Contemporary Theories of Cognitive Development (Week 2, Lecture 1)

Information Processing Approach

mind = system that processes info.

input → processing → output

emphasis on how children think - development reflects changes in efficiency, not stages.

Information Stores

sensory memory = brief storage of incoming info

working memory = holds/manipulates info in use

LTM = stores knowledge/experiences over time

development involves improved capacity + organisation of memory

Cognitive Processes

attention = selecting relevant info

encoding = transforming info for storage

retrieval = accessing stored info

development reflects increased speed and accuracy of processing.

Processing Limitations

limited working memory capacity

slower processing speed

less efficient strategy use

difficulty coordinating multiple demands

Brainerd’s Types of Processing Limitations

encoding = difficulty representing info correctly.

computational = difficulty carrying out required mental operations.

retrieval = difficulty accessing relevant info.

storage limitations = limited working memory capacity

task failure does not reflect lack of understanding - simplifying tasks may reveal underlying competence.

Neo-Piagetian Theories

accept development age-related patterns, but emphasise info processing capacity as driver of change.

developmental change reflects improvements in mental capacity.

Robbie Case - cog. development occurs in stages but stage changes driven by increase in WM capacity, faster processing speed, practice, automatization.

Overlapping Waves Theory (Siegler, 1996)

focus on how children choose and change strategies. development involves multiple.

multiple strategies used at same time that coexist and compete. more effective = used more frequently over time.

stages:

• acquire new strategy

• apply strat to new problems

• strengthen strat

• refine strategy

• execute more efficiently

Acquire New Strategy

• draw analogies to better-understood problems

• form mental models of situation; reason about them

• observations made during problem-solving

• direct verbal instruction

Anderson (1991).

Apply Strategy to New Problems

mapping strategy onto new problems - must distinguish relevant/irrelevant aspects of situation where new cog. strategy was required.

mapping based on similarity of superficial features problematic e.g. strategy used where not applicable.

Strengthen the Strategy

increase reliance on new, advanced approaches = quality of child’s thinking can improve.

Refine Strategy Choice

strategy concentrated on problems where strategy is most useful.

Lemaire & Siegler (1995) - 1 year - students choose strategy yielding improved performance more (single-digit multiplication). adaptiveness of strat increases with experience in domain.

Execute Strategy Efficiently

Lemaire & Siegler (1995) - children retrieve answers to multiplication problem over three measuring points. percentage of errors decrease 23% → 2%, mean solution time 4 seconds → 2 seconds.

Supporting Data

obtained across varied tasks e.g. serial recall, arithmetic, spelling, locomotor activity.

shows children use multiple strategies at any given age. variability within and between children (Adolph, 1997; Crowley & Siegler, 1999).