Middle childhood: Cognitive development Flashcards
what is Piagt’s theory about cognitive development during middle childhood?
concrete operational stage- span 7-11 years old- child starts to use mental operations to solve probelms and to reason
what are mental operations?
startegies and rules that make thinking more systematic and more powerful
to what 3 categories can mental operations apply to?
numbers, objects, spatial relations among objects
which menatl operation did Piaget think is most critical? and what is the definition?
reversibility- understanding that both physical actions and mental operations may be reversed. operation has an inverse that may undo or reverse the effect
what does mental operations allow children to understand about classes?
there are hiearchies of classes- helps them to move both ways in thinking abour relationships
describe the phenomenon Piaget called: horizontal decalage
children do not readiy transfer what they learned about one type conservation to another type
why is concrete operational thinking more powerful than preoperational thinking?
Piaget said that preoperational thinking kids were ego-centric and centered in their thinking and confused appearnace for reality. these limitations diminish in concrete operational stage.
what does different perspectives and learning that evenst can be interpeted in different ways teach children?
problems have many facets- decentring and appearances can be deceptive
what are the limitations of concrete operational thinking?
limited to the tangible and real- cannot think abstarctly and hypothetically
how applicable is Piaget’s theory of concrete operations today?
his descriptions of changes during middle childhood has held up well
not paid enough attention to culture-based experiences
what does information-processing theorists believe rgarding developmental change?
occurs in several NB forms, rather than through a single mechanism such as equilibration (mental structure are recognised so that schemes may assimilate info more readily)
a working memory includes advances in which 2 crucial areas? and what does each one store?
phonological loop (sounds and verbal material) visual-spatial sketchpad (visual material)
what are 3 main examples of memory strategies?
rehearsal, organization, elaboration
what is procesing speed?
speed in which a person carry out cognitive processes - increases with age
what is automatic processing? and what is its advantage?
cognitive activities that virtually requires no effort
makes more cognitive capacity available for other cognitive tasks
what is knowledge base?
what children know. play NB role in memory performance
what is control processess? and which part of brain plays a NB role?
pulls memory, proessing speed and knowledge together and is called control processes or executive functions. refers to variety of cognitive skills, control impulsive behaviors
prefrontal cortex synchronise neural activity
what is a NB control process and why?
metacognition- allows person to evaluate cognitive taks, predict, monitor, adjust tasks
what is metamemory?
an informal understanding of memory
what is theory of mind and how does it become more refined? improvements of 3 things
refers to individual’s knowledge of how the mind works
improved metacogntion, metamemory, ability to reflect on mental life