Cognitive Development Flashcards
Piaget’s Stages of Development
sensorimotor stage 0-2
preoperational stage 2-7
concrete operational stage 7-11
formal operational stage 12+
sensorimotor stage
age 0-2 years old
cognitive development is focused around physical interactions with the environment and moving around it
said to end when the child develops a sense of object permancne
object permanence
ability to recognize that an object still exists despite it not being presently seen
preoperational stage
age 2-7 years old
children are egocentric, have trouble taking the perspective of others, and learn to play pretend
concrete operational stage
age 7-11 years old
concept of conservation is being learned and the child becomes capable of simple reasoning
conservation
ability to recognize that quantity has not changed despite a change in container
develops during concrete operational stage
formal operational stage
age 12+ years
children are able to think abstractly and are capable of moral reasoning
schemas
mental models that allow us to make sense of the world according to Piaget
assimilation of schemas
confirmation of our current schemas by new experiences
accommodation of schemas
modification of our current schemas when we are presented with information that they do not account for
may involve making new schemas or adjusting existing ones
disequilibrium
state of confusion that results when information cannot fit into our existing schemas
requires accommodation to restore equilibrium
problem solving
the act of determining an action that can bring a person closer to a goal
well-defined problems
challenges that have a specific starting point and a known goal
ill-defined problems
challenges that do not have a specific starting point or a known goal
trial and error problem solving
method of overcoming a challenge that involves testing random guesses until the goal is reached
algorithm strategy
method of overcoming a challenge that involves testing guesses in a logical, methodical order that ensures that the answer will eventually be found
heuristics
mental shortcuts that allow a person to solve problems more quickly
means-end analysis
method of problem solving that involves identifying the end goal and the main challenge in getting to that end goal
main challenge is addressed first and then the sub-problems that ensue
working backwards
method of problem solving that involves beginning from the goal state and making connections back to the current state
availability heuristic
drawing on personal experience or readily accessible examples that come to mind when trying to assess probability
often leads to the wrong conclusion because decision making can be skewed by recently learned information
representativeness heuristic
using prototypes/categories and ideas of what is typical within these prototypes to make decisions or assess probability
conjunction fallacy
the assumption that two things occurring together is more likely than the occurrence of just one
this leads to error in judging probability
fixation (problem solving)
state of being stuck on a particular solution to a problem that has been shown not to work
incubation
a way of dealing with fixation that involves diverting attention away from the problem and waiting for a moment of insight
biases
overconfidence bias
belief perseverance
confirmation bias
framing
overconfidence bias
tendency to overestimate one’s own capability or correctness
fluency
ease of processing that can contribute to overconfidence in the material
belief perseverance
ignoring or rationalizing information that disproves one’s beliefs in order to maintain those beliefs
confirmation bias
tendency to seek out and favor information that supports existing beliefs
framing
manner in which information is presented is often capable of skewing decision making based on that information
initelligence
mental quality that describes the ability to acquire and use new information, solve problems and learn from experience
IQ
intelligence quotient
measure of intelligence based on a test that divides the test-taker’s mental age by their physical age
theory of general intelligence
idea that there is one universal type of mental ability that allows for success in all fields
each individual has different levels of this one general ability
G-Factor
the quantitative measure used in the theory of general intelligence
Sternberg’s Triarchic Theory of Intelligence
there are 3 distinct categories of mental abilities that contribute to real world success: analytical, creative, and practical abilities
analytical intelligence
category of mental abilities that allows for effective problem solving and learning, and can be measured with an IQ test
creative intelligence
helps a person deal with novel situation by drawing on past experience and generate new ideas
practical intelligence
allows a person to adapt to their environment and to deal with ill-defined problems
emotional intelligence
ability to deal with emotionally charged problems or situations
includes being aware of and controlling one’s own personal emotions and how they are expressed, and handling interpersonal conflicts and emotional situations successfully
fluid intelligence
mental ability that allows a person to solve novel problems, reason through problems, and think abstractly and logically
this tends to decrease with age
crystallized intelligence
the accumulation of knowledge through experience and the ability to apply this knowledge
tends to increase with age
heritability
proportion of a trait or quality that is due to genes
often studied through twin studies to control for genetic and/or environmental differences
fixed mindset
belief that the amount of intelligence a person possesses cannot be changed over time or with practice and experience, and is biologically based
growth mindset
belief that the amount of intelligence a person possesses can be changed through experience and learning, rather than being biologically set
theory of primary mental abilities
there are 7 distinct categories of intelligence: verbal comprehension, reasoning, perceptual speed, numerical ability, spatial visualization, associative memory, word fluency
theory of multiple intelligences
Howard Gardner’s idea that there are 7 independent mental abilities that encompass much more than what can be tested with an IQ test
7 abilties - visual-spatial, verbal-linguistic, bodily-kinesthetic, logical-mathematical, interpersonal, musical, intrapersonal, and naturalistic intelligence
cognitive dissonance
experience of discomfort due to one’s conflicting and concurrently-held beliefs, or actions that conflict with one’s held beliefs
language
systematic method of communication which can be verbal or non-verbal and has some standard and formalized rules
aphasia
any condition that affects language abilities
Broca’s area
part of the frontal lobe (typically in the left hemisphere) that is responsible for the production of speech
Broca’s (non-fluent) aphasia
condition characterized by an inability to produce speech reliably, despite being able to comprehend speech
often caused by damage to the left frontal lobe
Wernicke’s area
posterior part of the temporal lobe (typically in the left hemisphere) that is responsible for the comprehension of speech
Wernicke’s (fluent) aphasia
condition characterized by the inability to comprehend speech while still being able to produce nonsense speech
due to damage in the posterior portion of the left temporal lobe
global aphasia
inability to comprehend or produce speech
typically caused by damage to both Wernicke’s and Broca’s area
arcuate fasciculus
group of nerve fibers that connect Broca’s area to Wernicke’s area
conduction aphasia
speech impairment condition characterized by the inability to repeat things, despite full comprehension and ability to produce speech
typically caused by damage to the arcuate fasciculus
agraphia
type of aphasia characterized by an inability to write
anomia
type of aphasia characterized by an inability to name objects
split brain patients
people who have had their corpus callosum surgically cut, usually to treat seizures
results in impaired communication between the two hemispheres, including an inability to name objects presented to only the left visual field
contralateral organization
sensations that are stimulated on one side of the body are processed in the hemisphere opposite
linguistic universalism
thought precedes language, and language only exists to describe these thoughts
linguistic determinism
language determines and limits though
strong linguistic determinism (whorfian hypothesis)
theory that language completely controls and limits thought by giving it structure
weak linguistic determinism
theory that language influences, but does not completely determine, thought patterns through the way thought is structured
nativist theory of language development
Noam Chomsky’s idea that the ability to learn language is innate and stored in the language acquisition device in the brain
based on the idea that all languages share universal grammar that children are naturally able to pick up on, and these skills have a critical period after which they deteriorate
universal grammar
underlying principles or template that govern all languages and are innate to humans
makes language easy to learn during the critical period
critical period
time in a child’s life when they are the most capable of learning a language
usually lasts from birth to age 8 or 9
language acquisition device
hypothetical part of the brain that (according to Chomsky) stores the basis of universal grammar and is responsible for learning language
Chomsky thought this was only active from birth to age 8
learning theory of language acquisition
idea supported by Skinner and other behaviorists that children acquire language through reinforcement
theory fails to account for the fact that children can produce words or sentences they have never heard
social interactionist approach to language development
humans are innately capable of learning language and choose to do so because of social factors and the desire to interact with others
