Module 2: Cognitive Development Flashcards
Who was one of the first cognitive theorists to recognize and map out the ways in which children’s thoughts differ from that of adults?
Jean Piaget (1895-1980)
What is schemas/Schemes? (Piaget)
How we organize information
-Equilibrium/Equilibration: Schemas are organized
-Disequilibrium: New information has come in and you don’t know what to do
Equilibrium/Equilibration (Piaget)
Schemas are organized
Disequilibrium (Piaget)
New information has come in and you don’t know what to do
Adaptation Through Assimilation (Piaget)
Information is the Same or Similar to previous schemas (aSSimilation)
Adaptation through Accommodation (Piaget)
Information is new or different. Schemas must be Created or Changed (aCCommodation)
What are the stages of Jean Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development?
Sensorimotor Stage: rely on use of senses and motor skills. discover object permanence
Preoperational Stage: children ages 2-7. able to think about a world using symbols. children do not realize that others people have thoughts and understandings different from their own (egocentrism)
Concrete Operational: ages 7-11 develop the ability to think logically about the physical world
Formal Operational: about age 12. acquire the ability to think logically about concrete and abstract events
Sensorimotor Stage (Piaget)
children rely on use of the senses and motor skills.
From birth until about age 2, the infant knows by tasting, smelling, touching, hearing, and moving objects around.
This is a real hands-on type of knowledge.
By end of this stage, children discover object permanence, where they know about an object even when they can’t see it.
Object Permanence definition
one knows about an object even when they can’t see it. Seen in Sensorimotor stage of Piaget’s Theory
Preoperational Stage (Piaget)
children from ages 2 to 7 (think preschool, kindergarten, and the beginning of first grade) become able to think about the world using symbols.
The use of language, whether it is in the form of words or gestures, facilitates knowing and communicating about the world.
This is the hallmark of preoperational intelligence and occurs in early childhood.
However, these children are preoperational or pre-logical.
They still do not understand how the physical world operates.
They may, for instance, fear that they will go down the drain if they sit at the front of the bathtub, even though they are too big.
Children also do not realize that other people have thoughts and understandings that are different from their own. This is called egocentrism.
Egocentrism (Piaget)
Not realizing that other people have thoughts and understandings that are different from their own. Seen in Preoperational Stage of Piaget’s Theory
Concrete Operational (Piaget)
ages 7 to 11 (grades 1-6), develop the ability to think logically about the physical world.
Middle childhood is a time of understanding concepts such as size, distance, and constancy of matter, and cause and effect relationships.
A child knows that a scrambled egg is still an egg and that 8 ounces of water is still 8 ounces no matter what shape of glass contains it.
Formal Operational (Piaget)
at about age 12 (grade 7), acquire the ability to think logically about concrete and abstract events.
The teenager who has reached this stage (grade 8-graduation) is able to consider possibilities and to contemplate ideas about situations that have never been directly encountered.
More abstract understanding of religious ideas or morals or ethics and abstract principles such as freedom and dignity can be considered.
Who believed that:
Understanding is motivated by trying to balance what we sense in the world and what we know in our minds
Piaget
Who believed that:
Understanding is organized through creating categories of knowledge. When presented with new knowledge we may add new schema or modify existing ones
Piaget
Who believed that:
Children’s understanding of the world changes are their cognitive skills mature through four stages: sensorimotor stage, preoperational stage, concreate operational, and formal operational
Piaget
A teacher asked children of different ages this question: “what would it be like if humans had gills and lived underwater?” Which answer is characteristic of a child in the formal operational stage?
A) “this is a stupid question because we don’t live underwater”
B) “we would have to invent waterproof paper to write on”
C) “I would not like to live underwater”
D) “we would be wet all the time”
B) “We would have to invent waterproof paper to write on”
Textbook answer. shows they understand and are thinking abstractly
A teacher pours juice for Alice in a tall, narrow glass and for William in a short, squat glass. Although both glasses contain the same amount of juice, Will exclaims, “Hey! No fair! I have less than Alice!”
Which of Piaget’s developmental stages is William in?
Preoperational
True or False
Diego knows that a horse is a large animal with four legs, a tail, and body hair. The first time he sees a cow, he calls it a horse.
The word “horse” fits with Diego’s schema for the characteristics of a cow.
True
How does Vygotsky differ from Piaget?
Vygotsky believed that a person not only has a set of abilities but also a set of potential abilities that can be realized if given the proper guidance from others
What does Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory?
emphasizes the importance of culture and interaction in the development of cognitive abilities.
He believed that through guided participation known as scaffolding, with a teacher or capable peer, a child can learn cognitive skills within a certain range known as the zone of proximal development.
His belief was that development occurred first through children’s immediate social interactions, and then moved to the individual level as they began to internalize their learning.
Delete card
Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory
More Knowledgeable Other (MKO)
Adult, older student, more knowledgeable peer
(Vygotsky)
