Cognitive Development Flashcards
What did Piaget believe about children’s cognitive development?
Children explore their world and adjust their mental schemas when learning new information
At what ages are the 3 big changes in children, according to Piaget?
2, 7, and 11 years
What does the stage theory suggest about children’s development?
Children must pass one stage before moving onto the next
What are the 4 developmental stages Piaget theorized of cognitive development? What ages take place in each stage?
- Sensorimotor stage (0-2 yrs.)
- Preoperational stage (2-7 yrs.)
- Concrete operational stage (7-11 yrs.)
- Formal operational stage (11 yrs. -adulthood)
What are some major characteristics of Piaget’s theory of the sensorimotor stage?
Learning about the world through basic actions, movements, sensations, and that they are a separate being from the world
What are some major characteristics of Piaget’s theory of the preoperational stage?
Beginning to think symbolically, better language and thinking skills if concrete, struggle to see viewpoints of others
What are some major characteristics of Piaget’s theory of the concrete operational stage?
Logical and organized concrete thinking, understanding the concept of conservation, inductive logic
What are some major characteristics of Piaget’s theory of the formal operational stage?
Thinking abstractly, more philosophical and ethical thinking, deductive reasoning
Who was the leader in starting cognitive development research?
Piaget
What are 2 major flaws that modern research has found about Piaget’s cognitive development theory?
- He underestimates children’s cognitive development
- He overestimates adolescents’ cognitive development
What did Vygotsky’s sociocultural perspective suggest?
Cognitive development is from social interaction and cannot be separated from sociocultural contexts
What is the zone of proximal development?
The space where a learner can perform tasks with guidance
What does scaffolding consist of?
Activities provided by the teacher to support the learner in the zone of proximal development
What are executive functions?
Higher-level cognitive skills used to control and guide behaviours
What is the purpose of working memory?
Keeping key information in mind while using it
When is working memory active?
When listening to instructions, following rules, solving problems
According to the digit span test, what age group had the best working memory score?
7-8 years (experiment had ages 3-8 years tested)
What is the purpose of inhibitory control?
To suppress a dominant, natural response and controlling automatic urges
What is the Stroop Task experiment and what executive function did it seek to demonstrate?
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
According to the Stroop task experiment, what age group had the best inhibitory control score?
7-8 years (experiment had ages 3-8 years tested)
What is the executive function of switching?
The ability to switch between different thoughts/rules/tasks
What was illustrated in the Card-Sort task?
Participants sort cards into different categories based upon criteria that change over time
What is the Theory of Mind?
The ability to understand other’s thoughts, intentions, and behaviours
In Theory of Mind, what is false belief?
The ability to consider another person’s knowledge as a factor in their actions, even if based upon false information
