Cognitive Development Flashcards
What is the nature of neural plasticity (deprived v enriched environments)
Neural plasticity is the ability to change and develop in response to the environment, and serves a function in learning, memory and respond to brain damage. In enriched environments, a child’s brain will develop relatively normally as they have the opportunity for brain stimulation through social and physical surroundings. The number of cognitive activities increases the activity of the brain, and allows it to stay more plastic.
A deprived environment has an absence of things that encourage development, which can lead to psychological or physical issues in the future.
What are some examples of brain damage when relating to neural plasticity?
Aphasia is a common form of brain damage when discussing neural plasticity. Broca’s aphasia (non-fluent aphasia) is when a person has difficulty expressing words and sentences, but their comprehension of a situation is unaffected. Wernicke’s aphasia is when the person has difficulty understanding language, but can produce legible language. Their speech is fluent, but often doesn’t make sense.
How do sensitive and critical periods affect psychological development?
A critical period is when certain things must happen for normal development to proceed. This begins and ends abruptly. For example, a baby must be exposed to light within the first few days of being born so the sensory neurons in the retina can develop. If this does not happen, the baby may be visually impaired.
A sensitive period is a period of time suited to learning things due to the nature of the growing brain. This is the optimal time for psychological development, such as learning skills (speaking). This period begins and ends more gradually and if the individual does not learn some skills during the period, that does not mean they will never learn it.
Summarise the role of attachment according to Konrad Lorenz.
Konrad Lorenz conducted an experiment where he kept half a family of newly hatched goose eggs and gave the other half to their mother. By imitating the quack sound when they hatched and in the first few days of the geese’s lives, the geese became attached to Lorenz as if he was their mother. The other group of hatchings did the same, but to their actual mother. Through this experiment, the theory that attachment is formed through imprinting was formed.
Summarise the role of attachment according to John Bowlby.
The role of attachment according to John Bowlby states that attachment is a vital adaptive quality that has evolved to increase the chance of survival through proximity-seeking behaviour. This is an influential theory in discussing children’s emotional and social development.
Summarise the role of attachment according to Mary Ainsworth.
During” the strange situation” Ainsworth came up with the following attachment styles:
Type A: Insecure Avoidant: no protest when parent leaves; ignores parent when returns (10%)
Type B: Secure Attachment: mild protest on departure; on return seeks parent and is easily comforted. (70%)
Type C: Insecure Resistant: Seriously distressed on departure; when parent returns alternatively clings and pushes away (20%)
This experiment involves a number of separations and reunions, and is very telling of the quality of a child’s attachment.
How can early abuse and deprivation have detrimental effects on cognitive development?
Early abuse and deprivation can cause detrimental effects on cognitive development. By withdrawing the individual from the necessary stimulation, some areas of the brain may not develop properly. For example, without light, a person may lose their sight. Similarly, without cognitive activities, the brain will lose some plasticity, and will not be able to adapt as well to the environment.
What are Jean Piaget’s theories of cognitive development? (include experiments to test for different stages)
Jean Piaget believed that children are active scientists that learn through social and physical interactions. He stated that cognitive development is the result of biological motivation and proposed the stage theory.
Stage 1- The sensorimotor stage (birth to 2 years old). Children experience the world through movement and their five senses. They achieve object permanence at 8 months.
Stage 2: Preoperational stage (age 2 to 7). Characterized by egocentrism, the inability to differentiate between fantasy & reality (magical thinking) and the inability to understand conservation.
Stage 3: Concrete operational stage (7 - 11). Begin to use logic but need concrete objects to manipulate. An age for gathering a lot of information. No longer egocentric, but able to understand other points of view.
Stage 4: Formal operational stage (age 12 and up) Can think abstractly.
What are Lev Vygotsky’s sociocultural theories of cognitive development?
Lev Vygotsky stated that social interaction plays a fundamental role in cognitive development. This theory suggests that a child’s cognitive development is based on a biological drive, interaction with other people and “cultural tools”. Knowledge is transferred by imitation and collaborative learning, and children are born with elementary mental functions:
- attention
- sensation
- memory
- perception
A child apparently develops through social interactions with a “more knowledgeable other”, like a parent.
The Zone of Proximal Development is the difference between what a child can achieve independently and what they can achieve with guidance and encouragement from someone more knowledgeable. Breaking down a task and “play” is important in this theory.
What are informational processing theories of cognitive development?
Informational processing theories state that the human mind is like a computer, as it receives input, processes and delivers output. Information is gathered from the senses, stored, and then processed to bring a behavioural reaction or response.
Sensory Memory is information gathered by the senses in a process called transduction. Receptor cell activity is a form of information the brain can process. These unconscious memories last a short period of time, (less than 3 seconds). This acts as a filter to focus on the important things.
Working Memory (Short Term Memory) is made of three components: executive controls (oversees memory, selects information, processing method and meaning), auditory loop (auditory information processed) and visual - spatial checkpad (visual information processed). Maintenance (repetition) and elaboration (organisation) help the information proceed. The processes are affected by cognitive load, repeated information become autonomic and the task at hand.
Long Term Memory contains declarative (sematic and episodic), procedural (how to) and imagery (mental images) information. This memory has unlimited space, and proper encoding affects retrieval processes.
It takes 15-20 seconds for something to go from the Sensory Memory to the Working Memory, with a 5-9 pieces of information capacity.
