Chapter 5: Cognitive Development in Infancy and Toddlerhood Flashcards
Assimilation
In Piaget’s theory, the process by which new experiences are interpreted and integrated into preexisting schemas
SS = Same Schema
Accomodation
In Piaget’s theory, the process by which schemas are modified or new schemas created in light of experience
CC = Change or Create schemas
Cognitive Equilibrium
A balance between the processes of assimilation and accommodation. Once assimilation and accommodation are balanced, we are not creating schemas or adapting our schemas, therefore our schemata match the real world
Cognitive Disequilibrium
A mismatch between the processes of assimilation and accommodation. Leads to cognitive growth as a child attempts to alleviate the confusion caused by the mismatch.
Mental Representation
Thinking about an object using mental pictures; an internal depiction of an object
Sensorimotor Substage 1: Reflexes
Newborns use their reflexes to react to stimuli. During the first month of life, newborns strengthen and modify their original reflexive schemata to explore the world around them
Sensorimotor Substage 2: Primary Circular Reactions
Infants make accidental discoveries. They find a pleasurable stimulus and repeat that action using the specific body part that bring upon the pleasurable stimulus
Circular Reactions
The repetition of an action and its response in which infants repeat a newly discovered event caused by their own motor activity
Primary Circular Reactions
Repeating an action that produced a chance event involving the infant’s body
Sensorimotor Substage 3: Secondary Circular Reactions
Infants repeat actions that trigger events in their external environment. Their attention has expanded to outside their body and their action have an effect on the environment around them
Secondary Circular Reactions
Repeating an action that produced a chance event that triggers a response in the external environment
Sensorimotor Substage 4: Coordination of Secondary Circular Reactions
Represents true means-end behavior and the beginning of intentional behavior, rather than accidental discoveries. Infants purposely combine two secondary circular reactions and apply them in new situations to achieve a goal
Object Permanence
The understanding that objects continue to exist outside of sensory awareness. Signifies a capacity for mental representation, or internal thought
Sensorimotor Substage 5: Tertiary Circular Reactions
Infants begin to experiment with new behaviors to see the results. “little scientists” stage. Move from intentional behavior to systematic exploration. May engage in trial-and-error analysis by attempting a behavior over and over until they find the best way to attain their goal
Tertiary Circular Reactions
Repeating an action to explore and experiment in order to see the results and learn about the world
Sensorimotor Substage 6: Mental Representation
The transition between sensorimotor and preoperational reasoning stages. They can use symbols or mental images to represent things in memory. Allows for internal mental exploration to help determine the best outcomes before acting them out. They can think about objects that they no longer see in front of them
Representational Thought
The ability to use symbols such as words and mental pictures to represent actions and objects in memory
Violation-of-Expectation Task
A task in which a stimulus appears to violate physical laws. If an infant reacts differently to a stimulus that violates physical law, then they have a representation of what the stimulus should do in a regular setting
A-not-B Error
An infant is able to find an object in Place A after it is hidden, but when the infant sees the object moved to Place B, the infant will still look for the object in Place A
Deferred Imitation
The ability to repeat an act performed some time ago. Acting on the basis of stored memories/representation of the action
Core Knowledge Theory
Infants are born with several innate knowledge systems, or core domains of thought, that promote early rapid learning and adaptation
Sensory Memory
The first step in the information processing system in which stimuli are stored for a brief moment in its original form to enable it to be processed
Working Memory
The component of the information processing system that holds and processes information that is being manipulated, encoded, or retrieved and is responsible for maintaining and processing information used in cognitive tasks
Central Executive
The part of our mental system that directs the flow of information and regulates cognitive activities such as attention, action, and problem solving
Executive Function
The set of cognitive operations that support planning, decision making, and goal-setting abilities, such as the ability to control attention, coordinate information in working memory, and inhibit impulses
Long-Term Memory
An unlimited store that holds information indefinitely. The information is not processed or manipulated, only store until retrieved to use in working memory
Attention
Our ability to direct our awareness
Categorization
An adaptive mental process in which objects are grouped into conceptual categories, allowing for organized storage of information in memory, efficient retrieval of that information, and the capacity to respond with familiarity to new stimuli from a common class
Intelligence
An individual’s ability to adapt to the environment
Cooing
An infant’s repetition of sounds, such as “ahhhh”, “ohhhh”, and “eeee”, that begins 2-3 months of age.
Babbling
An infant’s repetition of syllables such as “ba-ba-ba-ba” and “ma-ma-ma-ma”, which begins at about 6 months of age
Holophrase
A one-word expression used to convey a complete thought
Fast Mapping
A process of quickly acquiring and retaining a word after hearing it applied a few times
Naming Explosion (Vocabulary Spurt)
A period of rapid vocabulary learning that occurs from about 16-24 months of age
Underextension
Applying a word more narrowly than it is usually applied so that the word’s use is restricted to a single object
Example: Cup = daddy’s cup only rather than cup = all types of cups
Overextension
Applying a word too broadly
Example: Cow = cow, sheep, chicken, horses, and all other farm animals
Telegraphic Speech
Two-word utterances produced by toddlers that communicate only the essential words
Grammar
The rules of language
Language Acquisition Device (LAD)
An innate facilitator of language that allows infants to quickly and efficiently analyze everyday speech and determine its rules, regardless of their native language
Universal Grammar
Rules that apply to all human languages
Broca’s Area
The region of the brain that controls the ability to use language for expression; damage to the area inhibits fluent speech
Wernicke’s Area
The region of the brain that is responsible for language comprehension; damage to this area impairs the ability to understand others’ speech and sometimes the ability to speak coherently
Canonical Babbling
A type of babbling with well-formed syllables that sounds remarkably like language
Expansions
Adult responses to children’s speech that elaborate and enrich its complexity
Recast
When an adult repeats a child’s sentence back to him or her in a new grammatical form, helping the child to acquire grammatical rules more quickly
