Chapter 5: Cognitive Growth: Piaget and Vygotsky

Exam 1 Covers chapters 1-5

schema

organized patterns of functioning that adapt and change with mental development

assimilation

the process in which people understand an experience in terms of their current stage of cognitive development and way of thinking

accommodation

changes in existing ways of thinking that occur in response to encounters with new stimuli or events

Piaget’s stages of cognitive development

sensorimotor stage - 0-2 years

preoperational thinking - 2-7 years

concrete operational (thought) - 7-12

formal operational - 12-15

sensorimotor stage

(0-2 years) Piaget’s initial major stage of cognitive development, which can be broken down into six substages

circular reactions (when does it develop)

2-18 months

object permanence (when does it develop)

~ 8 months

preoperational thinking

(2-7 years) children’s use of symbolic thinking grows, mental reasoning emerges, and the use of concepts increases

children are not capable of operation, organized, formal, logical mental processes

symbolic function

the ability to use a mental symbol, a word, or an object to stand for or represent something that is not physically present

centration

the process of concentrating on one limited aspect of a stimulus and ignoring other aspects

egocentrism

inability to take another’s perspective

intuitive thought

thinking that reflects preschooler’s use of primitive reasoning and their avid acquisition of knowledge about the world

reversibility

realizing that a stimulus can be reversed, returning to its original form

transformation

process in which one state is changed to another

propositional thought

reasoning that uses abstract logic in the absence of concrete examples

postformal thought (Labouvie-Vief)

thinking that acknowledges that adult predicaments much sometimes be solved in realistic terms

Schaie’s stages of adult development

acquisitive stage

achieving stage

responsible stage

executive stage

reintegrative stage

acquisitive stage (Schaie’s stages of adult development)

the first stage of cognitive development, encompassing all of childhood and adolescence, and the main development task is to acquire information

achieving stage (Schaie’s stages of adult development)

the point reached by young adults at which intelligence is applied to specific situations involving the attainment of long-term goals regarding careers, family, and societal contributions

responsible stage (Schaie’s stages of adult development)

the stage wherein the major concerns of middle-aged adults relate to their personal situations, including protecting and nourishing their spouses, families, and careers

executive stage (Schaie’s stages of adult development)

the period in middle adulthood when people take a broader perspective than earlier, addressing more global concerns

reintegrative stage (Schaie’s stages of adult development)

the period of late adulthood during which the focus is on tasks that have personal meaning

scaffold

framework that offers children temporary support as they develop higher levels of thinking

zone of proximal development (ZPD)

the level at which a child can almost, but not fully, perform a task independently, but can do so with the assistance of someone more competent

cultural tools

the aid that more accomplished individuals provide to learners comes in the form of cultural tools.

can be physical objects like pencils and paper or intellectual like language or religious systems