PSYCH 130 - Cognitive Development

piaget’s constructivist theory

children are little scientists, intrinsically motivated to learn

assimilation

fitting new info into existing concepts (calling a zebra a horse)

accommodation

changing concepts to fit new info (learn a zebra is different from a horse)

equilibriation

balancing assimilation and accommodation to create a stable understanding

piaget’s stages of cognitive development: sensorimotor

learning through senses and motor skills, object permanence, A-not-B error

piaget’s stages of cognitive development: preoperational

symbolic representation, egocentrism, and centration (lacking conservation)

piaget’s stages of cognitive development: concrete operational

logical reasoning about concrete objects, struggle with pure abstraction

piaget’s stages of cognitive development: formal operational

abstract and hypothetical reasoning, not reached by everyone

information processing theory of cog dev

focuses on the mechanisms of children’s problem solving, development is continuous

information processing: overlapping waves theory

kids use multiple problem solving strategies at the same time and select the most efficient ones over time

core knowledge theories of cog dev

nativism, infants born with innate knowledge in evolutionarily important domains, learning is fast and effortless

core knowledge theories: constructivism blend

infants are born with rudimentary knowledge that is expanded through experience

vygotsky’s sociocultural theories of cog dev

development occurs through social interaction and cultural tools

vygotsky sociocultural theory: guided participation

learn through shared activities with experts

vygotsky sociocultural theory: social scaffolding

support tailored to child’s level

vygotsky sociocultural theory: private speech

kids talk to themselves to regulate behavior

dynamic systems theories of cog dev

development is constantly changing, self-organizing system, individual differences in developmental path, movement and motor skills