Cognitive Development Flashcards
What was Piaget’s main idea about child development?
Children are like little scientists, form hypotheses about world. They explore and want to understand the world , thinking changes qualitatively with age-all kids make the same kinds of mistakes at the same stage and explain why in the same age
What does it meant that children have a constructivist approach?
Kids construct their own knowledge
Is a childs development continuous or discontinuous according to Piaget?
Discontinuous
What are the 4 invariant, universal stages that all children go through according to Piaget?
1) Sensorimotor
2) Preoperational
3) Concrete operational
4) Formal Operational
What is a schema?
A mental model of an object, person,or event
What is unique about Piaget’s theories?
He didn’t focus on just one area of development-he tried to capture the overall cognitive system of development
How do children learn according to Piaget?
Through developing schemas about the world-involves assimilation and accommodation
What is assimilation?
When new experiences are incorporated into existing schemas-see something new and relate it to something you already know
What is accommodation?
Process by which schemas are adjusted and changed based on experiences.
What is disequilibrium and how do we change this?
When the existing schema doesn’t work super well-we don’t like this. Adjust schemas to gain equilibrium
What is the sensorimotor stage?
When kids learn about the world through senses/actions
What age does the sensorimotor stage happen?
0-2
What are circular reactions (sensorimotor)
When the baby accidentally does motor action and likes the consequences of that action, then repeats the action over and over and over
What can ciruclar reactions eventually turn into?
Schemas, and can make children more goal oriented/experimental.
What is object permanence?
The understanding that an object still exists even if it’s hidden from view
When did Piaget believe we begin to develop object permanence?
8 months
What is perseveration (aka the A not B error)
When you hide something in location A, and the baby finds it. Keep hiding it in location A over and over… and then hide it in location B. Baby still looks in A!
When did Piaget believe we outgrow perseveration?
12 months
What has shown that object permanence may develop earlier (around 5-9 months of age)?
Predictive eye tracking and Violation of expectancy
What is the violation of expectancy?
Show children an impossible outcome and see which they stare longer at. If it’s at the impossible outcome, shows that they understand object permanence (4-5 month olds can do this)
What is an explanation of testing on the A not B error?
Even when children reach for A, they look at B-if we slow them down, they reach for the correct location earlier! Also depends on how many times we hid it in A.
What is the developmental trend that may explain the A not B error?
Lack of inhibitory control to stop the self. First we learn a skill (ex: reaching out), then we learn how to stop it (how to stop reaching for A)-inhibition shows kids need less practice doing the skill (mastery)
When did Piaget think we start to imitate and what was the issue with this?
18 months, however he was testing for complex skills (ex: shaking a rattle)
When can children actually begin to imtiate?
Facial expressions: 6 weeks
Objects: 6- 9 months
Skillful: 12-18 months
What are deferred imitations?
Will the kid imitate something after not seeing it for a bit? At age 6 months, they can delay for a day. Gets longer with age (drinking like a flamingo)
What is symbolic understanding?
Understanding symbols-understanding that a photo of something is different than the object itself. Babies tend to treat photos the same as the real object.
When does symbolic understanding and gestures and pretend play develop?
12-15 months
How well does Piaget’s sensorimotor stage hold up?
He identified correct general trends, approximate agets where skill is learned BUT evidence can be seen earlier if studied differently.
What is the preoperational stage?
Lots of pretend play! Can represent things symbolically, but don’t understand mental operations (rules).
When does the preoperational stage begin?
2-7 years
How do kids differ in their pretend play before the preoperational stage versus after?
Before 2 years: Kids use objects as intended
After: More likely to realize that one object can have “multiple identities”- ex: a stick can be a sword, pool cue, etc. Play also becomes less self centred and and starts to combine schemas
What is an example of how play becomes less self-centred around age 3?
Kids will start to serve tea to others rather than to themselves
When do we begin assigning intentions to objects (ex: doll drinks tea herself)
After 3
What is an example of how we combine schemas?
You don’t just drink the tea… have to pour it THEN drink
What is sociodramatic play?
Playing make believe with others. Build on ideas, combine schemas, complex story lines, create and coordinate roles.
What did Piaget believe make believe play was used to do?
Practice representational schemas (ex: typical day at school, after school etc).
What have modern researchers found that make believe play is used for?
Emotional integration, social and language skills, attention, memory, logical reasoning, creativity
How is drawing done at age 2?
Basically a bunch of scribbles
How does drawing progress after age 2?
3 year olds will draw something and THEN name it. Also start to outline objects
What is a major milestone with drawing?
Being able to draw objects and people
What are tadpole humans?
Kids draw people as circles with arms and legs sticking out.
What is dual representation?
Realization that a symbolic object is both a symbol and an object (ex: Toy house is a toy but also represents MY house)
When does dual representation happen?
Around age 3
What does Piaget define his stages by?
What kids cannot do-each subsequent stage means kids are just slightly more competent