Topic 3: Piaget and cognitive development Flashcards
Who is Jean Piaget?
Jean Piaget (1896-1980) was a Swiss psychologist who was influential in the field of child development and especially for his cognitive theory of development. He was originally trained as a biologist but had a philosophical interest in the basis of knowledge (epistimology).
Where did Piaget argue that knowledge came from?
He argues it comes from an interaction between the child and their environment. With the child being an active agent in their own development.
What is constructivism?
Constructivism is the view that the individual is an active participant in forming their reality. In terms of learning the theory argues that the learner constructs their knowledge rather than passively acquiring it.
Why would Piaget view a child as a ‘little scientist’?
Because he thought that they are always subconsciously accumulating data to test hypotheses, and re-evaluating these on the basis of negative evidence.
What are Piaget’s stages of cognitive deveopment?
Age 0-2: Sensorimotor
Age 2-6: Pre-operational
Age 6-11: Concrete operational
Age 11+: Formal operational
What does it mean if an infant is egocentric?
things can only be understood in terms of their own mental perspective of the world.
What are the characteristics of Piaget’s Sensorimotor stage of development?
Age 0-2. Infant is focused on physical sensations and learning to coordinate their body. Knowledge is dependent on actions that are guided by innate reflexes. During this time infants learn object permenance and self recognition. There is also an increasing sophistication of object schemas.
What is domain-generality?
One general thing (i.e cognition) develops as a child grows. So development is characterised by general conceptual revolutions that extend across domains. This view would argue that language is just one manifestation of the single cognitive development of a child.
What is object-permenance?
the ability to understand that objects exist independent if your ability to perceive them.
What are the characteristics of Piaget’s pre-operational stage of development?
Age 2-6. Gain the ability to internally represent the world through language and mental imagery. Child is still egocentric, assuming other people view the world as they do. Often demonstrate animism- the tendency to think that non-living objects have life and feelings.
What are the characteristics of Piaget’s concrete-operational stage of development?
Age 6-11. Child begins to be able to use operations (set of logical rules), can conserve quantities and realises that people see the world in a different way. Thought becomes more logical and less dependent on action.
What are the characteristics of Piaget’s formal-operational stage of development?
Age 11+. Gain the ability to think in an abstract way and the capacity for higher order meaning. Can engage in scientific reasoning and solve hypothetical problems. Can follow the form of an argument without having to think in terms of specific examples.
How does the child construct their reality?
They begin in a state of adualism (self and world undifferentiated), their reflex actions guide them to interacting and exploring their environment leading the child to realising the distinction between self and world.
What is an A-not-B error?
Hide object repeatedly in location A and then move it (in full view) to location B and if the child looks in loaction A for the object they have made the error.
What is an A-not-B error?
Hide object repeatedly in location A and then move it (in full view) to location B and if the child looks in loaction A for the object they have made the error.
