Child Development - Lecture Two

Question 1

Cognitive development

Answer 1

Intellectual growth

Question 2

Cognitive processes

Answer 2

Memory, learning, attention, perception, thought and problem solving

Question 3

Jean Piaget (1896-1980) study

Answer 3

Observed children and proposed a sequence of development that all normal children follow (there’s always exceptions), he defined these steps into four stages

Question 4

1. Sensorimotor Stage

Answer 4

Birth to 2 years
“Thinking is doing”
Cognition is closely tied to external stimulation

Question 5

Sensorimotor Stage

Birth to 3 months

Answer 5

Look at visual stimuli Turn head towards noise

Question 6

Sensorimotor Stage

3 months

Answer 6

Follow moving objects with eyes

Stares at place where object has disappears but will not search for object

Question 7

Sensorimotor Stage

5 months

Answer 7

Grasp and manipulate objects - big step into intelligence

Anticipates future position of object

Question 8

Sensorimotor Stage

8 months

Answer 8

Searches for hidden object

“A not B” effect

Question 9

Sensorimotor Stage

12 months

Answer 9

Will search in the last place they saw the object

Question 10

Object permanence

Answer 10

The idea that objects do not cease to exist when they are out of sight

Question 11

Schema Formation

Answer 11

A schema is a mental representation or set of rules that defines a particular behaviour category. It helps us to understand current and future experiences

Question 12

Assimilation

Answer 12

The process by which new information is modified to fit in with an existing schema

Question 13

Accomodation

Answer 13

The process by which an existing schema is modified or changed by new experience

Question 14

Deferred imitation

Answer 14

A child’s ability to imitate the actions he or she has observed others perform in the past

Question 15

2. Pre-operational Stage

Answer 15

2 to 7 years
Ability to think logically as well as symbolically
Rapid development of language ability 
Counting
Object manipulation
Consevation
Egocentrism

Question 16

Conservation

Answer 16

The understanding that specific properties of objects (height, weight, volume, number) remain the same despite apparent changes or arrangement of those objects.

Question 17

Egocentrism

Answer 17

A child’s belief that others see the world in precisely the same way that he or she does

Question 18

3. Concrete Operations Stage

Answer 18

7 to 12 years
Ability to perform logical analysis
Ability to empathise with the thoughts/feelings of others
Understanding of complex cause-effect relations

Question 19

4. Formal Operations Stage

Answer 19

12 years upwards
Abstract reasoning
Metacognition
Dependent on exposure to principles of scientific thinking