Cognitive Development Flashcards
Who was Jean Piaget?
1896-1980, genetic epistemologist and developmental psychologist who observed and wrote about his children
What is an epistemologist?
someone who studies the nature of knowledge
How many books did Piaget write?
40+, 18,000 pages
What is the concept of discrete stages of development?
constant order of succession based on genetic potential and experience, no stages can be skipped because each stage lays groundwork for subsequent stages
What is the child’s role in moving through discrete stages of development?
the child is actively engaged in acquiring knowledge and constantly exploring the environment
What are the basic components of Piaget’s discrete stages?
schema/schemata, assimilation and accommodation
What is schema/schemata?
organized patterns of knowledge based on interactions with the environment, start as reflexes to complex actions to mental representations
What is assimilation?
interpreting external objects, places, people, events in terms of our present way of thinking
What is accommodation?
changing cognitive structure (schema) and expanding what we know aka dog to poodle and car to SUV
What is the cat schema example?
1) boy has learned schema of cat (schema) 2) boy saw a cub and called it “cat” sister said “no it’s a cub” (assimilation) 3) he accommodates new schema of cub (accommodation)
What is an infants favorite scheme to explore the world?
banging
What are the 4 cognitive stages from Piaget?
sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operations, formal operations
When does the sensorimotor cognitive stage occur?
birth to 2 years
When does the preoperational cognitive stage occur?
2-7 years
When does the concrete operations stage occur?
7-12 years
When does the formal operations stage occur?
12+ years
What are the 6 substages of sensorimotor cognitive stages?
reflex activity, primary circular reactions, secondary circular, coordination of secondary schemes, tertiary circular and beginning of representational thought
What is the reflex activity substage of sensorimotor?
innate reflexes to fulfill a need, rooting, sucking, grasping