Cognitive Development Psychology

Developmental Psych

study of human development(change over time)

early interest in babies and childhood

new focus on lifespan

Cross Sectional Study

Study multiple age groups at once

-identifies group differences

-Quicker

-cheaper

Cohort Effect- differences based on ERA not age

Longitudinal Study

Study one group multiple times

-identify individual and group growth patterns

More time and Money

Attrition- drop outs (could be biased)

Nature or Nurture?

Nature- what you're born with (genes)

Nurture- impact of social/environmental experiences

*most things both

Developmental Status tends to be cumulative

"The rich get Richer"

people who start out with more, do better

Poverty Challenges Optimal Development

Physical, Cognitive and Social

Resilience

Some do well despite whats against them

Jean Piaget

early interest in thinking abilities

Piaget's constructivist view

believed kids play an active role in their growth

Piaget's Stage Theory

thinking develops in 4 stages & each stage qualitatively different from one before

Universala- same order different rate

Schema

mental framework used to organize data

Adaptation

in-born tendency to make sense of new data

Assimilation

try to fit new data into existing schema

ex: seeing cat and putting it with dogs

Accommodation

modify schema if needed

Sensorimotor Stage of Cog. Dev.

(birth-2)

Object Permanence: understand things still exist when not visible

Delayed imitation: Copy after the fact

Can hold things in mind