Theories of Cognitive Development

These flashcards cover key concepts in the theories of cognitive development, particularly focusing on Piaget's stages, Vygotsky's contributions, and general cognitive milestones in children.

What is Piaget’s view on children from birth?

Children are mentally active from birth, acting as 'mini scientists' to make sense of the world.

What are schemas in Piaget's theory?

Categories of related events, objects, and knowledge used by children to understand the world.

What is assimilation?

The process of adding new information to existing schemes.

What is accommodation?

The process of refining schemes to incorporate new experiences.

What are the ages for the sensorimotor stage according to Piaget?

Age 0-2.

Describe the first sub-stage of the sensorimotor stage.

Sub-stage 1 involves exercising reflex schemas where infants learn to control and coordinate inborn reflexes.

What occurs in sub-stage 2 of the sensorimotor stage?

Primary circular reactions, where infants start to gain voluntary control and repeat behaviors that produce pleasant sensations.

What are tertiary circular reactions in the sensorimotor stage?

Sub-stage 5 (12-18 months), where infants deliberately vary their actions to experiment.

What is the significance of the symbolic representation starting at 18-24 months?

It allows for problem-solving, symbolic play, deferred imitation, and the use of language.

At what age does the preoperational stage occur?

Age 2-7.

What is the greatest cognitive strength in the preoperational stage?

Symbolic capacity.

How does pretend play change from age 2 to age 3?

It becomes less self-centered as children develop awareness of reality versus make-believe.

What is animism in children's thinking?

The belief that inanimate objects have lifelike qualities.

What is decentration?

The ability to focus on multiple aspects of a problem at once.

What age range corresponds to the concrete operational stage?

Age 7-11.

What ability improves during the concrete operational stage?

Reversibility and understanding of conservation.

What is the significance of the formal operational stage?

It is characterized by the ability for abstract, systematic, and scientific thinking.

What are Lev Vygotsky’s contributions to cognitive development?

He emphasized sociocultural perspectives and collaborative learning.

What is the zone of proximal development?

The difference between what a child can do with assistance and what they can do alone.

What is scaffolding in Vygotsky's theory?

A teaching style that matches the amount of assistance to the learner’s needs.

What is private (egocentric) speech?

Children thinking out loud before internalizing this speech into symbolic thought.

How are cognitive development and information-processing approaches related?

They compare the mind's workings to a computer, involving hardware (brain) and software (processes).

What contributes to increased processing speeds in cognitive development?

Increased myelination.

What are heuristics?

Shortcuts used in problem-solving.

What do core-knowledge theories focus on?

Understanding and manipulating critical areas that have been important throughout human history.

At what age can children typically discriminate between ‘one’ and ‘two’?

By 5 months of age.

What does the violation of expectations method measure?

It measures infants' understanding of object permanence.

What do children understand about living things by age 4?

Understanding differences between living things and inanimate objects.

What is 'folk psychology'?

Understanding how people think and predict their behavior.

What does the theory of mind (TOM) entail?

The ability to consider others' mental states affecting their actions.

What tasks are used to test theory of mind?

False-belief tasks.

What is a key finding regarding children's egocentrism from recent research?

Pre-operational children may not be as egocentric as previously thought.

How can 4-year-olds demonstrate an understanding of perspective-taking?

By adjusting their speech to different listeners.

What cognitive milestone occurs by 6 months regarding categorization?

Children can categorize based on size, shape, and color.

What are the characteristics of children's reasoning about living things?

Understanding animals move by themselves, grow, and heal, unlike inanimate objects.

What does deferred imitation reveal about infants?

It shows their capability to imitate after a delay, reflecting memory improvements.

How does make-believe play contribute to cognitive development?

It leads to greater social competence and strengthens cognitive skills.