week 5 Flashcards
Cognition:
processes which are involved with acquiring and processing information
- thinking
- perceiving
- memory
- problem solving
Cognitive development:
the process in which thinking changes during time
Concepts:
are the mental representations of things/event (inner images)
schemas:
clusters/framework of concepts which generates expectations
- mental structures which control the development of thinking
- fundamental building stones in the way we see the world
Scripts:
schemas of particular events; clusters of information about what is expected during a specific situations
Intelligence
the capacity of the individual to act purposefully, to think rationally and to deal effectively with the environment
IQ
cognitive intelligence
EQ - emotional intelligence
the ability to understand and manage emotional responses
Cognitive Development Piaget
-children process their experiences actively
-development = autonomous process
-children need a rich environment to develop(nurture)
Cognitive development takes place in four clearly distinguishable stages, which are the same for everybody (nature)
every stage has its limitations at the beginning and achievement at the end.
stage 1- Sensorimotor stage (approx. 0-2yrs)
- children discover the world by movement and sensations
- discover relationship between activities and consequences
- learning about object permanence
stage 2- Pre-operational stage (approx. 2-7yrs)
- learn symbolic thinking
- egocentrism (only sees from their own perspective)
- magical thinking
- can only focus on one thing
stage 3- Concrete operational stage (approx. 7-11 yrs)
- learn logical reasoning and perform mental operations
- less ego-centrical
- conservation - begin to understand that the amount of water is the same in a tall glass as in a shorter glass
stage 4- Formal operational stage (from approx. 11yrs)
- abstract thought
- hypothetic-deductive reasoning (what if… situations)
- not all children will reach this stage
critics piaget
- children learn certain cognitive abilities much earlier then Piaget stated.
- do we develop in stages? is it more like a continuous process
- great individual differences
- Piaget underestimates the influence of the social environment (parents, teachers)
Lev Vygotsky - russian psychologist with a socio cultural perspective on development
- impact of cultural values and customs on the cognitive development of a child
- role of communication in the process
zone of proximal development
the space between what a learner can do without assistance and what a learner can do with adult guidance or in collaboration with more capable peers.
children can develop cognitive abilities more quickly through scaffolding.
consists of the activities provided by the educator, or more competent peer, to support the student as he or she is led through the zone of proximal development.
self-image
is the image we hold of ourselves and answers basic questions like who am i, who do i want to be(identity)
-often incorrect due to biases and thinking errors
Confirmation bias
looking for information that supports our beliefs
Spotlight effect
we tend to overestimate the measure in which others pay attention to us -adolescents are affected by this the most e.g. oh no everyone sees i have a stain on my shirt
lake wobegon effect
natural tendency to overestimate one’s capabilities and see oneself as better than others.- 80% of the car drivers think of himself as better driver then the average driver
self-serving bias
we attribute in a way that is comfortable for our self image
- good things happen by internal factors(intelligent, smart)
- bad things happen by external factors (i lost because the ball was too soft)
fundamental attribution error
general tendency to overestimate the influence of a person and to underestimate the influence of the circumstances (if somebody is late “what a lazy ass”. not considering the circumstance or reason for this)
-but not when it concerns ourselves: self-serving bias
Attribution theory (Heider) -causes of behaviour
-internal attribution: personal traits (i am stupid)
-external attributions: factors in the social/physical surrounding
+ stable & variable
the cognitive dissonance theory (festinger 1957)
mental conflict that occurs when a persons behaviours and belief do not align. also when a person has two beliefs that contradict each other.
ways of dealing with cognitive dissonance: (reduction)
- changing your belief
- changing your behaviour
- changing your perception (most common since you won’t have to change your beliefs/behaviour
confirmation bias^
