Module 3.4: Cognitive Development

Schemas

Framework that organizes and interprets information.

Assimilation

Interpreting new experiences into existing schemas.

Accommodation

Adapting our current schemas to incorporate new information.

Sensorimotor Stage

The first stage of Piaget’s theory (birth - 2 years), where infants learn through senses and actions.

Object Permanence

The awareness that things still exist even when not percieved.

Preoperational Stage

The stage (ages 2-7) in Piaget’s theory where children use language and symbols but lack logical reasoning.

Egocentrism

The child’s difficulty taking another’s point of view.

Pretend/Representational Play

Play where children use symbols/imagination to represent real object or experiences.

Animism

Belief that inanimate objects have lifelike qualities, like feelings.

Parallel Play

Children play near each other but don’t directly interact.

Concrete Operational Stage

The stages (ages 7-11) in Piaget’s theory where children think logically about concrete objects and understand concepts.

Conservation

Quantity remains the same even when its shape or appearance changes.

Reversibility

Ability to mentally reverse an action to understand that changes can be undone.

Formal Operational Stage

The stage (age 12+) in Piaget’s theory where individuals develop abstract and logical thinking.

Scaffolding

Framework that offers temporary support as children develop higher levels of thinking.

Zone of Proximal Development

The zone between what a child can and can’t do, what a child can do with help.

Theory of Mind

The ability to understand that others have their own thoughts, feelings, and perspectives (developed during Piaget’s stages).

Prospective Memory

Remembering to perform an intended action in the future.

Terminal Decline

A noticeable drop in cognitive functioning that occurs shortly before death.