Child development: COGNITION AND INTELLIGENCE Flashcards
Who described children as ‘enquiring scientists who learn through action’?
Jean Piaget
How many cognitive development stages are in Piaget’s theory?
4
At what age is the sensorimotor stage?
Birth-2 years
Which of Piaget’s stages occurs at birth- 2 years
Sensorimotor
What is the sensorimotor stage?
Child learns the physical environment by seeing and touching- the child ‘thinks only by doing.’
There are 6 sub-stages
At what age is the pre-operational stage?
2-7 years
Which of Piaget’s stages occurs at 2-7 years?
Pre-operational
Which of Piaget’s stages occurs at 7-11 years?
Concrete operational
At what age does the concrete operational stage take place?
7-11 years
At what age does the formal operational stage take place?
11+ years
Which of Piaget’s stages occurs at 11+ years?
Formal operational
At what age does the realisation of object permanence occur?
Around 8 months
What is object permanence?
The realisation that an out-of-sight object still exists
Using the test where string is attached to the baby’s leg and its mobile, how long would a 2 month old remember that kicking more moves the mobile more?
1 day
Using the test where string is attached to the baby’s leg and its mobile, at what age does the baby learn that more kicking moves the mobile?
2-3 months
Using the test where string is attached to the baby’s leg and its mobile, how long would a 3 month old remember that kicking more moves the mobile more?
1 week
Using the test where string is attached to the baby’s leg and its mobile, how long would a 6 month old remember that kicking more moves the mobile more?
2+ weeks
State six examples of the abilities of an 8 month old child
- obeys simple requests
- can point and understand others pointing
- recognises and imitates actions (e.g. feeding doll)
- demonstrates affection by hugging and kissing
- knows names of some objects
- shakes head or says ‘no’ in refusal
At what age does self-recognition (in a photo or mirror) occur?
18 months
What is a ‘schema’?
A theory about how the physical and social worlds operate
What is ‘assimilation’?
Understanding a new subject
What is ‘accommodation’?
Modifying a schema
What is centration?
Thinking about only one idea at a time
Egocentric world view
At what developmental stage does centration occur?
Pre-operational
What are Piaget’s four developmental stages?
Sensorimotor, pre-operational, concrete operational, formal operational
Describe the ‘3 mountain problem’ experiment
The child sits at a table, presented in front are three mountains. The mountains were different, with snow on top of one, a hut on another and a red cross on top of the other. The child was allowed to walk round the model, to look at it, then sit down at one side. A doll is then placed at various positions of the table.
The child is then shown 10 photographs of the mountains taken from different positions, and asked to indicate which showed the dolls view. Piaget assumed that if the child correctly picked out the card showing the doll’s view, s/he was not egocentric. Egocentrism would be shown by the child who picked out the card showing the view s/he saw.
What would be the answer of a child younger than 6 to the 3 mountain problem?
They would think that the doll could see their own view- no realisation that others have different perspectives.
At what age can a child describe someone else’s point of view in the 3 mountain problem?
6-7 years- theory of mind
What does ‘operation’ mean in the context of cognitive development?
Mental consideration of information in a logical manner
What does ‘conservation’ mean in the context of cognitive development?
Understanding that amount is unrelated to appearance e.g. conservation of mass if there are two pieces of clay the same size and one is rolled into a different shape- the mass is still the same but pre-6 year olds usually think that it is different- concrete operation.
Describe the concrete operational stage
Thinking in relation to things that are real or imaginable (direct sensory access)
Describe the formal operational stage
Reasoning in purely symbolic terms
Considering alternatives and planning ahead
Systematic testing of hypotheses
(Move from thinking in terms of reality in concrete operational to the symbolic)
How is IQ calculated
From tables of standardised age scores
What does IQ stand for?
Intelligence quotient
What number IQ is average?
100
What does WAIS stand for? What is it?
Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale. 14 sections to the test, grouped into domains of cognitive function- verbal comprehension, performance organisation, working memory, processing speed.
Name three practical uses of IQ tests
- Identifying educational needs
- Assesment following neurological trauma
- Predicting school performance (tends to be accurate) and job success (tends to be inaccurate)
What are three limitations of IQ?
- May not be stable/fixed (e.g. you improve at IQ tests with practice.)
- Influenced by environment and culture (e.g. you may have potential but not be in an environment that allows you to flourish.)
- Does not measure underlying competence or ‘world skills.’ (i.e. non-academic skills)
What is cerebral lateralisation?
The idea that the two halves of the brain’s cerebral cortex - left and right - execute different functions. Asymmetry of function.
How has cerebral lateralisation been utilisted in epilepsy patients? What does this result in that is of interest to researchers?
The corpus callosum part of the brain (attaches the two halves) can be severed in surgery. This localises epileptic seizures to one side of the brain- reduces number and severity of seizures. This results in split brain patients.
What is the implication in function for split brain patients?
Two halves of brain function separately as if two different brains and cannot share information.
To which hemisphere does visual information on the left side go?
Right hemisphere
Which side of the body does the right hemisphere control?
The left side
Why can a patient with split brain only draw a 3D shape with their left hand?
Because the right hemisphere deals with visuo-spatial abilities and also controls the left side. In split brain only the left hand has access to the right hemisphere’s ability so only left hand can draw 3D.
Name three functions of the left hemisphere
Complex language functions
Complex logical activities
Mathematical computations
Name three functions of the right hemisphere
Simple language functions (speech)
Spatial and pattern abilities
Emotional recognition
What is the theory of mind?
Child’s recognition that others have different point of view/feelings to them
