Cognition (6) Flashcards
Piaget’s theory of cognitive development? (constructivist)
A theory of how children come to know their world by constructing their own schemes or cognitive structures through active exploration.
Four stages of cognitive development: Sensorimotor (0-2), Preoperational (2 to 7), Concrete operational (7 to 11), Formal operational (12 and up)
Organisation?
Combination of existing schemes into new and more complex ones.
Adaptation?
The process of adjusting to demands of the environment.
Assimilation?
The process by which we interpret new experiences in terms of existing schemes or cognitive structures.
Accommodation?
The process of modifying existing schemes to better fit new experiences.
Four most common criticisms to Piaget?
- Underestimating young minds
- Wrongly claiming that broad stages of development exist.
- Failing to adequately explain development.
- Giving limited attention to social influences on cognitive development
Vygotsky’s sociocultural perspective
Cognitive growth occurs in a sociocultural context and evolves out of a child’s social interactions.
No universal stages.
Zone of proximal development: the gap between what a learner can accomplish independently and what she can accomplish with the guidance and encouragement of a more skilled partner.
Neuroconstructivism theory?
New knowledge is constructed through changes in the neural structures of the brain in response to experiences.
Dynamic skill framework? (Fischer)
Behaviour is intertwined with the context in which it occurs.
Conservation?
The idea that certain properties of an object or substance do not change when its appearance is altered in some superficial way.
Cognition?
the activity of knowing and the process through which knowledge is acquired and problems are solved.
Dialectical thinking?
In adults, the ability to view issues from multiple perspectives and to arrive at the most economical and reasonable reconciliation of seemingly contradictory information and postures.
