Cognitive Development and Education Flashcards
What was Jean Piaget’s view on cognitions?
He believed that we are genetically programmed to have the ability to think abstractly and this is what makes us different to non-human animals.
What did Piaget mean by ‘schema’?
Schema are mental organisations with which we make sense of the world and which direct our actions.
What are the four stages Piaget came up with in his stage theory of cognitive development and what ages does each stage happen at?
Sensorimotor (0-2 years), Pre-operational (2-7 years), Concrete operational (7-11 years) and Formal operational (11 years to adulthood).
What happens in Piaget’s Sensorimotor stage?
- Children learn knowledge from physical experiences and sensory input
- Object permanence - child starts to realise when objects are out of sight they still exist
What happens in the Pre-operational stage?
- Memory and imagination improve
- Language develops
- Thinking not yet logical
- Child believes what they can see, everyone else can see too
What happens in the Concrete-operational stage?
- Child begins to understand logic and can think beyond what they can see
- Understands there is more than one viewpoint
- Develops conversation skills
What happens in the Formal operational stage?
- Formal logic
- Not everyone reaches this stage - most sophisticated stage of thinking
What was Vygotsky interested in?
The development of thinking and its role in learning.
What did Vygotsky suggest children have to do with development?
A Zone of Proximal Development which is the area of cognitive skills a child can reach with the help of a more-knowledgeable other.
What did Vygotsky believe influences children’s cognitive development the most?
The environment in which they grow up.
What did Bruner consider cognitive development as?
He considered that it was not simply understanding concepts or problem solving, but also the ability to be creative and autonomous, and ‘invent’ new thoughts.
What were the three stages in Bruner’s stage theory of cognitive development and what ages does each stage correspond to?
Enactive stage (0-1 year), Iconic stage (1-6 years) and Symbolic stage (7 years onwards).
What happens in the enactive stage?
Actual objects need to be touched and played with - child may have no internalised schema or representation of the object.
What happens in the iconic stage?
Objects are represented by pictures or icons.
What happens in the symbolic stage?
Words or formulae can represent the object.
What is an example of where Bruner’s stages are used?
Used in the classroom - teachers go through these stages as the children grow up.
What are the main points Bruner and Piaget agree on?
- Children are pre-adapted to learn
- Children’s cognition develops over time
- Symbols can be used when cognition develops
What are the main points Bruner and Piaget disagree on?
- Bruner says development is continuous, Piaget says it is stage theory
- Bruner says language precedes learning, Piaget says it comes after
What did Perry propose about college students?
He proposed that they pass through a predictable sequence of stages.
What was Perry’s view of cognitive development?
Stage theory - 4 stages of mental and moral development.
What is Perry’s first stage and who is it for?
- First stage is typically for young people and is called ‘dualism’
- Belief than every problem is solvable
What is Perry’s last stage?
- Commitment
- Stage when there is an acceptance of the uncertainty of life
What is Bruner’s Spiral Curriculum?
Suggests information is structured so new knowledge is taught at a simplified level first and then revised at more complex levels.
What did Bruner mean by ‘Scaffolding’?
- Involves structured support between a more knowledgeable person and a learner
- Support is gradually removed as child learns until they can achieve task on their own
What did Vygotsky believe the role of teachers should be?
Role is to facilitate the learning process by designing tasks in the child’s Zone of Proximal Development
What did Piaget say about teachers?
They should provide an appropriate, stimulating environment to allow the child to discover.
What is meant by discovery learning?
Learners construct own knowledge for themselves and develop own meaning.
What was the aim of Wood, Bruner and Ross’s study?
To see how children respond to a tutor when they had a problem to solve, and see if this behavior changes with different age groups.
What was the sample used in Wood, Bruner and Ross’s study?
- 30 children aged 3 to 5
- From Massachusetts, America
- Parents volunteered after seeing adverts
What was ‘The Task’ in Wood, Bruner and Ross’s study?
- Tested individually in sessions lasting from 20 minutes to 1 hour
- Required children to make wooden-toy pyramid with 6 layers from 21 blocks
- Blocks interlocked through rod and hole system
What did the tutor do while the children took part in ‘The Task’?
Tutor used a standardized set of prescribed actions, and made sure the child did as much as possible by themselves, using verbal and physical instructions if needed.
How long were the children allowed to play with the 21 blocks before they were shown how to make a pair of blocks?
5 minutes
What did the tutor do if the child ignored the tutor and continued to play?
Tutor would again present paired blocks.
What did the tutor do if the child could take the blocks the tutor had just made and played with them?
Tutor would again present paired blocks, pairing them in front of child.
What did the tutor do if the child could take up the blocks and manipulate them in a similar way?
Tutor would verbally point out any errors they were making.
How were the children scored?
Event sampling used so children had a tally of behavior: Assisted, Unassisted and Matched, Mismatched (whether they could match the construction)
What were the general results of the 3 year olds?
- Performed worse on the task
- No 3 year olds put 4 blocks together correctly
What were the tutor help results of the 3 year olds?
- They needed more tutor help to construct blocks
- Often ignored tutor
What were the general results of the 4 & 5 year olds?
- Performed better on the task
- All 4 & 5 year olds put the 4 blocks together correctly
What were the tutor help results of the 4 & 5 year olds?
- Needed less help
- Accepted help more
What are the conclusions about the 3 year olds?
They needed more help but often ignored the tutor more.
What are other conclusions of this study?
- Demonstrates how scaffolding can be used
- Suggests an individual approach is important to help children
- Supports Piaget’s stages of Cognitive Development as shows older children have better understanding
What are the three main learning groups?
- Physical learner
- Auditory learner
- Visual learner
What are three good strategies for memorising things?
Research on memory has shown us mnemonics help us memorise, and so does rehearsing and mind maps.
