Lecture 3: Theories Of Cognitive Dev Flashcards
What is cognitive dev
How humans acquire organize and learn to use knowledge
What are the 3 major theories of cognitive dev
1) Piaget theory
2) core knowledge theories
3) sociocultural theories
Who is Jean Piaget
Father of field of cognitive development
• Swiss psychologist
• In 1920, worked at the Binet Institute on intelligence tests
• At the time, children viewed as mini-adults
• Piaget intrigued by children’s wrong answers
• Piaget proposed that:
• Children’s thinking is qualitatively different
from adults’ thinking
• Cognition grows and develops through a series of stages
In 1920 How were children viewed
As mini adults (know less than adults
)
Did Piaget believe that children were mini adults
No he believed that they’re thinking is qualitatively different from adults
True or false: according to Piaget, cognition grows and develops through a series of continuous stages
False, discontinous
Why was Piaget intrigued by childrens wrong answers on intelligence tests
He noticed that kids of a similar age made similar types of mistakes (pattern)
What are the properties of Piaget stage theory
Children at different stages think in qualitatively different ways
• Thinking at each stage influences thinking across diverse topics
• Brief transitional period at the end of each stage:
• Before entering a new stage, children fluctuate between the type of thinking characteristic of the new, more advanced stage and the old, less advanced stage
• The stages are universal (not culture dependent) and the order is the always the same
According to Piaget theory, what is the relationship between children in diff stages of the stage theory
Children at different stages think in qualitatively different ways
True or false L in stage theory there is a brief transition period at the end of each stage
True
Explain the transitional period at the end of each stage in Piaget stage theory
Before entering a new stage, children fluctuate between the type of thinking characteristic of the new, more advanced stage and the old, less advanced stage
= DISCONTINUOUS
In Piaget theory , are the stages universal ?
Yes they are not cultural dependable and the order is always the same
In Piaget view, are children passive or Active learners and explain
They actively shape their knowledge of the world
(Have ideas about the world, perform experiments and draw conclusions from obsertvation
What are Piaget 4 view on children nature
They are active learners
They learn on their own
Intrinsically motivated
Their dev is shaped by nature and nurture
In Piaget view of children nature, how did children learn
On their own with no dependance on instructions from others
True or false and explain; Children are intrinsically motivated to learn •
True
Do not require rewards from other people
I’m Piaget view of children nature, does cognitive dev rely on nature or nutrture
Both, depends on actual brain maturation as well as thru relevant experiences
What are Piaget 4 stages of cognitive dev
Sensorimotor
Preoperational
Concrete operatatiomal
Formal operational
What age is the sensorimotor stage
Less than 2 years
What is the sensorimotor stage
Period of tremendous cognitive development due to new experiences and rapid brain development
In the sensorimotor world, how do children know the world
Through movements an pod sensation
(Thru reflexes and we adapt them to make them more adaptive)
Give an example of how a child changes in reflex’s to adapt
Change their sucking reflex for boob vs pacifier
What is a childs attitude of oneself at around 6 months in the sensorimotor stage
More interested in the world around them beyond their own bodies
Repetition of action that produce interesting results is characteristics of what stage of Piaget
Sensorimotor
When does object permanence develop according to Piaget
8 months
What is the definition of object permanence
Knowing that objects continue to exist even through they can no lknger be seen or heard
how is object permanence tested
tested by seeing how a baby reactts to an object being hidden
if doesn’t look for object or getts upset= no object permanence
if looks for object= developped object perrmanence
if you hide an object and th baby doesn’t look for object or getts upset, what does that mean
= no object permanence
if you hide an object and if looks for object, what does that mean
= developped object perrmanence
what is the. A-not B eerror
tendency to reach. for a hidden object where it was last found rather than in tthe new location where it was last hidden
what is an examplee the objeect permance is fragile
the fact that children committ a not b errors
at 8 months when object permancee is devlopped, is it perfect? yes or no and why
no , it is fragile (they still commit A not B errors)
when do a not b errors go away
around 12 months
explain the sensorimotor stage at 8-18 mnths
Greater active exploration of how objects can be used
• Intentional actions and experimenting to see how the outcome changes • E.g. Varying the height from which an object is dropped
• Allows for development of causality
give an example of kids in the sensimotor period doing inentional actions to see how outcome changes
varying the height from which an onject is dropped
(allows for dev of causality)
what is causality
understanding the cause and effect relationship
when are children able to form enduring mental representation
18-24 month
explain what is means for children to be abe to do enduring mental represnentaion
they are finally able to think about objects that are not necesarily in front of them
how do we know that at 18-24 month children are able to form enduring mental representation
it is indicated by deffered imitation (imitating smt that is no longer there)
if object permanence is not fully developped at 12 months when does it become more fully developped
18-24 months
true or false: kids have symbolic thought in the sensorimotor stage
false, in the preopperational stage yes
what age is the preopperational stage
2-7
what is symbolic thought
the ability to think about objects or events that are not within the immediate environment
what does symbolic though enable
language acquisition
at what age do children develop the abilit to use symbolic representaiton
2-7
what is the evidence that allows us to know that children develop the ability to use symbolic representation in the preopperational stage
they engage in pretend play and drawins (can imagine objetcs to have a differnet meaning or use)
egocentrism is a large trait in what stage of dev theory
preopperational
what is egocentristm
perceiving the world solely from ones own point of view (literally and perspective)
what age is egocentrism common
2-7
what is an example taht children in the preoprationaol stage are egocentric
difficulty taking another persons spatial perspective (video of kid with mountain)
-egocentric speech
what is egocentric speech
having a conversation with someone and not registering what the other person is saying (cannot stay on same topic)
what is a sign of progress that a child is moving away from egocentrism
increase in child`s verbal arguments
=means that child is at least paying attention to another perspective
what is stage is centration consistnt with
preopperational stage (2-7)
what is centration
tendency to focus on a single, perceptually striking feature of an object or event to the exclusion of other relevant features
what are the main concepts common in preopperational stage
symbolic thought
egocentrism
centration
What is the definition of contraction
• Centration: tendency to focus on a single, perceptually
striking feature of an object or event to the exclusion of other relevant features
In what stage do children struggle with the conservation concept
Propperatinal stage
What is the conservation concept
merely changing the appearance of an object does not change the objects’ other key properties
Be able to explain Piaget conservation tasks outcomes
What are the 4 types of conservation in Piaget tasks
Volume
Number
Matter
Length
When is the concrete operational stage
7 to 12
At what stage are children amble tovreseon logically about concrete objects and events
Concrete operational stage (7 to 12)
(Ex can understand the conservation coentop
According to Piaget, as of what age can you understand the conservation concept
After 7 years old
What are the e3 main concrete operations
Reversilibiltiy
Serration (transitive inference)
Cognitive maps
Define reversibility as a concrete operation
the capacity to think through a series of steps and then
mentally reverse direction, returning to the starting point
Define seriatjon as a concrete operation
the ability to order items along a quantitative dimension, such as length or weight
What is mental serration called
Transitive inference
What is transitive inference
Mental seriation
Understand the example of transitive inference ( a not bigger than c ex)
,
What are cognitive maps as a concrete operation
the mental representation of familiar large-scale spaces, such as their neighbourhood and school
Although children in the concrete operational stage can reason logically, what is their limitation
Cannot think in purely abstract/hypothetical terms or generate systematic scientific experiments to test their beliefs
What age is the formal operational stage
12 and up
At what age does Piaget believe you can think abstractly and to reason hypothetically
12 and up
True or false
Formal operational stage is universal
False, not everyone reaches it
Explain the benefit of being in the formal operational stage
Since they can think abscracetly, Can imagine realities that are different than the current one
• Allows them to be interested in politics, ethics, science fiction, and to reason scientifically
What does Piaget pendulum problem test
Deductive reasoning
What is the Piaget pendulum problem and it’s implication to Children.
Determine the influence of weight and string length on the time it takes for the pendulum to swing back and forth
= Unbiased experiments require varying only one variable at a time
• Children under 12 perform unsystematic experiments and draw incorrect conclusions
Which stage is categorized by Period of tremendous cognitive development due to new experiences and rapid brain development
• Know the world through movements and sensations
Sensorimotor
Which stage is categorized by aspects such as egocentrism, and symbolic thought
Preopperational
What stage is associated w the ability to reason logic about concrete objects and operations
Concrete operational stage
Which stage Piaget is categorized by the ability to think abstractly and reason hypothetically
Formal operations
During the sensorimotor period, infants know the world through what mechanism
Through their senses and movements
By the end of what stage is object permanence achieved
Sensorimotor
During the oreoperational stage, children can internally represent to world through whate
Language and symlbols
In the preopperational stage, children thinking is categorized by what
Egocentrism and contraction
In what stage do you begin to think logically about concrete objects
Concrete operations
True or false, in concrete operational you can see the world from other perspectives
True
How did Piaget suggest children learned
Through developing schemas and then new info is assimilated into these schemas (are accomodated)
What is a schema (Piaget) and why is it useful for children
cognitive framework or concept that helps organize and interpret information
• Useful because they allow children to take shortcuts in interpreting vast amounts of information
Explain how schemas are important for learning in children.
Useful because they allow children to take shortcuts in interpreting vast amounts of information
• As experience happens and new information is presented, new schemas are developed and old schemas are modified
Be able to understand dfhe cow example with schemas and dog
My
What is assimilation in context of schemas and learning
The process of taking in new information into already existing knowledge
What is accommodation in terms of children learning and schemas
The process of improving current knowledge in light of new information
What is equilibiration according to Piaget
• The process by which we balance assimilation and accommodation to create stable understanding
Explain the 3 phases of equilibrium
Equilibration
• The process by which we balance assimilation and accommodation to create stable understanding
• 3 phases:
1. Equilibrium: Satisfied with knowledge of a particular thing
2. Disequilibrium: New information leads to realization that knowledge is inadequate and causes confusion
3. More sophisticated understanding of thing
What are the 3 main strengths of piagetse theory
Provides a good overview of children’s thinking at different ages
• Exceptional breadth (Spans the lifespan, Examines many cognitive operations and concepts)
• Intuitively plausible depiction of children’s nature as active learners and how learning progresses
What are the 2 applications of Piaget theory to education
Children’s distinctive ways of thinking at different ages need to be considered in deciding how to teach them
• E.g., cannot teach kids in concrete operational state about inertia and calculus
• Children learn best by interacting with the environment • Hand on learning
• Experiments
What are the weaknesses in Piaget theory
Piaget didn’t use scientific method to develop theory • (Relied on observing own children)
• Children are more cognitively competent than Piaget recognized
• Theory underestimates the contribution of the social world to cognitive development
• Theory is vague about the mechanisms that give rise to how children think and produce cognitive growth
• Theory depicts children’s thinking as more consistent than it is (Once children reach a certain stage, their thinking is far more variable than Piaget thought)
True or falsely and explain
Piaget didn’t use scientific method to dev theory
True he relied mostly on observing. His own choldren
Did Piaget think kids were more or less competent than they were
Thought he was less comp
What is the relationship between social work and cognitive dev in Piaget theory
There is none
True or false: Core theories knowledge believes in innate knowledge
Yes
Explain innate knowledge according to the Core knowledge theories
Children have some innate knowledge in domains of special evolutionary importance
• But many concepts are not mastered until later
Explain domain specific learning mechanism
Children are born with specialized learning mechanisms that allow them to quickly and effortlessly acquiring additional information in domains of evolutionary importance
Give some examples of domains where children are born with specialized learning mechanisms according to core knowledge theories
• Inanimate object and their mechanical interactions • Understanding the minds of people and animals
• Language
• Spatial layout
• Numbers
What is the evidence that there are domain specific learning mechanisms and give example
• Acquisition of a skill early in life across cultures
• Acquisition is quick, effortless, and doesn’t require direct instruction
Ex: language acquisition
Explain how language aquisitin is an example of the fact that there are domain specific learning maecahnsms that are innate
Almost all children master the grammar of their native language quickly and effortlessly without adult instruction
True or false: Core-knowledge theorists proposed that object permanence may be present before 8 months of age
True
What is the evidence for earlier object permanence
• When shown an object and then the light in the room is turned off, most infants younger than 8 months old will reach for where they last saw the object
• Suggests that they still expect it to be there
Why is Piaget object permanence task perhaps not suitable to disprove object permanence
May be too difficult
Infants younger than 8 months old may fail Piaget’s object permanence task because haven’t developed the motor capacity to manually search
What is a better/More age-appropriate way to measure object permanence. That is not through reaching and grabbing
To examine looking behaviour vs actually needed motor skills
Explain the violation of expectation paradigm
Infants are habituated to an event
• Test: presented with a possible and impossible event that are variations on the habituation event
• Possible event: consistent with knowledge or expectation being examined in the study
• Impossible event: violates knowledge or expectation being studied
• Longer looking at the impossible event indicates that the infant possesses the physical knowledge being studied
• Impossible event is viewed as more novel/ unexpected
In the violation of expectation paradigm, what is a possible event
consistent with knowledge or expectation being examined in the study
In the violation of expectation paradigm, what is an impossible event
Event that violates knowledge or expectation being studied
In the violation of expectation paradigm, what does looking longer at the impossible event indicative
indicates that the infant possesses the physical knowledge being studied
• Impossible event is viewed as more novel/ unexpected
Be able to explain the drawbridge study
What was the results of the drawbridge study
Infants as young as 3.5 months old looked longer at the impossible event (drawbridge going through a box) than the possible event
• Indicates surprise due to violation of expectation that solid objects can’t go through another solid object
What was the final conclusion of the drawbridge study
Shows that infants knew that the box still existed behind the bridge even though they couldn’t see it
• Suggests that infants as young as 3 1⁄2 months old have object permanence
Using the drawbridge study, when does it stipulate that infants have object permanence
As young as 3.5 months
True or false: in both Piaget and core knowleydg, they asssume children to be a Active learners
True
Which theory (Piaget or core knowledge) stipulates innate knowledge and explain
Core knowledge
See children as more cognitively advanced than Piaget
Which theory (Piaget or core knowledge) is a discontinuous model
Piaget
Which theory stipulates general learning mechanism
Piaget
Ex: equilibrium
Which theory stipulates domain specific learning mechanisms m
Core knowledge
What do social cultural theories emphasis
Emphasize that other people and the surrounding culture contribute greatly to children’s development
True or falsies and explain
Core knowledge theory Emphasize that other people and the surrounding culture contribute greatly to children’s development
False, that’s sociocultural perspective
Who is lev vygostky
Russian psychologist
• Most well-known sociocultural theorist
• Developed his theory of child development at the same time as Piaget
• Largely unknown outside of Russia until the 1970s
Which theory stipulates that children learn on their own
Piaget
Which theory/who stipulates that children learn from more knowledgeable members of society
Vgotsky/sociocultural
What are the differences between Piaget and vigtski
Piaget: Children learn on their own
• Children acquire knowledge about universal concepts (e.g. time, causation)
• Discontinuous changes
Vygotski: Children learn from more knowledgeable members of society
• Children acquire knowledge that is shaped by their culture and the time they live in
• Continuous changes
What affect does culture have in learning in vygtoskis model
Children learn from more knowledgeable members of society
• Children acquire knowledge that is shaped by their culture and the time they live in
In the social cultural perspectives model (vyg) how do children acquire skills
Children acquire skills through collaborative dialogues with more knowledgeable members of society
• Universal process across cultures
How do children learn According to sociocultural theorists,
children learn through:
Intersubjectivity
• Guided participation
• Social scaffolding in zone of proximal development
Which theory believes Learning should centre around zone of Proximal development
Social cultural
What is intersubjectivity
The mutual understanding that people share during communication
What does intersubjectiveity require and explain
Joint attention
(Child and more knowledgeable member of society focus on the same object)
Intersubjectivitys foundation is learning from self or others
Others
Intersubectivety is an aspect important to what theory
Social cultural perspective
What is guided participation
Assist children as they perform adult-like activities
Guided Participation. Is important in what theory of cognitive dev
Social cultural perspective
What is social scaffolding
A process in which more competent people provide a temporary framework that supports children’s thinking at a higher level than children could manage on their own
• Involves more explicit instruction and breaking a task down than guided participation
• Support is tapered off (withdrawn) as a child learns to perform the skill themselves
Best when social scaffolding is in what zone
Zone of proximal dev
What is the zone of proximal development
The difference between what a child can do without help and what they can achieve with guidance and encouragement from a knowledgeable social partner
Tasks that are just beyommg a child’s individuals capacity are considered to be in what zone
Zone of proximal development
When do children learn best according to social cultural perspectives
When scaffolding in ZPD
Be able to give example of scaffolding and ZPD
Puzzle
According to vggotysku, adults transmit knowledge to children how
Through language
Explain how language is the foundation of intellectual thought according to to vygotsky
Language is the foundation of intellectual thought
1. Parents regulate children’s behaviour through language
2. At age 3, children start regulating their own behaviour with private speech
(Tell themselves out loud what to do the same way their parents would have done, Most common in 4-6 year olds! More likely on more difficult tasks)
3. Private speech becomes silent, i.e., thought
When is private speech most common
In 4 to 6 years old
When does private speech become silent
Past the age of 6
What theory stipulates that children acquire skill through collective dialogues with more knowledgeable,e members of society
Social cultural perspective
According to the sociocultural perspective, content of what children learn is decided by what
Culture
Independence cultures are common where
Western cultures
Where are interdependent cultures common
In East Asian copies
In independent cultures there is attending to one self of the group
Attending to self, self assertion, uniqueness
In interdependent cultures, attending to self or the group
Attending to the group, group harmony, fitting in
In independent cultures what type of thinking is common and explain
Analytical
Focus on objects
Objects exit independent of context
In interdependent cultures what type of thinking is common and explain
Holistic thinking
Focus on context as a whole
and associations
Attend to relationships among objects and relationships among objects and context
Example of cultural difference in memory
Chinese children’s earliest memories include more references to other people = interdependent
• American children’s earliest memories include more references to own feelings and reactions = independent
what is the applications of social cultural theories to education to
• Teaching should be aimed at zone of proximal development
Teaching should use social scaffolding
• Engage and maintain child’s interest
• Manage child’s frustration by being supportive and adapting learning to where they’re at
• Emphasize important features of a task
• Demonstrating the task
Peer learning
• Placing students in peer groups where more advanced students can teach less advanced students70
True or false:
All theories view nature and nurture as important to shaping development and see children as active learners
Piaget believes that cognitive development occurs in continuous or distinct stages
Distring
Piaget theory children learn on their own And do not require rewards therefore are
Intrinsically motivated
In core knowledge , what is more emphasized nurture or nature
Emphasize innate knowledge (nature)
