Chapter 6 - Theories of Cognitive Development Flashcards
Why is Piaget’s theory of Cognitive Development influential?
Piaget’s theory is influential because it is learning that the acquisition of knowledge is interacting with the world
What is at the core of Piaget’s theory?
Stages of development
How did Piaget see cognitive development?
He saw cognitive development as a series of transformations - sudden changes that are observable over a brief period of time
The ultimate driving force behind the cognitive development theory is ______ - the cognitive tool that investigates and interprets the world.
learning
Cognition develops through ________ and _________ of mental structures
refinement; transformations
What are schemas?
Schemas are mental systems that underline our intelligence
The motivation for development comes from _____ the child
Within; intrinsic - the child seeks to understand more about the world
What did Piaget deem the child metaphorically?
A child scientists because children are constantly wondering about their world
Children are naturally _______ and and create _____ about how the world works
curious; theories
True or False: Schemas never change
False: Schemas are continuously changing
What is assimilation?
Assimilation is what happens if you’re exposed to a new stimulus you’ve never seen before. The scheme was changed as you gained the new information and adapted to it
What is accomodation?
Accommodation is the opposite of assimilation, and its when you create a new scheme for new stimulation
What was Piaget’s most central assumption?
In his own words, Piaget claimed that the child is an active participant in the development of knowledge, constructing his own understanding
What are the 4 primary causes of cognitive development?
Maturation, physical environment, social transmission, and equilibration
What are the 4 stages of Cognitive Development?
Sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational
Explain the sensorimotor stage
This stage spans from birth to approximately 2 years of age, and begins with reflexive responding and ends with using symbols.
What is object permanence?
Object permanence is understanding that objects exist independently
What are primary circular reactions?
Primary circular reactions are simple repetitive behaviours involving the infant’s body
What are secondary circular reactions?
Secondary circular reactions are repeating actions involving objects, and making interesting actions last
What are tertiary circular reactions?
Tertiary circular reactions are when an infant tries out variations of actions
Explain the preoperational stage
This stage spans from 2 years to 7 years old and is where children use symbols, such as words, gestures, and imagery but there are many errors in their thinking, which shows symbolic thought
What is egocentrism?
Egocentrism is the idea that children see everything from their point of view
What is animism?
Animism is when children tend to think things around them are alive, using their very vivid imaginations
What is centration?
Centration is the idea that you centre yourself in your reality
Explain the concrete operational stage
This stage spans from ages 7 to 11 and involves thinking based on mental operations, such as strategies and rules that make thinking more systematic and powerful. It focuses on the real and concrete, not the abstract and allows children to interact with the world in ways that involve planning.
Explain the formal operational stage
This stage spans from roughly age 11 to adulthood and allows children to be increasingly able to think abstractly, and adolescents to think hypothetically.
Whenever you see something that is phrased ‘cross-culturally’, there is a _______ component
genetic
What are the teaching applications of Piaget’s theory of Cognitive Development?
- Facilitate rather than direct learning, 2. Recognize individual differences, 3. Be sensitive to readiness to learn, 4. Emphasize exploration and interaction.
What are the weaknesses of Piaget’s theory of cognitive development?
- It underestimates cognitive competence in infants, and overestimates in adolescence, 2. some components are too vague to test, 3. The stage model doesn’t account for variability, 4. It undervalues the influence of sociocultural forces
What is Vygotsky’s theory?
Vygotsky’s theory, also known as the sociocultural perspective, says that cognitive development is inseperable from social and cultural contexts: intersubjectivity, and guided participation.
What is intersubjectivity?
Intersubjectivity is when each person is learning from each other and changing their abilities based on those interactions
True or false: Development is not one-sided
True
What is guided participation?
Guided participation takes place through the idea of the zone of proximal development
What is the zone of proximal development?
Its the difference of what you can do alone versus what you can do with help
What is scaffolding?
Scaffolding is the teaching side that matches how much help you’re going to give with the learner’s needs
What is Vygotsky’s term for thought?
Inner speech
What is meant by private speech?
Private speech is the things we tell ourselves to regulate our behaviour
What is internalization?
Internalization is when the child starts to internalize the language and culture of the larger community - how to act in a culturally dependent society. Within the culture, the child starts to internalize the lessons
What is mediation?
Mediation is a more capable individual and start to interpret a child’s behaviour
What is inner speech?
Inner speech is when we talk out loud to ourselves. As new ideas are formed, we enter the zone of proximal development
What does the zone of proximal development tell us?
It tells us that the relationship between the student and the teacher is central to learning
