PSY1004 WEEK 2

Question 1

define schema in developmental psychology

Answer 1

mental representations/sets of rules enabling children to interact with world through defining particular categories of behaviour (basic understanding unit)

Question 2

how does Piaget believe schema is modified

Answer 2

organisation (group observations form coherent knowledge- initially young infants have separate looking, sucking and grasping schemas but over time they integrate to become complex multisensory cognitive systems)
and
adaption (assimilation/accomodation)

Question 3

define assimilation

Answer 3

integration of new info into existing schema, leading to consolidation of knowledge eg: a banana is yellow

Question 4

define accomodation

Answer 4

adjustment of schemas to new info, leading to growing and changing knowledge to avoid disequilibrium (having to change schema info) eg: santa isn’t real

Question 5

define disequilibrium

Answer 5

lack of balance, promotes accomodation, occurs when new info leads children to realise their current understanding is inadequate

Question 6

how do schemas develop

Answer 6

through experience, with action-based schema developing via environmental interaction and mental schema developing as child age

Question 7

how can children progress through stages

Answer 7

organise schemas with increasing proficiency, motivated to do it through wanting to adapt in order to explore environments

Question 8

what is the importance of Piaget stage theory in real world

Answer 8

led to developmental psych being established sub-discipline, ‘child-centered’ approach in education and teaching guidelines and advice

Question 9

what is a child-centered education approach

Answer 9

children are active in own learning, and teacher’s must account for children’s distinctive ways of thinking through age, focus on play

Question 10

what is a constructivist view of education

Answer 10

active learners construct knowledge through interacting with environment

Question 11

what is an organismic world view of education

Answer 11

continual active interaction with environment shapes own development

Question 12

briefly explain the sensorimotor stage of child development

Answer 12

explorative, reduction in dependence on physical object presence due to mental representation development
develop object permanence, self-awareness an recognition (distinct from environment)
toward end of stage learn language and reasoning ability
deferred imitation (repeating others behaviour post occurrance suggesting formation of schema which allow recall)

Question 13

what is the rouge test

Answer 13

done in sensorimotor stage around 18months, children either show self-awareness or do not recognise self

Question 14

briefly state 6 substages of the sensorimotor stage

Answer 14

1. reflexive schema substage (0-1month)
2. primary circular reactions substage (1-4month)
3. secondary circular reactions substage (4-10month)
4. coordination of secondary schemas substage (10-12month)
5. tertiary circular reactions substage (12-18month)
6. beginning of though substage (18-24month)

Question 16

explain the sensorimotor second substage (primary circular reactions)

Answer 16

shift in voluntary behaviour control, coordination between senses and motor behaviour - accidentially discover new experience via motor activities and repeat

Question 17

explain the sensorimotor third substage (secondary circular reactions substage)

Answer 17

shift in voluntary behavioural control as become aware of external world, direct behaviour and still have circular action

Question 18

explain the sensorimotor fourth substage (coordination of secondary schemas)

Answer 18

deliberately combine schemas to achieve specific goals (goal-directed behaviour)

Question 19

explain the sensorimotor fifth substage (tertiary circular reactions substage)

Answer 19

walk, consolidate understanding of causal relation between event and use systematic experimentation to test end results

Question 20

explain the sensorimotor sixth substage (beginning of thought)

Answer 20

mental representations and engage in deferred imitation so no longer uses trial and error method

Question 21

explain preoperational stage

Answer 21

develop symbolic thinking (one object can represent concepts),
problem solving
egocentric (3-mountain task)
master number conservation
reduction in aminism
centration

Question 22

what is animism

Answer 22

attributing life-like characteristics to inanimate objects, preventing them accomodating

Question 23

what is centration

Answer 23

focusing on a singular aspect of situation, as demonstrated in number conservation task - ignoring additions on one line, focusing on removal from other

Question 24

state 2 substages of preoperational stage1

Answer 24

symbolic function substage (2-4years)
intuitive thought substage (4-7years)

Question 25

what occurs during the symbolic function substage of preoperational

Answer 25

mentally represent non-physical object (shown in pretend play)
shown in language - 16months can comprehend over 15word but only say 1 at one time

Question 26

what occurs during intuitive though substage of preoperational

Answer 26

classify, order, quantify systematically but unaware of underlying principles of mental operations
reasoning based on perception and intuition, not rational thought
transitive inference

Question 27

what is transitive inference

Answer 27

seriate mentally between different entity in series
eg: father tallest, then mum, then kids can be represented as F>M>J>S>R

Question 28

what is concrete operational stage

Answer 28

use visual aids for logical mental operations
master length, mass, weight and volume conservation
develop metacognition, understand cause-effect relations

Question 29

what is formal operational stage

Answer 29

develop abstract reasoning, speculation, formulation and testing of hypothesis