PSY 2261 Chapter 9: Cognitive Development in Early Childhood Flashcards

Vocabulary-style flashcards covering the key terms and concepts of cognitive development in early childhood as outlined in the PSY 2261 study guide.

Preoperational Stage age range

The second major stage of cognitive development in Piaget's theory, occurring approximately from age $2$ to $7$.

Symbolic Function

The ability to use mental representations (words, numbers, or images) to which a child has attached meaning.

Transduction

Piaget's term for a preoperational child's tendency to mentally link particular experiences, whether or not there is a logically causal relationship.

Egocentrism

A limitation of preoperational thought characterized by the inability to consider another person's point of view.

Animism

A limitation of preoperational thought where the child attributes life to objects that are not alive.

Centration

The tendency of preoperational children to focus on one aspect of a situation and neglect others.

Irreversibility

A preoperational child's failure to understand that an operation can go in two or more directions.

Conservation

The awareness that two objects that are equal according to a certain measure remain equal in the face of perceptual alteration so long as nothing has been added or taken away.

Theory of Mind

Awareness of one's own mental processes and the mental processes of others.

False Beliefs

The understanding that people can hold mental representations of reality that are wrong.

Generic Memory

Memory that produces scripts of familiar routines to guide behavior.

Episodic Memory

Long-term memory of specific experiences or events, linked to a specific time and place.

Autobiographical Memory

A type of episodic memory of distinctive experiences that form a person's life history.

Executive Functioning

The conscious control of thoughts, emotions, and actions to accomplish goals or solve problems.

Encoding

The process by which information is prepared for long-term storage and later retrieval.

Storage

The retention of information in memory for future use.

Retrieval

The process by which information is accessed or recalled from memory storage.

Sensory Memory

Initial, brief, temporary storage of sensory information.

Working Memory

Short-term storage of information being actively processed.

Long-term Memory

Storage of virtually unlimited capacity that holds information for very long periods of time.

Recognition

The ability to identify a previously encountered stimulus.

Recall

The ability to reproduce material from memory.

Metacognition

Thinking about thinking, or awareness of one's own mental processes.

Metamemory

Understanding of the processes of memory.

Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)

Vygotsky's term for the difference between what a child can do alone and what the child can do with help.

Scaffolding

Temporary support to help a child master a task.

Private Speech

Talking aloud to oneself with no intent to communicate with others.

Fast Mapping

The process by which a child absorbs the meaning of a new word after hearing it once or twice in conversation.

Pragmatics

The practical knowledge needed to use language for communicative purposes.

Emergent Literacy

Preschoolers' development of skills, knowledge, and attitudes that underlie reading and writing.

Montessori Method

An educational approach based on the belief that children's natural intelligence involves rational, spiritual, and physical aspects.

Compensatory Preschool Programs

Programs designed to aid children who would otherwise enter school poorly prepared to learn.

Universal Preschool

A local, state, or federally funded early childhood education program available to all children.