Children as Scientist

Causal Learning

The process through which children understand cause and effect relationships.

Theory of Mind

The ability to attribute mental states such as beliefs and desires to oneself and others.

Object permanence

The understanding that objects continue to exist even when they cannot be seen.

Conservation Tasks

Piaget's experiments to assess if children understand that quantity does not change even when its shape does.

Egocentric

A stage in development where children cannot see things from perspectives other than their own.

Animistic Thinking

The belief that inanimate objects have feelings and intentions.

Statistical Learning

The ability of children to notice regularities and patterns in their environment.

Constructivism

The theory that children construct their own knowledge through experiences.

Intuitive Theories

Children's basic understandings about how the world works, including physics, psychology, and biology.

Empirical Evidence

Information acquired by observation or experimentation.

Rational Learning

Learning that is based on reasoning and the systematic assessment of probabilities.

Causal Event

An event where one action directly influences another action.

Habituation

A decrease in response to a stimulus after repeated presentations.

Observational Learning

Learning by watching and imitating the behavior of others.

Child as Scientist

The concept that children learn and discover the world in a scientific manner through play and experimentation.

Preoperational Stage

Piaget's developmental stage (ages 2-6) where children are egocentric and begin to engage in symbolic play.

Play Development

The process through which children engage in activities that promote learning and exploration.

Direct Instruction

A teaching method where information is directly taught to the learner, often limiting exploration.

Baby Statistics

The ability of infants to discern statistical regularities and patterns in their environment.

Learning Mechanisms

Processes like classical conditioning and observational learning that contribute to how children learn.

Curiosity in Children

Children's desire to explore and understand their environment, especially when evidence is contradictory.