cognitive development Flashcards
steps to think like a developmental psychologist
- physics metaphor –> Once you stop taking gravity for granted, you open up a whole new idea of questions
If you observe something, you can learn so many new things - building a mind from scratch –> the mind is very complex, and even the most simple tasks take immense effort to perform
- think critically (ask the why questions)
epigenetics
Gene expression can be modulated (influenced) by experience
domain-specific theory
Are our minds supported by many specialized systems that evolved for specific domains (objects, people, language, etc.)
* pre-installed “apps”
domain-general theory
Or do we have a few general systems that can be used across many different domains?
* Learning algorithms that work for lots of domains
quantitative change
Numerically different
children: Are they getting smarter because they’re able to remember more due to the increased size of brain?
qualitative change
New structure, ability, or process
Are they getting smarter due to new structures being built in the brain, in order for them to obtain information readily
2 reasons why people study developmental psychology
- Allows you To Get Comfortable with Complexity
2. To Understand Others (and Yourself) Better
mechanistic view of the mind
The mind is like a machine
The each part serves a particular function
The parts don’t change function
complexity view of the mind
The mind is like an ecosystem
Components contribute to system in many ways
Changes at one level can reverberate through other levels (feedback loops)
importance of developmental psych in society
Developmental is about understanding the factors that influence how different people think, feel, believe, and act.
Creates a bridge/dialogue between cultures and people
basic question of piagetian theory
How do we go from reflexes to reason?
reason/think about complex/abstract matters
* genetic epistemology
genetic epistemology
the study of the origins of knowledge
describe Piagetian theory: constructivist
Child is not a blank slate, but does not come “preloaded” with innate knowledge either
Child actively “constructs” more and more complex knowledge and abilities out of simpler components (e.g., reflexes)
Piagetian theory: domain-general
Piaget thought that the properties exhibited in each stage were domain-general, meaning that all areas (social reasoning, language interpretation, and so on) differed in different stages.
layout of Piagetian theory of developmental psychology
- stage based
Children travel through a series of stages as they develop new knowledge and abilities
Each stage forms the foundation for the next stage
Development is about “leveling-up”
schemas
Child’s knowledge and ways of interacting with the world
ex: looking, mouthing, throwing, shaking
adaptation
Linking the child’s schemas and experiences in the world
2 types of adaptation
assimilation
accommodation
assimilation
interpreting new experience in terms of existing schemas
accommodation
altering existing schemas or creating new schemas in response to new experiences
Equilibration
assimilation and accommodation working together to enrich the child’s worldview
Trying to reach better cognitive fit with environment
Optimal adaptive fit with the environment
what happens when schemas are too simplistic?
Difficulty understanding what separates experiences/objects
too reliant on assimilation
what happens when schemas are too specific?
Difficulty understanding what unifies experiences/objects
too reliant on accommodation
stage 1 of Piagetian theory
0-2 year olds
reflexes and self vs. objects
reflexes (stage 1)
Reflexes used (accidentally at first) to learn about self and objects
stage 1: object permanence - out of sight
Out of sight = Out of mind
- no sense of object permanence
stage 1: object permanence - weak object understanding
Child can search for toys that are out of view but fails the A-not-B task and the Invisible Displacement Task
stage 1: object permanence (final)
has to understand object permanence in order to “pass” stage 1
stage 2: symbolic thought (overview) (2-7 year olds)
Child can use symbols to mentally represent objects and events (e.g., language, pretend play, and imaginary companions)
how are children still limited during stage 2 (symbolic thought)
- they’re egocentric thinkers (can’t be empathetic towards others)
- easily fooled by appearances
- fail conversion tasks
why do children fail stage 2 conversion tasks?
children struggle with centration
fail to use logical tools (mental operates)
centration
focus on one dimension of the problem
e.g., focus on height instead of both height and width
mental operators
are logical, rule-based ways of comparing mental representations.
the 3 types of mental operators
- Compensation
- Reversibility
- Identity
when do children move on to stage 3 from stage 2?
when they can use centration and mental operators well
stage 3: concrete reasoning overview (7-11 years)
Logical reasoning for concrete problems but difficulties with abstract or hypothetical reasoning
- have trouble using formal logic
formal logic
identifying whether a conclusion is valid based upon an argument’s form rather than its content
stage 4: abstract reasoning (11+ years)
Logical reasoning for abstract/hypothetical/formal problems
Scientific reasoning using the hypothetico-deductive method (generating and testing falsifiable hypotheses)
critiques of Piaget’s 4 stages
Many view stage-based theories are as too rigid
Underestimated children’s abilities and knowledge
Emphasis on logic, overlooked social context of development
difference between Piaget’s theory and Vygotsky’s theory
Piaget: focus on how physical environment affects a child’s development
Vygotsky: focus on how social environment affects a child’s development
memory experiments with infants
- DeCasper and Spence (Can newborns remember experiences from before they were born?)
- Rovee-Collier (How long can infants retain information for at different ages? –> Mobile task)
- Simcock & Hayne (Why do we struggle to remember events from the first few years of life?
(Infantile Amnesia))
attachment
Attachment refers to an emotional bond that leads a person to want to be with someone else and to miss him or her when separated
strange situation test
evaluate the nature of an infant’s attachment
theory of mind
refers to an individual’s ability to think about other people’s beliefs and desires and how those beliefs and desires predict and explain behaviour
Lawrence Kohlberg
Presented children and adults with moral dilemmas, assessed their moral reasoning
Kohlber’s staged-based theory of morality
Preconventional
Conventional
Postconventional
preconventional
- 2-10 years
- focus on punishment and gains
ex: Stealing the drug is wrong because Heinz will be punished harshly
conventional
- 9+ years
being virtuous means doing what we are told, conforming to group norms
ex: Stealing the drug is wrong because only bad people steal things, and one shouldn’t break the law
postconventional
(12+ yrs): being virtuous means adhering to a “higher” principle of justice or fairness
ex: Stealing the drug is wrong because it violates the druggists rights
evaluation of kohlberg’s morality theory
Unclear stages
Children’s responses to different scenarios can span all three major stages
Cross-cultural variations
WEIRD science: Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, Democratic
Possible gender bias
Mostly studied middle-class boys
Carol Gilligan criticized Kohlberg’s focus on justice over care
