Chapter 6

Question 1

schemes

Answer 1

actions or mental representations that organize knowledge; part of Piaget’s cognitive theory

Question 2

assimilation

Answer 2

occurs when children use their existing schemes to deal w/ new info or experiences; part of Piaget’s cognitive theory

Question 3

accommodation

Answer 3

children adjust their schemes to take account of new info and experiences; part of Piaget’s cognitive theory

Question 4

organization

Answer 4

grouping of isolated behaviors + thoughts into a higher order system; part of Piaget’s cognitive theory

Question 5

equilibration

Answer 5

mechanism by which children shift from one stage of thought to the next; part of Piaget’s cognitive theory

Question 6

sensorimotor stage

Answer 6

1st stage of Piaget’s cognitive theory; birth to 2 years; infants construct understanding of world by coordinating sensory experiences w/ physical, motoric actions

Question 7

simple reflexes

Answer 7

Piaget’s sensorimotor substage #1; first month after birth; sensation + action are coordinated through reflexive behaviors

Question 8

first habits and primary circular reactions

Answer 8

Piaget’s sensorimotor substage #2; 1-4 mths old; coordinates sensation + habits and primary circular reactions (habit is a scheme based on a reflex that has become separated from its eliciting stimulus & primary circular reactions is a scheme based on the attempt to reproduce an event that occurred by chance), main focus on infants body

Question 9

secondary circular reactions

Answer 9

Piaget’s sensorimotor substage #3; 4-8 mths old; more object oriented, repeats actions for consequences instead of seeking out a goal, become less self-preoccupied

Question 10

coordination of secondary circular reactions

Answer 10

Piaget’s sensorimotor substage #4; 8-12 mths old; coordinates vision + touch, hand + eye, actions are more outwardly directed, intentionality, coordination of schemes

Question 11

tertiary circular reactions, novelty, and curiosity

Answer 11

Piaget’s sensorimotor substage #5; 12-18 mths old; purposefully explores new possibilities w/ objects, exploring results and doing them repeatedly

Question 12

internalization of schemes

Answer 12

Piaget’s sensorimotor substage #6; 18-24 mths old; use of primitive symbols and mental representations

Question 13

A-not-B-error

Answer 13

occurs when infants make mistake of selecting the familiar hiding place of an object rather than new hiding place as they progress into substage 4 in Piaget’s sensorimotor stage

Question 14

preoperational stage

Answer 14

2nd stage of Piaget’s cognitive theory; ▫ 2-7 yrs old
▫ represent world with words, images, drawings
▫ form stable concepts + begin to reason
▫ egocentric + magical beliefs
▫ Child does not yet perform operations (reversible mental actions)

Question 15

symbolic function stage

Answer 15

1st stage of preoperational stage; 2-4 yrs old; gains ability to mentally represent an object that isn’t present; Egocentrism + animism

Question 16

intuitive thought stage

Answer 16

2nd stage of preoperational stage; 4-7 yrs old; Primitive reasoning + curiosity

Question 17

centration

Answer 17

a limitation of preoperational thought; centering of attention on one characteristic to the exclusion of all others

Question 18

conservation

Answer 18

a limitation of preoperational thought; awareness that altering an object or substance appearance doesn’t change basic properties (ex: conversation study with liquid)

Question 19

concrete operational stage

Answer 19

3rd stage of Piaget’s cognitive theory; ▫ 7-11 yrs old

▫ Can perform concrete operations + logically reason w/ specific or concrete examples

Question 20

concrete operations

Answer 20

mental actions that are reversible & applied to real, concrete objects

Question 21

seriation

Answer 21

ability to order stimuli along a quantitative dimension (like length); develops in concrete operational stage

Question 22

transitivity

Answer 22

ability to logically combine relations to reach certain conclusions; develops in concrete operational stage

Question 23

formal operational stage

Answer 23

4th stage of Piaget’s cognitive theory; ▫ 11-15 yrs old
▫ Move beyond concrete experiences & think more abstract + logical
▫ Develop images of ideal circumstances
▫ Systematic, logical reasoning
▫ Good verbal problem solving ability, increased tendency to think about thought itself
▫ Use hypothetical-deductive reasoning (develop hypotheses/guesses + deduce what to do)
▫ Assimilation + accommodation occur in this stage as well

Question 24

adolescent egocentrism

Answer 24

heightened self-consciousness of adolescents, which is reflected in their belief that others are interested in them as they are themselves (imaginary audience), and in their senses of personal uniqueness & invincibility (personal fable)

Question 25

constructivist approach

Answer 25

Piaget’s approach to education; children learn best when active + seeking solutions themselves
▫ Facilitation over direct learning; LEARN BY DOING!
▫ Consider child’s level of thinking & current knowledge
▫ Promote intellectual improvement & health but do not focus on the speed at which they are developing, early development can be negative
▫ The classroom should be a fun environment full of discovery & exploration

Question 26

Vygotsky’s cognitive theory

Answer 26

▫ Focuses more on social interaction for development of thinking/understanding
▫ Language is crucial for social communication but also to solve tasks; private speech (talking to self out loud or in mind) is used to self-regulate
▫ Language & thought develop independently initially, then merge
All mental functions have external or social origins

Question 27

zone of proximal development

Answer 27

Vygotsky’s cognitive theory; range of tasks that are too hard for the child to do alone but can be learned w/ guidance & assistance from adults or more skilled peers

Question 28

scaffolding

Answer 28

Vygotsky’s cognitive theory; changing the level of support (ex: during tutoring session, I adjust the amount of guidance to fit students current performance)