Cognitive Development

Continuous Development

Refers to gradual, quantitative changes in development, like a tree growing.

Discontinuous Development

Refers to sudden, qualitative changes in development, like a caterpillar becoming a butterfly.

Stage Theories

Theories that propose development occurs in distinct, discontinuous stages.

Assimilation

The process of incorporating new information into existing mental categories (schemas).

Accommodation

The process of altering existing schemas or creating new ones in response to new information.

Schema

A mental structure that organizes knowledge and guides cognitive development.

Centration

The tendency to focus on one aspect of a situation and neglect others, leading to errors in reasoning.

Irreversibility

The inability to mentally reverse a sequence of events, leading to misunderstanding of conservation.

Sensorimotor Stage

Piaget's first stage of cognitive development (birth to 2 years) where infants learn through sensory experiences and actions.

Preoperational Stage

Piaget's second stage (2 to 7 years) characterized by symbolic thinking and egocentrism, but lacks mastery of conservation.

Concrete Operational Stage

Piaget's third stage (7 to 12 years) where children can think logically about concrete events but have difficulty with abstract ideas.

Formal Operational Stage

Piaget's fourth stage (12 years and older) characterized by the ability to think abstractly and systematically.

Attachment

A close emotional bond between an infant and their caregiver.

Secure Attachment

A type of attachment where children feel safe and are more likely to have positive social relationships.

Vygotskian Scaffolding

The process by which parents, teachers, and others provide support to aid a child's cognitive development.