3.4(cognotive development acorss the lifespan)

piaget’s theory

proposed that children move through four distinct stages of cognitive development, each with unique ways of thinking and understanding the world.

sensorimotor stage

birth-2 years

• Learn through senses and actions (looking, touching, sucking)

• Develop object permanence: understanding that things still exist even when out of sight

preoperational stage

2years - 7years

• Use symbols and language to represent objects

• Thinking is egocentric (difficulty seeing others’ perspectives)

• Struggle with conservation (understanding that quantity stays the same despite changes in shape or appearance)

• animism: belief that inanimate objects (like toys, trees, or clouds) have feelings, thoughts, or intentions — basically, that they are “alive.”

• reversibility is impossible

concrete operational stage

7-11 years)

• Begin to think logically about concrete events

• Understand conservation, reversibility(actions or processes can be reversed,), and cause-effect

• Difficulty with abstract or hypothetical ideas

formal operational stage

12 years and up

• Develop abstract reasoning and hypothetical thinking

• Can solve problems systematically and think about future possibilities

Vygotsky's view on cognitive development

emphasized the social and cultural context of learning and development.

scaffolding

support and guidance a more knowledgeable person (like a teacher, parent, or peer) provides to help a learner accomplish a task just beyond their current ability.

sociocultural context of learning

Our thinking is shaped by the culture we grow up in, including language, customs, tools, and social interactions.

zone of proximal development

gap between what a learner can do independently and what they can do with help or guidance from someone more skilled.

changes in age: fluid intelligence

Older adults may process information slower or struggle with unfamiliar tasks.

changes in age: crystallized intelligence

Usually stays stable or even improves with age because of lifelong learning and experience.

dementia

decline in cognitive abilities severe enough to interfere with daily life.