Child development - Cognition and intelligence

Question 1

Cognition

Piaget’s Definition

Answer 1

The mental processes by which knowledge is acquired, elaborated, stored, retrieved and used to solve problems - learning through action - how children think rather than what they know

Question 2

Piaget’s Stages:

Answer 2

1) Sensorimotor - birth to 2 years
2) Pre-operational - 2 to 7 years
3) Concrete operational - 7 to 11 years
4) Formal operational - 11 years +

Question 3

Piaget’s stages: Sensorimotor

Answer 3

Birth to 2 years:
Knowing surroundings by Seeing and Touching - ‘knowing only by doing’
Object Permanence occurs at 8 months
+ Recognition of Self as agent of action

Question 4

Piaget’s stages: Pre-operational stage

Answer 4

2nd stage = 2 to 7 years
Centration - Thinking about one idea at a time (while excluding others)
-Egocentrism - Self centred world view & difficulty taking another’s perspective.
Unable to describe another perspective in 3 Mountain Problem.
Struggle understanding conservation of; mass, number and volume.

Question 5

Piaget’s stages : Concrete Operational Stage

Answer 5

3rd stage = 7 to 11 yrs

Consideration of information in a logical manner – BUT can only deal with real or imaginable occurrences

Question 6

Piaget’s stages : Formal Operational Stage

Answer 6

4th stage = 11+ yrs

Considering alternatives and planning ahead, ability to systematically test a hypothesis, the basis of adult thinking.

Question 7

Schemas

Answer 7

Theories about how the social and physical world operate

Question 8

Assimilation

Answer 8

Understanding a new object

Question 9

Accommodation

Answer 9

Modifying a schema

Question 10

Operation

Answer 10

Consideration of information in a logical manner

Question 11

Conservation

Answer 11

Understanding that amount is unrelated to appearance

Question 12

Intelligence Testing

Answer 12

IQ- was (mental age/chronological age)*100 however now calculated from tables of standardised age scores.

Weschler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) - Tests both Verbal IQ (vocabulary, similarities, information and digit span) + Performance IQ (picture arrangement, matrix reasoning, block design and digit symbol coding)

Question 13

Localisation of Cognitive function (left hemisphere / right hemisphere)

Answer 13

Left Hemisphere - complex language functions, complex logical activities and mathematical computations
Right Hemisphere - simple language functions, spatial and pattern abilities, emotional recognition