Cognitive Development

What did Piaget study?

The cognitive development of children.

How many stages are in Piaget's stages of development?

4 stages.

What marks the first stage in Piaget's theory?

0-2 years in age. Sensorimotor stage (discovering the use of senses and movement).

When does object permanence develop?

The first stage; 0-2 years.

What marks the second stage in Piaget's theory?

2-7 years of age. Preoperational stage (ability to perform mental operations). Egocentric.

When do children begin to engage in pretend play?

2-7 years of age, second stage.

What is the third stage of Piaget's theory?

7-11 years. Concrete operational stage.

When do children begin to understand the concept of conservation, as well as math?

7-11 years; third stage.

What is the fourth stage of Piaget's theory?

12+ years old. Formal operational stage. Able to understand abstract concepts.

When do children begin to understand consequences/develop moral reasoning?

12+ years, fourth stage.

What is a well-defined problem?

Problem with a clear starting and ending point.

What is an ill-defined problem?

A problem with an uncertain ending point.

What is the algorithm strategy for problem solving?

Using a logical set of procedures to solve a problem.

What is a heuristic?

A mental shortcut that allows problem-solving faster.

What is means-end analysis?

A type of heuristic where the problem is broken into sub-problems, and the biggest problem is solved first.

What kind of problem solving method is “working backwards”?

A heuristic.

What is fixation?

Getting stuck on a wrong approach.

What is insight?

A moment of revelation.

What is the availability heuristic?

Using concrete examples that readily come to mind to make a decision.

What is the representativeness heuristic?

Making decisions based on “matching prototypes”, or what we think is typical.

What is a conjunction fallacy?

When there is a belief that the cooccurence of 2 instances is more likely than just one, from the representativeness heuristic.

What is belief perseverance?

The tendency to ignore/rationalize disconfirming facts.

What is confirmation bias?

Seeking out only confirming facts for existing beliefs.

What is intelligence?

Generally defined as a mental quality that allows the ability to learn from experience, solve problems, and adapt to new situations.

What evidence is there towards there just being one type of general intelligence?

The trend of people that score well in one test also scoring well on different types of test.

What underlies the theory of general intelligence?

The g factor.

What are Sternberg 's types of intelligence?

Analytical (academic abilities), creative (create novel ideas and react adaptively), and practical (solve ill-defined problems).

What is fluid intelligence?

Ability to reason quickly and abstractly.

What is crystallized intelligence?

Accumulated knowledge and verbal skills.

What is heritability?

Probability of variability due to genes. Usually studied by twin-studies.

Fixed vs. growth mindset?

Believing intelligence is set vs. believing it can increase.

What are the weaknesses of Thurnston’s 7 factor intelligence theory and general intelligence theory?

Limited in the types of intelligence they theorize people can possess, seems at odds with the diversity of the human population.

Who expanded on Thurnston's 7 factor theory with more intelligences outside of academics?

Howard Gardner.

What is cognitive dissonance?

The feeling of discomfort from conflicting cognitions (can be beliefs, attitudes, etc.)

How is cognitive dissonance resolved?

By modifying the cognitions, trivializing the cognitions, adding more cognitions, or denying the cognitions.

For most people, which hemisphere is language associated with?

The left hemisphere.

What is Broca's area associated with?

Ability to speak.

What is Wernicke's area associated with?

Ability to understand language.

What are Broca's area and Wernicke's area connected by?

A bundle of nerves called the arcuate fasciculus.

What is the corpus callosum?

A thick bundle of nerve fibers connecting the brain hemispheres.

What is the theory of universalism?

That thoughts dictate language completely.

What was Piaget's theory on language development?

Thought influences language but does not completely dictate it.

What is Vygotsky’s theory of language development?

Thought and language are independent, but eventually converge (children think differently from language but eventually can use language to express their thoughts).

What is linguistic determinism?

Language influences (weak) or completely determines (strong; Whorfian) thought.

What is the nativist/innatist theory of language development?

Humans have the innate ability to learn language. Associated with Chomsky (LAD in the brain allows this).

What is the critical/sensitive period in the nativist theory of language development?

A period of time where a child is most able to learn a language (0-9 years of age approximately).

What is the learning theory of language development?

Children are taught language through reinforcement (example: children learning to say mama because it brings her closer).

What is the interactionist theory of language development?

Biological and social influences drive a child to learn a language.

What is the hierarchal theory of intelligence?

Cognitive abilities are ordered with general intelligence at the top and fluid and crystallized intelligence beneath.