Chapter 6 — Cognitive Development Study Guide Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering key concepts, developmental stages, and terms from Vygotsky's and Piaget's theories of cognitive development.

Vygotsky's Theory

A cognitive development theory stating that knowledge is constructed through social interaction, culture, and language.

Guided Participation

A shared endeavor in which a learner acquires new skills by doing an activity with the assistance of a more knowledgeable person.

Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)

The learning area between what a person can accomplish independently and what they cannot yet do without assistance.

Scaffolding

Temporary guidance and support provided to help a learner master a task in their ZPD, which is gradually reduced as independence increases.

Private Speech

Self-directed speech used by children to guide their thinking and behavior, which Vygotsky viewed as essential for cognitive development and Piaget viewed as reflecting egocentrism.

Piaget's Theory

A cognitive developmental theory proposing that children construct knowledge through physical and cognitive interactions with the world across four major stages.

Assimilation

The process of interpreting new information or experiences by fitting them into existing, already-known concepts or categories.

Accommodation

The process of modifying existing cognitive structures or creating new categories when new information does not fit prior understanding.

Sensorimotor Stage

Piaget's first stage of cognitive development (birth through 24 months), during which infants learn through sensory experiences and physical actions.

Primary Circular Reactions

Substage of sensorimotor development (1 to 4 months) where an infant repeatedly performs an accidental behavior involving their own body because they enjoy the result.

Secondary Circular Reactions

Substage of sensorimotor development (4 to 8 months) where an infant repeatedly performs an accidental action involving an external object.

Object Permanence

The understanding that objects continue to exist even when they are hidden or out of sight.

A-not-B Error

A mistake made by infants who continue searching for a hidden object in its previous location (A) even after watching it get moved to a new location (B).

Tertiary Circular Reactions

Substage of sensorimotor development (12 to 18 months) where toddlers experiment with varying actions on the same object to see the different results.

Preoperational Stage

Piaget's second stage of cognitive development, characterized by mental representations and pretend play, though thinking remains illogical and non-systematic.

Symbolic Capacity

The cognitive ability to use one object, word, or thought to represent or stand for another.

Egocentrism

A cognitive limitation in which a child experiences difficulty perceiving or understanding situations from another person's perspective.

Animism

The tendency of young children to attribute human qualities, intentions, or life to inanimate objects.

Conservation

The understanding that basic properties of an object or substance (such as quantity or volume) remain unchanged despite alterations in physical appearance.

Concrete Operational Stage

Piaget's third stage of cognitive development, in which individuals can perform logical reasoning when dealing with real, tangible objects and concrete examples.

Formal Operational Stage

Piaget's fourth stage of cognitive development, characterized by abstract thinking, hypothetical reasoning, and systematic problem solving.

Hypothetical-Deductive Reasoning

A formal operational problem-solving process that involves formulating plausible hypotheses and testing them in a controlled, systematic manner.

Adolescent Egocentrism

A heightened self-consciousness during adolescence where teenagers become excessively focused on themselves and how others view them.

Imaginary Audience

A belief held by adolescents that everyone around them is constantly watching, scrutinizing, and judging their appearance or behavior.

Personal Fable

An adolescent belief in one's absolute uniqueness, specialness, and invincibility, often leading to the belief that negative consequences will not happen to them.