Chapter 5 Flashcards
scheme
an organized pattern of sensorimotor functioning
assimilation
the process in which people understand an experience in terms of their current stage of cognitive development and way of thinking
accommodation
changes in existing way of thinking that occur in response to encounters with new stimuli or events
sensorimotor stage (of cognitive development)
Piaget’s initial major stage of cognitive development, which can be broken down into six substages
goal-directed behavior
behavior in which several schemes are combined and coordinated to generate a single act to solve a problem
object permanence
the realization that people and objects exist even when they cannot be seen
mental representation
an internal image of past event or object
deferred imitation
an act in which a person who is no longer present is imitated by children who have witnessed a similar act
preoperative stage
according to Piaget, the stage from approximately age 2 to age 7 in which children’s use of symbolic thinking grows, mental reasoning emerges, and the use of concepts increases
operations
organized, formal, logical mental processes
symbolic functioning
the ability to use a mental symbol, a word, or an object to stand for or represent something that s not physically present
centration
the process of concentrating on one limited aspect of a stimulus and ignoring other aspects
conservation
the knowledge that quantity is unrelated to the arrangement and physical appearance of objects
transformation
the process in which one state is changed into another
egocentric thought
thinking that does not take into account the viewpoints of others
intuitive thought
thinking that reflects preschoolers’ use of primitive reasoning and their avid acquisition of knowledge about the world
acquisitive stage
according to Schaie, the first stage of cognitive development, encompassing all of childhood and adolescence, in which the main developmental task is to acquire information
achieving stage
the point reached by young adults in which intelligence is applied to specific situations involving the attainment of long-term goals regarding careers, family, and societal contributions
responsible stage
the stage where the major concerns of middle-aged adults relate to their personal situations, including protecting and nourishing their spouses, families, and careers
executive stage
the period in middle adulthood when people take a broader perspective than earlier, including concerns about the world
reintegrative stage
the period of late adulthood in which the focus is on tasks that have personal meaning
zone of proximal development (ZPD)
according to Vygotsky, the level at which a child can almost, but not fully, perform a task independently, but can do so with the assistance of someone more competent
scaffolding
the support for learning and problem solving that encourages independence and growth
