Cognitive development 1 (L4)

Flashcards on Cognitive Development, Piaget's Theory, Infant Cognition, Early Childhood Cognition, Vygotsky, and Moral Development.

Piaget's Theory

Children actively construct new understandings of the world based on their experiences.

Schemes (Piaget)

Patterns of thinking, problem-solving, and constructing reality.

Sensorimotor Stage (Birth-2 years)

Coordination of sensory and motor activity; achievement of object permanence.

Preoperational Stage (2-7 years)

Use of language and symbolic representation; egocentric view of the world, make-believe play.

Concrete Operational Stage (7-11 years)

Solution of concrete problems through logical operations; objects are organized into hierarchies and classes and subclasses; thinking is not yet abstract.

Formal Operational Stage (11-adulthood)

Systematic solution of actual and hypothetical problems using abstract symbols.

Symbolic Thought

Understanding the world through symbolic thought.

Mental Imagery

Internal representation of an external event.

Language

Not just a communication system, but a means of representing objects and events in an abstract way.

Symbolic Play

Play in which one actor, object, or action symbolizes or stands for another.

Social Pretend Play (Sociodramatic Play)

Play in which children cooperate with caregivers or playmates to enact dramas.

Social Referencing

Using another person’s response to an ambiguous situation as a guide for one’s own response. (social learning)

Decentration

Holding multiple ideas at once

Intentionality

Seeing oneself (and others) as intentional agents is one of the most basic elements of cognition in social contexts.

Perceptual Salience (Pre-op)

The most distinct features (color, size, loudness) of an object or a situation

Conservation

The idea that certain properties of an object or substance do not change when its appearance is altered in a superficial way

Centration

Focusing on one aspect of a problem or object

Irreversible thought

Cannot mentally undo an action

Static thought

Focusing on the end state rather than the changes that transform one state into another

Lack class inclusion

The ability to relate the whole class (furry animals) to its subclasses (dogs, cats)

Theory of mind

The ability to attribute mental states—beliefs, intents, desires, pretending, knowledge—to oneself and others and to understand that others have beliefs, desires, and intentions that are different from one's own.

Shared (joint) attention

Two people focusing on the same thing and knowing other person is sharing that experience

Operations

Mental steps/actions on concrete situations/objects to solve problems or achieve goals

Decentration

Can focus on two or more aspects of a problem at once

Reversibility of thought

Can mentally reverse or undo an action

Transformational thought

Can understand the process of change from one state to another

Seriation

The ability to arrange items mentally along a quantifiable dimension (weight or height)

Transitivity

is the understanding of relationships among elements in a series

Postformal thinking

Decisions are made based on situations and circumstances, and logic is combined with emotion as adults develop principles that depend on contexts.

Vygotsky's theory

Social interaction drives cognitive development

Morality

A sense of behavioral conduct that differentiates intentions, decisions, and actions between those that are good (or right) and bad (or wrong).

Affective component perspective (morality)

Emotional aspect of morality including feelings of guilt, shame, and empathy towards others.

Cognitive component perspective (morality)

Focuses on the rational and reasoning aspects of moral judgments, and how people process and determine moral values.

Behavioural component perspective (morality)

Involves the actions and behaviours of individuals reflecting their beliefs and values, including how they act in moral situations.

Moral affect

Positive and negative emotions can motivate behaviour. Empathy drives prosocial behaviour

Empathy

The experiencing of another person’s feelings. An emotional process that is important in moral development

Premoral period (Piaget’s moral reasoning)

During preschool years, children show little awareness or understanding of rules and can’t be considered moral beings

Heteronomous morality (Piaget’s moral reasoning)

Children (6-10) take rules seriously, to please and uphold standards of parents and other authority figures. Intentions of actions are not considered. (rules are rules)

Autonomous morality (Piaget’s moral reasoning)

Most children (10-11) begin to appreciate that rules are agreements between individuals. They judge actions based on intentions.

Kohlberg’s moral reasoning theory (Heinz)

Moral growth progresses through a universal sequence. (inspired by piaget)

1. Punishment and obedience orientation

(Kohlberg’s Preconventional morality)

Obeying rules to avoid punishment

2. Instrumental hedonism

(Kohlberg’s Preconventional morality)

Doing things based on the benefits

3. Good boy/girl morality

(Kohlberg’s Conventional morality)

Pleasing others and gaining approval

4. Authority and social order maintaining morality

(Kohlberg’s Conventional morality)

Obeying rules to maintain social order

5. Morality of contract and individual rights

(Kohlberg’s Post Conventional Morality)

Respecting laws only if they uphold human rights, otherwise you disagree with the rule

6. Morality of individual principles of conscious

(Kohlberg’s Post conventional morality)

Following universal ethical principles and own moral beliefs even if it means breaking the rules