Chapter 5: Infancy Cognitive Development

Schemes

Actions or mental representations that organize knowledge

• Infants: structures by simple actions like sucking, looking, and grasping

• Older children: strategies and plans for solving problems

Assimilation

Occurs when children use their existing schemes to deal with new information or experiences

• Ex: calling motorcycles and trucks “cars”

Accommodation

Occurs when children use their existing schemes to deal with new information or experiences

• Ex: learning that trucks and motorcycles are different from cars

Sensorimotor stage

Infants construct an understanding of the world by coordinating sensory experiences (such as seeing and hearing) with physical, motor actions

When does Sensorimotor stage occur

Lasts from birth to about 2 years

What is the order of the substages of Sensorimotor development

Simple reflexes → First habits and primary circular reactions → Secondary circular reactions → Coordination of secondary circular reactions → Tertiary circular reactions, novelty, and curiosity → Internalization of schemes

Simple Reflexes

• Age: Birth to 1 month

• Description: coordination of sensation and action through reflexive behaviors

• Example: rooting, sucking, and grasping reflexes; newborns suck reflexively when their lips are touched

First habits and primary circular reactions

• Age: 1 to 4 months

• Description: Coordination of sensation and two types of schemes: habits (reflex) and primary circular reactions (reproduction of an event that initially occurred by chance). Main focus is still on the infant’s body.

• Example: Repeating a body sensation first experienced by chance (sucking thumb, for example); then infants might accommodate actions by sucking their thumb differently from how they suck on a nipple

Secondary circular reactions

• Age: 4 to 8 months

• Description: Infants become more object-oriented, moving beyond self-preoccupation; repeat actions that bring interesting or pleasurable results.

• Example: An infant coos to make a person stay near; as the person starts to leave, the infant coos again

Coordination of secondary circular reactions

• Age: 8 to 12 months

• Description: Coordination of vision and touch—hand-eye coordination; coordination of schemes and intentionality.

• Example: Infant manipulates a stick in order to bring an attractive toy within reach.

Tertiary circular reactions, novelty, and curiosity

• Age: 12 to 18 months

• Description: Infants become intrigued by the many properties of objects and by the many things they can make happen to objects; they experiment with new behaviors.

• Example: A block can be made to fall, spin, hit another object, and slide across the ground.

Internalization of schemes

• Age: 18 to 24 months

• Description: Infants develop the ability to use primitive symbols and form enduring mental representations.

• Example: An infant who has never thrown a temper tantrum before sees a playmate throw a tantrum; the infant retains a memory of the event, then throws one himself the next day.

Object permanence

The understanding that objects continue to exist even when they cannot be seen, heard, or touched

A-not-B error

Infants see an object hidden at location A and successfully find it there → when the object is moved to location B, they often continue searching at A

Rovee-Collier’s investigation of infant memory and habituation to demonstrate implicit memory in infancy.

• Baby's foot was connected to a mobile. Baby learned that kicking → mobile moves. Later, even without the connection, the baby kicked.

• Shows infants can remember learned behaviors as young as about 2½ months.

Habituation

Learning not to respond to a repeated stimulus as evidence that is familiar

Operant conditioning

Infants at 2 and a half months of age can retain information from the experience of being conditioned

What is implicit memory and when does it develop?

Memory without conscious recollection; develops relatively early

What is explicit memory and when does it develop?

Conscious remembering of facts and experiences; becomes more evident during the second half of the first year and improves significance during the second year

Order that langauge develops during infancy

• Crying

• Recognize language sounds

• Babbling: 2-3 months

• First words:10-14 months

• Two-word (telegraphic speech): 24 months

• Infant’s comprehension comes before their production

• Vocabulary spurt around 18 months

Possible effects of screen time on development during infancy

• Frequent viewing of television increased the risk of delayed language development

• Parents co-watching educational videos together with the infant can benefit development