to exist, even when they are out of a child’s direct line of sensory input or motor action
object permanence
an arbitrary system of symbols (words) that is rule-goverened and allows communication about things that are distant in time or space
langauge
theory that sees language as a skilled behavior that children learn through operant conditioning, imitation, and modeling
learning theory
theory that sees language as an innate human capability that develops when language input triggers a language acquisition device in the brain
nativist theory
a brain mechanism in humans that is specialized for acquiring and processing language
language acquisition device (LAD)
theory that sees language as one of several abilities that depend on overall cognitive development. proper cognitive development is a necessary prerequisite for normal language development
Piaget’s cognitive developmental theory
theory proposing that language development results from the interaction of biological and social factors and that social interaction is required
social interactionist theory
single words used to express an entire idea or sentence
holophrases
speech that includes only words that are essential to get the meaning across, leaving out unessential words
telegraphic speech
