Lecture Notes on Cognitive Development

Flashcards relating to child cognitive development and intelligence.

Mental Operations

Actions that can be performed on objects or ideas, and that consistently yield a result.

Deductive Reasoning

Adolescents understand that conclusions are based on facts.

Pendulum Problem

The ability to examine the effect of all the variables separately (length, weight, force of drop, height of drop) when working out what governs the speed of an object swinging on a piece of string.

Organization

Structuring information so that related information is together.

Elaboration

Embellishing information to make it more memorable. This may involve adding extra details, exaggerating events or character traits, or otherwise enhancing the story to make it more entertaining or compelling.

Metamemory

An intuitive understanding of memory (”will I remember this in the future?”).

Metacognitive Knowledge

Refers to the growing knowledge and awareness of cognitive processes.

Hierarchal Theory

A compromise between the two views of intelligence—general vs. distinct abilities.

Raven's Progressive Matrices

General human intelligence and abstract reasoning and is regarded as a non-verbal estimate of fluid intelligence.

Triarchic Theory of Intelligence

Says that people use three different kinds of abilities

Analytic Intelligence

Involves analyzing problems and generating different solutions.

Creative Intelligence

Involves dealing adaptively with novel situations and problems.

Practical Intelligence

Involves knowing which solution or plan will actually work.

Emotional Intelligence

The ability to use one’s own and others’ emotions to solve problems and live happily (achievement of self-actualization).

Mental Age

A measure of children’s performance corresponding to the chronological age of those whose performance equals the child’s.

Intelligence Quotient (IQ)

The ratio of mental age to chronological age (CA), multiplied by 100.

Convergent Thinking

Information is used to determine a standard, correct answer.

Divergent Thinking

Thinking in novel and unusual directions, which is associated with creativity.

Intellectual Disability

Substantially limitations in intellectual ability (IQ score of 70 or lower) and problems adapting to an environment that emerges before the age of 18.

Learning Disability

(1) have difficulty mastering one or more academic subjects; (2) exhibit normal intelligence; and (3) do not suffer from other conditions that could explain poor performance, such as sensory impairment or inadequate instruction.

Reading Disability

Difficulties reading words (developmental dyslexia).

Reading Comprehension

Difficulties understanding words that have been read (impaired reading comprehension).

Mathematical Disability

Difficulties in mathematics (mathematical learning disability or developmental dyscalculia).

Phonological Awareness

Training in phonological awareness along with explicit instruction on the connections between letters and their sounds.

Mathematical Disability

Poor number sense and problems in the basic cognitive processes that are used in doing arithmetic, such as working memory and processing speed.

Hyperactivity

Children are unusually energetic, fidgety, and unable to keep still.

Inattention

Children with ADHD do not pay attention in class and seem unable to concentrate on schoolwork.

Impulsivity

Children with ADHD often act before thinking.

Phonological Awareness

The ability to distinguish the sounds in spoken words.