Child development - cognition and intelligence

Question 1

What is the sensorimotor stage?

Answer 1

6 sub-stages. Knowing the physical environment by seeing and touching – ‘thinking only by doing’.

Question 2

What is object permanence?

Answer 2

The understanding that objects continue to exist even when they cannot be observed (seen, heard, touched, smelled or sensed in any way).

Question 3

When does an infant acquire object permanence?

Answer 3

Around 8 months

Question 4

Give examples of abilities at 8 months.

Answer 4

Obeys simple requests
Points to objects and follows the pointing
gesture of an adult
Hold cup to doll’s mouth
Demonstrates affection by hugging and kissing
Shakes head or says “no” in refusal

Question 5

What are schemas?

Answer 5

Theories about how the physical and social world operate.

Question 6

What is assimilation?

Answer 6

Understanding a new object.

Question 7

What is accommodation?

Answer 7

Modifying a schema.

Question 8

What are features of pre-operational thought?

Answer 8

Centration - thinking about one idea at a time to the exclusion of others
Egocentrism - self-centred world view, difficulty taking another’s perspective.

Question 9

What is the 3 mountain problem?

Answer 9

Place two children at opposite sides of a model of three mountains. Only able to describe the view of the other at 6-7 years. Rigidity of pre-operational thought.

Question 10

Define operation.

Answer 10

Mental consideration of information in a logical manner.

Question 11

Define conservation.

Answer 11

Understanding that amount is unrelated to appearance. Eg two lumps of clay can be different shapes but have the same mass.

Question 12

What is concrete operational?

Answer 12

Thinking in relation to things that are real
or imaginable (direct sensory access).

Question 13

What is formal operational?

Answer 13

Reasoning in purely symbolic terms
Consider alternatives and plan ahead
Systematic testing of hypotheses

Question 14

What are the verbal IQ components of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale?

Answer 14

Vocabulary, similarities, information and digit span.

Question 15

What are the performance components of the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale?

Answer 15

Picture arrangement, matrix reasoning, block design and digit symbol coding.

Question 16

What are the domains of cognitive function as defined by the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale?

Answer 16

Verbal comprehension, performance organisation, working memory and processing speed.

Question 17

What are the uses of IQ tests?

Answer 17

Predict school performance and job success. Identify educational needs. Assessing head trauma.

Question 18

What are the limitations of IQ tests?

Answer 18

Is IQ stable? Influenced by environment and culture. Does not measure underlying competence.

Question 19

What is a commissurotomy?

Answer 19

Splitting the brain across the corpus callosum.

Question 20

What was the relevance of split brain research?

Answer 20

Their is a contra-lateral rule in visual perception. Speech centre is in the left hemisphere. If split brain patient is shown an image only on the left they can’t see it.

Question 21

What is the left hemisphere responsible for?

Answer 21

Complex language functions

Complex logical activities
Mathematical computations

Question 22

What are the functions of the right hemisphere?

Answer 22

Simple language functions
Spatial and pattern abilities
Emotional recognition

Question 23

What are Piaget’s stages?

Answer 23

Sensorimotor: birth - 2 years
Pre-operational: 2 - 7 years
Concrete operational: 7 - 11 years
Formal operational: 11 years +

Question 24

What was the result of the visual spatial task in split brain research?

Answer 24

Left hand can draw three dimensions, right hand cannot.