Chapter 6&7

assimilation

incorporating new experiences into existing theories

accommodation

modifying existing theories based on new experience

equilibration

reorganizing theories to restore balance after a period of imbalance

constructivism

children are active participants in their own development systematically building understanding 

sensorimotor (0-2)

learn through senses and actions. discover object permanence

preoperational (2-7)

use words/symbols. thinking is egocentric (everyone sees what I see). don’t get that water in tall glass is the same as in short glass

concrete operational (7-11)

logical thinking develops. first use mental operations like math operations

formal operational (11+)

abstract and hypothetical thinking

Zone of proximal development

what a child can do with help vs. alone

scaffolding

tailored support that is gradually removed

private speech

supports self regulation and becomes inner speech (thoughts)

information processing

brain = computer. focus on attention, memory, strategies, executive function.

core knowledge theory

children have “built-in” knowledge for survival (objects, language, numbers, people) 

naive physics 

children predict where and how objects will move in the environment 

naive biology

distinguish living things from nonliving things based on motion

naive psychology

informal beliefs about other people and their behavior. allows children to predict how people will act 

infant memory

2-3 moths old can remember events and be reminded of forgotten memories

memory strategies

rehearsal (repeat), organization (group), elaboration (connect ideas)

metamemory and metacognition

awareness of how memory works (improves in school years)

autobiographical memory

memory of one’s own life. emerges In preschool with the developmental of basic memory, language skills, and a sense of self. 

eyewitnesses testimony

children’s account of events that are studied for their reliability

developmental trend

older children solve problems more often and effectively, but not always

reasons for failure

failing to encode all important information