Psych review chapter 5 - Piaget

On what do theories on cognitive development concentrate?

the way children think and how that thinking changes over time

What is Piaget’s theory of cognitive development?

This is a constructivist theory that claims cognitive development is the result of biological maturation through experience (i.e. children are actively constructing their cognitive worlds through experience).

How is our cognitive system made up, according to Piaget?

Our cognitive system is made up of structural aspects (schema). These are constructed and modified through cognitive processes called functional invariants.

What are functional invariants?

Biologically predetermined mechanisms of the general functioning of the mind. They do not vary with age and are present in all individuals. They include:

1) organization - the tendency to organize and integrate information into schema.

2) adaptation - the tendency to adapt to the surrounding environment. Done in two ways:

assimilation: incorporating of new information into structures (schema) of pre-existing knowledge.

accommodation: the restructuring of schema according to new information which helps create distinct differentiations of info/objects

3) Equilibration - the process of transition between one stage of development to another. This characterizes the point where the reorganization of schema produces a system that is fundamentally different from the last.

What are schema?

The mental structures that organized our knowledge. 2 types include:

1) action/sensorimotor structures - actions and behaviors used by children in the first phases of childhood to adapt and respond to their environment. (In early childhood, intelligence corresponds to action)

2) symbolic structures -mental representations/ symbols (images/words) used by a child to represent the aspects of their experience.

What are the criteria for defining a stage of development?

• They must be characterized by qualitative differences in thinking

• they are fundamentally different in their organization of the schema

• they must be hierarchically organized, where one stage prepares another

• they must have a sequence is logical and cannot be varied

• they have transitions that are gradual rather than sudden

What are the subphases of the sensorimotor stage?

1) innate reflexes (0-1 month) - innate behaviors (sucking/rooting) that help satisfy a child’s basic needs

2) primary circular reactions (1-4 months) - behaviors centered around the body found to be rewarding, and are then repeated.

3) secondary circular reactions (4-8 months) - repeated rewarding behaviors that are centered on the outside world rather than the body.

4) coordination of secondary circular reactions (8-12months) - where a child coordinates schemas/patterns to rudimentarily problem solve

5) tertiary circular reactions (12-18 months) - curiosity based experiments with objects to produce new and interesting results

6) symbolic problem solving (18-24months) - where a child internalizes action schemes to create mental representations that aid them in problem solving (i.e. without trial and error)

What is object permanence? When does it occur in development?

The understanding that an object still exists even if it cannot be sensed.

This is achieved during the sensorimotor stage.

what are the stages of Piaget’s theory on cognitive development?

1) sensorimotor stage

2) preoperative stage

3) concrete operational stage

4) formal operational stage

What is the preoperational stage of cognitive development?

PRE-operative, as in children are not yet able to conduct mental operations. These are mental actions that are first only able to be done physically. Indicates that schemas are still limited to object and concrete actions.

Includes:

1) Preconceptual/ symbolic thought (2-4 years) - the refinement of symbolic function (the ability to use a symbol to refer to something concrete). Exemplified by the vocabulary explosion. There are 5 deficits to preconceptual reasoning.

2) Intuitive thought (4-7 years) - where a child’s understanding of objects and events is largely based on how they appear rather than through logical and rational thought processes. There are 3 deficits.

What are the 5 deficits to preconceptual reasoning?

1) Precausal/ transductive reasoning - if two things happen at the same time, one must cause the other

2) Egocentrism - inability to conceive the fact that others have different perspective and thoughts (3 mountain test)

3) Animism - belief that inanimate objects are animate and capable of action

4) Finalism - belief that everything has a reason that is meant to ensure the wellbeing of people

5) Artificialism - belief that everything is human made

What are the deficits of intuitive thought?

1) Lack of conservation - inability to recognize that the properties of an object do not change even if its appearance changes superficially

2) Centering - tendency to focus on one aspect of a problem when more are relevant

3) Irreversibility - inability to mentally reverse an action

What is the concrete operational stage of Piaget’s theory on cognitive development?

The stage where logical reasoning replaces intuitive reasoning with specific and concrete examples. This includes, most importantly, relational logic: the ability to consistently relate objects, classes, or attributes to each other.

All the deficits of the preoperational stage are gone

What does relational logic include?

Seriation: the ability to sort subjects according to quantifiable dimensions (height, weight)

Transitivity: the ability to understand chain relationships between objects (A>B, B>C= A>C)

What is the formal operational stage of Piaget’s theory on cognitive development?

The start of…

• abstract thought: disengagement from concrete experience and ability to perform complex mental operations

• ideal thought: ability to reflect on dimensions of value and ideals (friendship, political/ethical issues…)

• possibilistic thought: ability to think of possible scenarios/ hypothetical alternatives of reality

• hypothetical-deductive reasoning: production and systematic evaluation of possible solutions to a problem

Includes adolescent egocentrism

What is adolescent egocentrism?

The belief that others are just as interested in you as you are in yourself. Includes:

• imaginary audience- where one engages in behaviors that draw attention, or believes that everyone immediately notices their flaws

• personal fairytale- where one believes they are strictly unique in thought and experience/ underestimate risks of behavior (invincibility).

What are the critical and educational implications of Piaget’s theory?

1) understanding that through a constructivist’s approach, children play an active role in their learning processes

2) facilitating learning through the implementation of the theory

3) taking a child’s cognitive stage into account when assessing their knowledge level and way of thinking

4) promoting intellectual growth by not proposing tasks that are our of their reach (stage)

5) transforming educational contexts into settings of discovery and exploration