Week 5 Key Terms

Question 1

A-not-B Error

Answer 1

Occurs when infants are able to uncover a toy hidden behind a barrier, yet when they observe the toy moved from behind one barrier (A) to another (B) they look for the toy in the first place it was hidden (A)

Question 2

Accommodation

Answer 2

In Piaget’s theory, the process by which schemas are modified or created to include new experiences

Question 3

Assimilation

Answer 3

In Piaget’s theory, the process by which new experiences are interpreted and integrated into preexisting schemas

Question 4

Centration

Answer 4

The tendency to focus on one part of a stimulus, situation, or idea and exclude all others; a characteristic of preoperational thought

Question 5

Cognitive Equilibrium (& Disequilibrium)

Answer 5

Equilibrium: A balance between the processes of assimilation and accommodation. When assimilation and accommodation are balanced, individuals are neither incorporating new information into their schemas nor changing their schemas

Disequilibrium: A mismatch between schemas and reality. Leads to confusion and discomfort, which in turn motivates a modification of cognitive schemas to align personal view of the world with reality

Question 6

Concrete Operation stage

Answer 6

Piaget’s third stage of reasoning, (6-11) in which thought becomes logical and is applied to direct tangible experiences but not to abstract problems

Question 7

Dualistic thinking

Answer 7

Polar reasoning in which knowledge is viewed as subjective and dependent on the situation

Question 8

Egocentrism

Answer 8

Piaget’s term for children’s inability to take another person’s point of view or perspective and to assume that others share the same feelings, knowledge, and physical view of the world

Question 9

Formal Operation stage

Answer 9

Piaget’s fourth stage of cognitive development, characterized by abstract, logical, and systematic thinking

Question 10

Joint attention

Answer 10

Joint attention involves sharing a common focus on something (such as other people, objects, a concept, or an event) with someone else. It requires the ability to gain, maintain, and shift attention.

Question 11

Mental representation

Answer 11

An internal depiction of an object; thinking of an object using mental pictures

Internal mental representation of objects and events; thinking to solve problems rather than relying on trial and error: Substage 6 (18-24 months) of Piaget’s Sensorimotor stage of development

Question 12

Object permanence

Answer 12

The understanding that objects continue to exist outside of sight

Happens between 8-12 months of age (coordination of secondary circular reaction stage)

Question 13

Piaget

Answer 13

Jean Piaget (1896-1980) was a Swiss psychologist who was the first to make a systematic study of the acquisition of understanding in children. He is thought by many to have been the major figure in 20th-century developmental psychology.

Question 14

Post-Formal reasoning

Answer 14

A stage of cognitive development proposed to follow Piaget’s formal operational stage. Thinking and problem solving is restructured in adulthood to integrate abstract reasoning with practical considerations, recognizing that most problems have multiple solutions, that some solutions are better than others, and all problems involve uncertainty

Question 15

Pre-operational stage

Answer 15

Piaget’s second stage of cognitive development (2-6) characterized by advances in symbolic thought, but thought is not yet logical (can’t understand complex relationships)

common errors of the pre-operations stage:
Egocentrism (three mountains task)
Animism
Centration
Irreversibility

Question 16

Reflective judgement

Answer 16

Mature type of reasoning that synthesizes contradictions among perspectives

Question 17

Relativistic thinking

Answer 17

Type of reasoning in which knowledge is viewed as subjective and dependent on the situation

Question 18

Scaffolding

Answer 18

The temporary support that permits a child to bridge the gap between his or her current competence level and the task at hand

Question 19

Schema

Answer 19

A mental representation, such as concepts, ideas, and ways of interacting with the world

Question 20

Sensorimotor Stage

Answer 20

From birth to about 2 years, infants learn about the world through their senses and motor skills.

Progresses through 6 substages in which cognition develops from reflexes to intentional action, to symbolic representation

In order to think about an object, an infant must experience it through both the visual and tactile senses

Question 21

Seriation (or mental seriation)

Answer 21

A type of classification that involves ordering objects in a series according to a physical dimension such as height, weight, or color

Question 22

Transitive inference (transitivity)

Answer 22

A classification skill in which a child can infer the relationship between two objects by understanding each object’s relationship to a third object

Question 23

Violation-of-expectation task

Answer 23

A method in which infants are shown events that appear to violate physical laws. Increased attention to the unexpected event suggests that the infant is surprised and therefore has an understanding and expectations of the physical world

Question 24

Vygotsky

Answer 24

Lev Vygotsky was a seminal Russian psychologist best known for his sociocultural theory. He believed that social interaction plays a critical role in children’s learning—a continuous process that is profoundly influenced by culture.

Question 25

Zone of proximal development

Answer 25

Vygotsky’s term for the tasks that children cannot do alone but can exercise with the aid of more skilled partners

Question 26

Piaget and current developmental scientists

Answer 26

Developmental scientists agree with Piaget that immature forms of cognition give way to more mature forms, that the individual is active in development, and that interaction with the environment is critical for cognitive growth