Cognitive Development, Intelligence, and Language Acquisition

A comprehensive set of vocabulary flashcards covering key theories, concepts, developmental milestones, and definitions related to intelligence, cognitive development, and language acquisition.

Intelligence

An individual's ability to adapt to the world in which they live.

Mental Age

A child's intellectual performance compared with children of the same chronological age.

Chronological Age

A person's actual age.

Intelligence Quotient (IQ)

A standardized measure of intelligence; historically $(\text{mental age} \div \text{chronological age}) \times 100$.

Stanford-Binet 5

An intelligence test measuring knowledge, quantitative reasoning, visual-spatial processing, working memory, and fluid reasoning through verbal and nonverbal tasks.

Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-V)

An intelligence test assessing verbal comprehension, visual-spatial ability, fluid reasoning, working memory, and processing speed.

Test Norms

Standards used to compare an individual's performance with a representative population.

Information-Processing Approach

The theory that efficient information processing supports faster learning and adaptation.

Neurological Perspective

The view that intelligence is associated with brain structure, development, and neural efficiency.

Triarchic Theory of Intelligence

Sternberg's theory proposing analytical, creative, and practical intelligence.

Analytical Intelligence

The ability to analyze information and reason logically.

Creative Intelligence

The ability to generate novel ideas and solve unfamiliar problems.

Practical Intelligence

The ability to adapt to and manage everyday situations.

Multiple Intelligences Theory

Gardner's theory proposing at least eight relatively independent types of intelligence.

Bayley Scales of Infant Development III

An infant assessment measuring motor, cognitive, language, social- emotional, and adaptive abilities.

Fluid Intelligence

The ability to solve new problems and think flexibly without relying mainly on learned knowledge.

Crystallized Intelligence

Accumulated knowledge, including vocabulary, facts, and formulas.

Cross-Sectional Study

A study comparing people of different ages at one point in time.

Longitudinal Study

A study following the same individuals over time.

Seattle Longitudinal Study

A study showing that many cognitive abilities remain relatively stable through middle adulthood.

Cohort Effect

Differences caused by the historical and social conditions experienced by different generations.

Flynn Effect

The historical increase in average IQ scores across generations.

Socioeconomic Status (SES)

Social and economic position, commonly measured by income, education, and occupation.

Stereotype Threat

Underperformance caused by fear of confirming a negative stereotype about one's group.

Culture-Fair Intelligence Testing

Testing designed to minimize cultural and linguistic advantages or disadvantages.

Heritability of IQ

The extent to which genetic differences account for variation in intelligence within a population.

Schema (Scheme)

A mental framework used to understand and interact with the world.

Assimilation

Incorporating new information into an existing schema.

Accommodation

Modifying a schema to account for new information.

Equilibration

Balancing assimilation and accommodation.

Cognitive Disequilibrium

Confusion when experiences conflict with schemas, motivating cognitive growth.

Sensorimotor Stage

Piaget's first stage, in which infants learn through senses and actions.

Circular Reactions

Repeated actions producing interesting or pleasurable results.

Primary Circular Reactions

Repeating pleasurable actions involving one's own body, around 1–4 months.

Secondary Circular Reactions

Repeating actions affecting the environment, around 4–8 months.

Coordination of Secondary Circular Reactions

Combining actions intentionally to achieve goals, around 8–12 months.

Object Permanence

Understanding that objects exist even when they cannot be sensed.

Tertiary Circular Reactions

Experimenting with actions to discover outcomes, around 12–18 months.

Mental Representation

Thinking about objects or events using mental images or symbols, around 18–24 months.

Representational Thought

Using words, symbols, or mental images to represent objects and actions.

Violation-of-Expectation Task

Testing infants' reactions to events that seem to violate physical laws.

Looking-Time Measure

Assessing infant understanding by measuring how long they view stimuli.

A-Not-B Error

Searching for a hidden object in its previous location rather than its new one.

Deferred Imitation

Repeating an observed action after a delay.

Core Knowledge Theory

The view that infants have innate knowledge systems supporting early learning.

Statistical Learning

Detecting patterns and regularities in the environment.

Preoperational Stage

Piaget's second stage, with symbolic thinking but limitations in logic.

Egocentrism

Difficulty taking another person's perspective.

Three-Mountain Task

Piaget's task testing understanding of another person's visual perspective.

Animism

Attributing life, feelings, or intentions to inanimate objects.

Centration

Focusing on one aspect of a situation while ignoring others.

Appearance–Reality Distinction

Understanding that appearances can differ from reality.

Irreversibility

Difficulty understanding that an action can be mentally undone.

Conservation

Understanding that quantity remains constant despite changes in appearance.

Discovery Learning

Learning through active exploration and interaction.

Concrete Operational Stage

Piaget's third stage, involving logical reasoning about concrete things.

Operations

Reversible mental actions used to solve problems.

Classification

Organizing objects into categories and understanding category relationships.

Transitive Inference

Inferring a relationship between two things from their relationships with a third.

Seriation

Ordering objects by a measurable characteristic.

Class Inclusion

Understanding that smaller categories fit within larger ones.

Object Identity

Understanding that essential characteristics remain despite superficial changes.

Reversibility

Understanding that an action can be undone to restore an original state.

Numerical Conservation

Understanding that number remains unchanged when arrangement changes.

Formal Operational Stage

Piaget's final stage, involving abstract and hypothetical reasoning.

Hypothetical-Deductive Reasoning

Generating and systematically testing hypotheses to reach conclusions.

Social Cognition

Thinking about other people, relationships, and the social world.

Mutual Perspective Taking

Recognizing that people can consider each other's viewpoints simultaneously.

Societal Perspective Taking

Understanding that social context shapes perspectives and beliefs.

Adolescent Egocentrism

Difficulty separating assumptions about others' thoughts from their actual thoughts.

Imaginary Audience

Feeling that others are constantly observing and evaluating oneself.

Personal Fable

Believing one's experiences are uniquely special and one is invulnerable.

Sociocultural Theory

Vygotsky's view that cognitive development is shaped by social interaction and culture.

Guided Participation

Learning with help from a more knowledgeable partner.

Scaffolding

Tailored temporary assistance that enables a learner to complete a difficult task.

Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)

The gap between what one can do independently and with assistance.

Internalization

Making socially learned skills part of one's independent thinking.

Private Speech

Self-directed speech used to guide behavior and solve problems.

Inner Speech

Silent internal thought that develops from private speech.

Observational Learning

Learning by watching others.

Epistemic Cognition

Understanding how knowledge, beliefs, and conclusions are formed.

Postformal Reasoning

Advanced thought combining abstract reasoning and practical considerations.

Dualistic Thinking

Viewing knowledge as simply right or wrong.

Relativistic Thinking

Recognizing that knowledge depends on context and perspective.

Reflective Judgment

Evaluating perspectives using evidence and criteria to select the strongest conclusion.

Metacognition

Awareness of one's own thinking processes.

Pragmatic Thought

Applying reasoning to real-life problems while accepting ambiguity.

Cognitive-Affective Complexity

Integrating and regulating emotions to make logical decisions about complex situations.

Phonology

The sounds of a language and rules for combining them.

Phonemes

The smallest sound units that distinguish meaning.

Morphology

Rules for combining meaningful language units into words.

Morphemes

The smallest units of language carrying meaning.

Syntax

Rules for combining words into grammatical sentences.

Semantics

Meanings of words and sentences.

Pragmatics

Using language appropriately in social situations.

Prelinguistic Communication

Communication before recognizable words emerge.

Cooing

Deliberate vowel sounds, beginning around 2–3 months.

Babbling

Repeated consonant-vowel combinations, beginning around 6 months.

Receptive Language

Language a person understands.

Productive Language

Language a person produces.