Unit 3 - Cognitive Development Across the Lifespan

Jean Piaget

He created the four cognitive development stages

sensorimotor

• Birth to age 2

• Know the world through our sensory impressions and motor skills.

• During this period, infants develop an understanding of the world through:

  • trial and error using their senses

  • actions (i.e., motor movements).

• Develop reflexes

• Lack Object Permanence between 0-8 months

  • Object Permanence- The understanding that objects remain in the environment even when they can not be seen or perceived.

  • EX: peek a boo

  • out of sight, out of mind

• Stranger Anxiety

• Scaling errors

preoperational

• 2 to about 6 or 7 years

• In this stage children learn language but do not yet comprehend the mental operations of concrete logic. (words represent things)

• Learn through imitation and play. (pretend play)

• Thinking is based more on perception and intuition than logic.

• Children in this stage do not understand the concept of conservation

  • Conservation: The principle that properties such as mass, volume, and number remain the same despite the changes in the form of the object.

• Use objects as substitutes for other unavailable objects.

• Egocentrism

  • Can not look at a problem or situation from somebody else’s perspective.

• Lack theory of mind

  • Theory of Mind - The understanding that people don't share the same thoughts and feelings as you do.  Another way to think about it is a child's ability to “tune-in” to other people's' perspectives/intentions 

• When Theory of Mind has formed, it means they are ready to transition into the Concrete Operational Stage.  In other words, they have to shed that Egocentrism before they can begin the concrete thinking!

concrete operational

• Ages 7-11

• Begin to gain the fundamentals of logic

• Usually concrete thinking and experiences

• Can understand conservation

  • Principle that properties such as mass, volume and number remain the same despite changes in the forms of objects

• Understand that different people have different perspectives

• Can classify group objects on the basis of common characteristics

formal operational

• Age 11+

• Abstract Concepts

• Logical Reasoning

• Hypothetical Logic

• Ability to generate and test different hypothesis 

Schema

a concept or framework that organizes and interprets information.

Assimilation

the process of absorbing new information into an existing schema.

Accommodation

the process of adjusting old schemas or developing new ones to incorporate new information.

Object permanence

the understanding that objects and people continue to exist even when they cannot be seen, heard, or touched. Develops in the sensorimotor stage.

Egocentrism

the inability to consider another person’s point of view. Ex. thinking daddy wants a toy truck for his birthday because that is what you would like. Found in the preoperational stage.

Reversibility

is the idea that actions, thoughts, or things can be reversed, or returned to their original state. It's a key concept that children develop in early childhood. For example, a child might learn that water can be frozen and then thawed back into liquid.

Conservation

the understanding that two equal quantities remain equal even though their form or appearance is rearranged. Ex. understanding that your sandwich is the same size if it is cut into halves or quarters.

Theory of mind

is the ability to attribute mental states (beliefs, intents, desires, pretending, knowledge, etc.) to oneself and others and to understand others have beliefs, desires, and intentions that are different from one's own.

Abstract Thinking

involves the ability to understand and think about complex concepts that, while real, are not tied to concrete experiences, objects, people, or situations. Abstract thinking is considered a type of higher-order thinking, usually about ideas and principles that are often symbolic or hypothetical.

Hypothetical Thinking

involves imagining possibilities and exploring their consequences through a process of mental simulation

Lev Vgotsky

believed that children learn according to their own schedule

Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)

Gap (difference) between what a child can do w/o help & what he can do only w/support (scaffolding).

Scaffolding

(supporting or coaching students as they work toward more complex tasks), children can develop higher-level cognitive abilities

Crystallized intelligence

accumulated intelligence over time and ability to use skills, knowledge, and experience - Increases with time

Dementia

thinking, memory, and behavior begin to deteriorate