Cognitive Development

Question 1

What is Development?

Answer 1

Development refers to the growth and change during an individuals lifespan and covers both physical and psychological changes

Question 2

What is physical development?

Answer 2

The changes in the body and it various systems that are overt and observable. eg getting taller

Question 3

What is Cognitive development?

Answer 3

The changes in thought processes such as thinking, learning, memory, decision making. eg. learning your times tables

Question 4

What is social development?

Answer 4

The changes in skill in interacting and communicating with work colleagues.

Question 5

What is emotional development?

Answer 5

The ability to control, express and recognize emotions eg. recognizing and understanding your own emotions

Question 6

What is nature vs nurture ?

Answer 6

The various factors influencing development of our psychological characteristics.

Question 7

What is nature (hereditary)

Answer 7

Hereditary involves the transmission of characteristics from biological parents to their offspring via genes at the time of conception

Question 8

What is nurture? (environment)

Answer 8

The term environment (nurture) is used to refer to all the experiences, objects and
events to which we are exposed throughout our entire lifetime.

Question 9

What is interactionist approach.?

Answer 9

Both heredity and environment are important factors in development – this is known
as the interactionist approach.

Question 10

What is genetic predisposition?

Answer 10

an increased likelihood of developing a
disease/condition due to genetic factors

Question 11

What is Monozygotic (identical twins)?

Answer 11

Monozygotic (or identical) twins are formed when a single
fertilised egg splits into two in the first couple of days after
conception. These twins share 100% of their genes

Question 12

What is Dizygotic (fraternal) twins?

Answer 12

Dizygotic (or fraternal) twins develop when the female produces two separate ova (eggs) which are independently fertilised by two
different sperm cells. They can be the same or opposite sex and are not genetically identical. They share 50% of their genes and their
genetic similarities are comparable to other brothers and sisters.

Question 13

What is insecure avoidant attachment?

Answer 13

Show no interest when separated from mother , play happily with stranger, ignores mother after seperation

Question 14

What is secure attachment

Answer 14

Show distress when separated from mother, avoidant of stranger unless accompanied by a mother . Happy to see mother after separation.

Question 15

What is insecure resistant attachment

Answer 15

Show intense distress when separated from mother, significant fear of stranger, approach mother but reject contact after separation

Question 16

What is attachment

Answer 16

Attachment involves the formation of long-lasting emotional bonds between
two individuals.

Question 17

What is healthy attachment?

Answer 17

This ‘healthy attachment’ equips the
individuals with the ability to form strong
relationships due to a developed sense of trust
and self-esteem as an adult.

Question 18

What is emotional development?

Answer 18

Emotional development involves the continuous, life-long development of skills
which allow individuals to control, express and recognise emotions in an appropriate way

Question 19

What does secure development lead to?

Answer 19

healthy emotional development

Question 20

What does insecure attachment lead to?

Answer 20

unhealthy emotional development

Question 21

what is genetics?

Answer 21

our genetics impact how we form attachments with others, and the
forms of these attachments. Most caregivers will want to respond to their child’s
needs and limit their distress.

Question 22

What is temperament?

Answer 22

can be easy or difficult, making it more or less likely to develop
strong attachments

Question 23

When does attachment form?

Answer 23

Infancy is a critical period for infants to form an attachment to their caregivers for
optimal development

Question 24

What factors effect attachment?

Answer 24

genetics, temperament and early life experiences

Question 25

What is privation?

Answer 25

Privation is if a child never forms an attachment with a caregiver

Question 26

How can we observe cognitive development?

Answer 26

Cannot be directly observed
We can observe the behaviour of babies to make assumptions about their
cognitive development

Question 27

What is schemata?

Answer 27

Piaget proposed that during cognitive development the brain builds ‘schemata’
which are like frameworks that organize past and future experiences.
These are like building blocks of knowledge which become more complicated as a child grows.

Question 28

What is assimilation?

Answer 28

Assimilation refers to fitting new information or experiences into an existing idea
This occurs when a child makes sense of new information in terms of their existing knowledge and understanding of the world.

Question 29

What is accomodation?

Answer 29

Accommodation refers to altering existing ideas, and forming new ideas, as a result of learning new information or having new experiences. It is the process of changing
existing mental ideas to fit new information.
Accommodation involves restructuring existing mental ideas so that new information
can be incorporated.

Question 30

What are the 4 stages of cognitive development?

Answer 30

sensorimotor, pre-operational, concrete operational, formal operational.

Question 31

What happens in sensorimotor

Answer 31

(0-2), Babies explore the world
Very uncoordinated
Start to develop mobility
Realise that they can grasp
desired objects
Learn to crawl, walk and
begin to talk

Question 32

What are the key accomplishments of sensorimotor?

Answer 32

object permanence and goal directed behaviour

Question 33

Explain the key accomplishments of sensorimotor

Answer 33

Object permanence- The understanding that even if things cannot be seen, heard or touched, they still exist. (pickaboo)

Goal Directed behaviour- The ability to perform a series of steps with a particular goal in mind (eg. walking to fathers bag for toy)

Question 34

What happens in pre- operational

Answer 34

(2-7), Babies become children
Significant language is acquired
The use animism - eg: teddy in pain
They apply centration – eg: tokens
Children in the early parts of this stage are egocentric – they can only see things from their own point of view.
Literally!

Question 35

What are the key accomplishments of pre operational?

Answer 35

Symbolic thinking, Transformation, reversibiity

Question 36

explain the accomplishments of pre operational

Answer 36

Symbolic thinking- The ability to use symbols to represent objects that are not physically present. EG: a paper towel
roll becomes a sword!

Transformation- The understanding that things can change physical state. EG: Ice can become water

Reversibility- The ability to follow a line of reasoning
back to its starting point. (mr potato head)

Question 37

What happens in concrete operational?

Answer 37

(7-12) Child is capable of logical thought
Can understand future
consequences
Mental arithmetic

Question 38

What are the key accomplishments of concrete operational?

Answer 38

classification, conservation

Question 39

Explain the accomplishments of concrete operational

Answer 39

Conservation - Understanding that properties of an object will
remain the same, even if its appearance changes
Conservation of Volume – knowing that if you pour
water from a shorter glass into a taller glass, the
volume of liquid remains the same
Conservation of Mass – knowing that mass stays
the same even if the object’s appearance changes
Conservation of Number – knowing that the
number of group of objects doesn’t change even if
the physical appearance changes
Conservation of Length – knowing that the length
of objects is fixed even if the position is changed

Classification- The ability to organise objects or events into
categories based on common features that

Question 40

What happens is formal operation?

Answer 40

(12+), Complex thinking processes
Sophisticated ideas, reasoning
and logic

Question 41

What are the key accomplishments of F.O

Answer 41

Abstract thinking, idealistic thinking

Question 42

Explain the key accomplishments of F.O

Answer 42

Abstract thinking- A way of thinking that doesn’t rely on the ability to see, touch or hear something.(eg. concept of time)

Idealistic thinking- Comparing yourself or others to perfect standards, and striving to be the best version of yourself.
(wants to be a lawyer, understands its complex to acheive this)

Question 43

What are the critisms?

Answer 43

Kids seem to progress faster
than what he suggested
Repeated
experiments showed
pre-operational kids
could do concrete
tasks when really
focused
Mistakes made by
young kids may
have been due to
lack of language
ability
He used his own
kids. They were
white & from a
wealthy family