Week 4: Cognitive Development in Infancy and Toddlerhood

Piaget's Theory

Children actively explore and develop thinking in stages.

Scheme

An organized way of understanding experiences.

Assimilation

Using existing schemes to understand new experiences.

Accommodation

Changing schemes when new experiences don't fit.

Equilibrium

A balanced state of thinking.

Disequilibrium

Cognitive discomfort that leads to changing schemes.

Sensorimotor Stage

Birth to 2 years; learning through senses and actions.

Substage 1: Reflexes (0–1 month)

Using reflexes like sucking and grasping.

Substage 2: Primary Circular Reactions (1–4 months)

Repeating actions involving their own body.

Substage 3: Secondary Circular Reactions (4–8 months)

Repeating actions that affect objects.

Substage 4: Intentional Behavior (8–12 months)

Using goal-directed actions to solve problems.

Object Permanence

Understanding objects exist when out of sight.

A-not-B Error

Looking for an object where it was previously hidden.

Substage 5: Tertiary Circular Reactions (12–18 months)

Experimenting with different actions and outcomes.

Substage 6: Mental Representation (18–24 months)

Using mental images and beginning symbolic thought.

Deferred Imitation

Copying an action after a delay.

Symbolic Thought

Using words or images to represent things.

Video Deficit Effect

Learning less from video than from live demonstrations.

Information Processing

How children take in, store, and use information.

Sensory Memory

Briefly holds sights and sounds.

Working Memory

Holds and manipulates information temporarily.

Long-Term Memory

Stores information over time.

Executive Function

Controls attention, impulses, planning, and behavior.

Habituation

Becoming less responsive to repeated stimuli.

Recall

Remembering information without it being present.

Recognition

Identifying something seen or experienced before.

Infantile Amnesia

Lack of adult memories from infancy.

Categorization

Groupings of objects or experiences with shared features.

Vygotsky's Sociocultural Theory

Cognitive development is shaped by social interaction and culture.

Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)

Tasks a child can do with help but not alone.

Scaffolding

Adult support that decreases as a child gains skills.

Piaget vs. Vygotsky

Piaget emphasized independent discovery; Vygotsky emphasized social guidance.

HOME Inventory

Assesses the quality of a child's home learning environment.

High-Quality Child Care

Supports cognitive, language, academic, and social development.

Early Intervention

Programs that support children at risk of developmental difficulties.

Broca's Area

Brain region associated with language production and grammar.

Wernicke's Area

Brain region associated with understanding word meaning.

Nativist Perspective

Language learning is supported by an inborn human capacity.

Chomsky's Language Acquisition Device (LAD)

Proposed innate system for learning language.

Cooing

Around 2 months; vowel-like sounds.

Babbling

Around 6 months; repeated sounds like "baba."

First Words

Usually around 12 months.

Underextension

Using a word too narrowly.

Overextension

Using a word too broadly.

Two-Word Utterances

Usually emerge around 18–24 months.

Telegraphic Speech

Short phrases using mainly meaningful words.

Joint Attention

Adult and child focus on the same thing; supports language.

Gestures

Actions like pointing that support communication and vocabulary.

Language Delay Warning Signs

Late babbling or gestures, few words after age 2, or difficulty following directions.

Supporting Language Development

Talk, read, respond to babbling, and play with children.