Cognitive development

What does cognitive development include?

• information processing

• conceptual reasoning

• perceptual skills

• language and socio emotional development

how is cognitive development defined?

development of thinking, learning, remembering and problem solving over time

what did Piaget notice in young children?

consistent errors on certain psychometric assessment questions

how did Piaget characterise children?

as active ‘scientists’ with different thought processes from adults

What do children do while engaging with their environment?

conduct ‘mini experiments’

what is Piaget’s stage theory claim?

every child goes through four stages in the same order, not always at the same time

what are Piaget’s key assumptions about stages of development?

They are invariant, fixed in order, universal, and cannot be skipped

what is a schema?

a mental ‘template’ for organising experiences and a building block of knowledge

what can schemas contain?

cognitive and behavioural information

How are schemas changed?

they are continuously built, refined and reorganised through experiences

what is disequilibrium?

new information does not fit the existing schema

What is accommodation?

The schema is modified to fit new information

What is equilibrium in the named example?

a clearer understanding of names versus categories

what is the aim of Piaget’s clinical task focus?

focus on why children gave an answer, not just whether it was right or wrong

Name three strengths of Piaget listed:

• educational impact

• systematic methods

• children’s agency/active role

Name four critisms of Piaget:

• tasks too hard/irrelevant

• sample bias

• limited individual differences

• little after early adolescence

what is another criticism concerning Piaget’s ages?

Piaget’s ages do not match the data

What criticism concerns social environment?

the role of social environment is assumed unimportant

what is a criticism about piaget’s explanatory power?

description but not explanation

What does Piaget say about development and learning?

development leads to learning

What does Vygotsky say about learning and development?

learning leads to development; we learn from others

Why is socio/cultural context important for Vygotsky?

individual development is contingent on socio/cultural context

what does Vygotsky mean by culture as tools?

culture provides tools involved in development, including language

what is the More Knowledgeable Other (MKO)?

a more knowledgeable person who supports learning

what is scaffolding?

support provided by carers that is gradually removed

What is ZPD?

zone of proximal development- the sweet spot

what are Vygotsky’s elementary mental functions?

• attention

• sensation

• perception

• memory

What is cultural mediation?

Language, tools and interaction with others

What are higher mental functions?

Culturally shaped, conscious and strategic processes such as selective attention, mnemonics and reasoning