Adolescent Cognition: Piaget & Vygotsky

These flashcards cover key concepts in adolescent cognition as discussed in Piaget and Vygotsky's theories.

Cognitive Development

The process of growth and change in intellectual capabilities that influence a person's behavior.

Schema

A mental concept or framework that is useful in organizing and interpreting information.

Assimilation

The incorporation of new information into existing knowledge.

Accommodation

The adjustment of a schema to new information.

Equilibration

A shift in thought from one state to another, facilitating cognitive balance.

Sensorimotor Stage

Piaget's first cognitive stage, occurring from birth to 2 years, where infants learn through physical interactions.

Preoperational Stage

Piaget's second stage from 2 to 7 years where children use symbolic thinking but are limited by egocentrism.

Concrete Operational Stage

Piaget's third stage from 7 to 11 years where children begin to think logically about concrete events.

Formal Operational Stage

Piaget's fourth stage starting at 11 years, where adolescents think abstractly and hypothetically.

Metacognition

The awareness and understanding of one's own thought processes.

Hypothetical-deductive reasoning

The ability to develop hypotheses and systematically test them as a form of problem-solving.

Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)

Vygotsky's concept that describes the difference between what a learner can do without help and what they can achieve with guidance.

Constructivism

The theory that learners construct knowledge through their experiences and interactions.

Social Constructivism

Vygotsky's theory emphasizing the role of social interaction in cognitive development.

Wisdom

Expert knowledge about practical aspects of life that permits excellent judgment about important matters.

Postformal Thought

A proposed fifth stage of cognitive development characterized by reflective, relativistic, and contextual thinking.

Neo-Piagetians

Researchers who build on Piaget's theory but suggest that cognitive development is not strictly stage-like and emphasize the role of other factors.