Chapter 5: Cognitive Development in Infancy and Toddlerhood

Who was the psychologist that first examined the children’s thinking?

Jean Piaget

What is the difference between assimilation and accommodation?

Assimilation integrate a new experience into a pre-existing schema, while accommodation fits new experiences into new schema

Cognitive equilibrium

Harmonization between the processes of assimilation and accommodation

Cognitive schema

Concepts, ideas, and ways of interacting with the world

Describe sensorimotor substage 1.

Newborns, until the first month of life, use reflexes to react to stimuli in order to learn about the world

Describe sensorimotor substage 2.

Known as primary circular reactions, infants between 1 to 4 months begin to discover pleasurable events by accident

Describe sensorimotor substage 3.

Known as secondary circular reactions, infants (4-8 months) are more aware of external environment, and are pleased by moving objects

Describe sensorimotor substage 4.

Known as, coordination of secondary circular reactions, infants (8-12) coordinate two circular reactions to achieve a goal

(Ex. Object permanence, moving a blanket to find a hidden ball)

Describe sensorimotor substage 5.

Known as, tertiary circular reactions, infants 12 to 18 months now engage in trial-and-error exploration

Describe sensorimotor substage 6.

Known as mental representation, infants 18 to 24 months use mental pictures to represent objects

What are some problems with Piaget’s theory?

The concepts use circular logic and are highly unfalsifiable

What standardized measure of infant intelligence is used most commonly today?

The Bayley Scales of Infant Development III

What kind of abilities does the BSID–III measure?

• Cognitive

• Language

• Social-emotional

• Motor

What is the BSID-III typically used for?

For severe concerns for development delay or detecting disabilities/disorders

Transfer deficit

Inability of infants to transfer what they see on a screen to their own behavior

Describe the relationship between poverty and cognitive development.

Chronic long-term poverty has negative effects on brain development, along with being associated with cumulative cognitive deficits