Lecture 1- Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development Flashcards
Why does Piaget think children need the domain-general learning mechanism of accommodation?
a) it helps them about the physical world.
b) it enables them to resolve conflict between the world and the model of it in their minds.
c) it makes them more compliant.
d) it helps them learn new words.
B
According to Piaget, why can children not conserve volume?
a) Children fail this task because they can’t count.
b) Children fail this task because they lack formal operational thought.
c) Children fail this task because their thinking is ‘frozen’.
d) Children fail this task because they think the questioner expects them to change their previous answer.
C
At what stage does Piaget think children can first form a symbolic representation?
a) Sensorimotor stage
b) Preoperational stage
c) Concrete operational stage
d) Formal operational stage
B
Piaget thinks children are born with…
a) No innate knowledge.
b) Powerful domain-general learning mechanisms.
c) Some reflex actions to help them survive.
d) All three of the above.
D
According to Piaget, which of the following is NOT dependent on being able to form a symbolic representation?
a) Trying to remember where you put your keys
b) Playing a game in which, a yellow blanket becomes a sandy beech
c) Thinking that you are a girl
d) Scribbling on a piece of paper
D
According to Piaget, what is the difference between hypothetical thinking and fantasy play?
a) Only hypothetical thinking offers an alternative reality
b) Only hypothetical thinking requires children forming representations
c) Only hypothetical thinking involves ideas which are different from reality
d) The ability to perform an operation is necessary and sufficient to engage in hypothetical thinking
A
What are Piaget’s learning mechanisms
1) Assimilation = new knowledge
2) Accommodation = model fails so a new model formed
3) Equilibration- balance between the two
what is conflict world?
no model
what is consistency world?
model
How are stages created?
three accommodation events
Why are the accommodation events important?
changes the way knowledge is organized, changes all thinking
What is domain?
type of knowledge
Name the 4 developmental stages?
1) sensorimotor stage
2) Preoperational stage
3) Concrete operational stage
4) Formal operational stage
what ages does the sensorimotor stage start and end?
0 - 2 yrs
What years does the preoperational stage start and end?
2 - 7 yrs
what years does the concrete operational stage start and end?
7 - 11 yrs
what year does the formal operational stage start and end?
11 yrs +
Summarise the sensorimotor stage
1) Infants’ senses plug straight into actions
2) Learn how to move around the world
3) Learn action schema
What are the limitations of stage one of the developmental stages
1) Limits all domains
2) Physical- No understanding of object permanence
3) Egocentrism- only see the world from their perspective- the world only exists when they act on it
4) No mental representation
How did Piaget test object permanence?
A not B task
Define mental representation
provides the content of our thoughts and puts something between our senses and actions
State the importance of mental representation
allows you to understand object permanence, learn language and self identity
Summarise Pre-operational stage
1) Domain general change occurs (mental representation)
2) No mental operation but can do representations
3) Child thinking is frozen as they can form representations but can’t make them move
4) egocentric- unable to view the others perspectives
What test is used in the pre-operational stage
conservation task
What are the steps for the conservation task?
1) Pour liquid into 2 tall beakers and get child to agree they are the same
2) take the content of the beaker and poor into a shorter beaker
3) ask which beaker has the most or are they the same
What does the conservation task show about the children?
1) They cannot conserve- understanding the amount doesn’t change
2) Cannot do the reverse operation- can’t imagine the action of pouring the water back
Define operation
Mental actions used to make our representations move
Summarise the concrete Operational stage
1) can hold representations and perform operations
2) but they perform their actions first as it will allow them to learn operations
Action > Representation > Mental action
Summarise Formal operation stage
1) Abstract- thinking not bound to anything specific
2) Unbiased- show no prejudice, end of egocentrism
3) Hypothetical- able to imagine how the real world could be different
Summarise Piaget’s theory
1) knowledge is constructed (not innate)
2) development is domain genal
3) discontinuous- different ways of thinking in each stage
4) Development is a constructive purpose
