Cognitive Development

Question 1

What did Piaget believe about children’s cognitive development?

Answer 1

Children explore their world and adjust their mental schemas when learning new information

Question 2

At what ages are the 3 big changes in children, according to Piaget?

Answer 2

2, 7, and 11 years

Question 3

What does the stage theory suggest about children’s development?

Answer 3

Children must pass one stage before moving onto the next

Question 4

What are the 4 developmental stages Piaget theorized of cognitive development? What ages take place in each stage?

Answer 4

1. Sensorimotor stage (0-2 yrs.)
2. Preoperational stage (2-7 yrs.)
3. Concrete operational stage (7-11 yrs.)
4. Formal operational stage (11 yrs. -adulthood)

Question 5

What are some major characteristics of Piaget’s theory of the sensorimotor stage?

Answer 5

Learning about the world through basic actions, movements, sensations, and that they are a separate being from the world

Question 6

What are some major characteristics of Piaget’s theory of the preoperational stage?

Answer 6

Beginning to think symbolically, better language and thinking skills if concrete, struggle to see viewpoints of others

Question 7

What are some major characteristics of Piaget’s theory of the concrete operational stage?

Answer 7

Logical and organized concrete thinking, understanding the concept of conservation, inductive logic

Question 8

What are some major characteristics of Piaget’s theory of the formal operational stage?

Answer 8

Thinking abstractly, more philosophical and ethical thinking, deductive reasoning

Question 9

Who was the leader in starting cognitive development research?

Answer 9

Piaget

Question 10

What are 2 major flaws that modern research has found about Piaget’s cognitive development theory?

Answer 10

1. He underestimates children’s cognitive development
2. He overestimates adolescents’ cognitive development

Question 11

What did Vygotsky’s sociocultural perspective suggest?

Answer 11

Cognitive development is from social interaction and cannot be separated from sociocultural contexts

Question 12

What is the zone of proximal development?

Answer 12

The space where a learner can perform tasks with guidance

Question 13

What does scaffolding consist of?

Answer 13

Activities provided by the teacher to support the learner in the zone of proximal development

Question 14

What are executive functions?

Answer 14

Higher-level cognitive skills used to control and guide behaviours

Question 15

What is the purpose of working memory?

Answer 15

Keeping key information in mind while using it

Question 16

When is working memory active?

Answer 16

When listening to instructions, following rules, solving problems

Question 17

According to the digit span test, what age group had the best working memory score?

Answer 17

7-8 years (experiment had ages 3-8 years tested)

Question 18

What is the purpose of inhibitory control?

Answer 18

To suppress a dominant, natural response and controlling automatic urges

Question 19

What is the Stroop Task experiment and what executive function did it seek to demonstrate?

Answer 19

Different coloured words of colour (e.g., ‘green’ written red text) were meant to be recited as the colour of the text, demonstrated inhibitory control

Question 20

According to the Stroop task experiment, what age group had the best inhibitory control score?

Answer 20

7-8 years (experiment had ages 3-8 years tested)

Question 21

What is the executive function of switching?

Answer 21

The ability to switch between different thoughts/rules/tasks

Question 22

What was illustrated in the Card-Sort task?

Answer 22

Participants sort cards into different categories based upon criteria that change over time

Question 23

What is the Theory of Mind?

Answer 23

The ability to understand other’s thoughts, intentions, and behaviours

Question 24

In Theory of Mind, what is false belief?

Answer 24

The ability to consider another person’s knowledge as a factor in their actions, even if based upon false information

Question 25

Provide an example for 1st order and 2nd order false belief understanding.

Answer 25

1. “What does he think?”
2. “What does he think that she thinks?”

Question 26

How might we test 1st and 2nd order false belief understanding?

Answer 26

Through stories

Question 27

What are 3 memory strategies children use to retrieve information from long-term memory?

Answer 27

1. Rehearsal
2. Organization
3. Chunking

Question 28

What is autobiographical memory?

Answer 28

The memory of big events in one’s life

Question 29

According to the medical memory study, how did the 1-year-olds compare to the 2-year-olds in memory when they were taken to the ER after an injury?

Answer 29

1-year-olds: Less likely to recall events, and when they did, their recall was highly flawed
2-year-olds: More likely to recall events, and when they did, they remembered a great deal

Question 30

According to the TV and EF study, what type of TV show has the most positive impact on children’s executive functions?

Answer 30

Educational TV shows as opposed to fast-paced TV shows

Question 31

True or false: according to the TV and EF study, drawing for 9 minutes has a more positive impact on children’s executive functioning than educational TV shows.

Answer 31

True

Question 32

How many hours per day does the Canadian Pediatric Society recommend for children 2-5 years old?

Answer 32

1 hour per day