PSYC 307: 4.2-4.5 alternatives to Piaget's theory of cognitive development

information-processing theories

a class of theories that focus on the structure of the cognitive system and the mental activities used to deploy attention and memory to solve problems, belief that cognitive development occurs continuously and small increments at different ages on different tasks

the child as a limited-capacity processing system

cognitive development arises from children gradually surmounting their processing limitations, steps include

-expanding amount of information they can process at a time

-increasing processing speeds

-acquiring new strategies and knowledge

the child as a problem solver

the assumption that children are active problem solvers is central to information-processing theories, problem solving involves a goal, a perceived obstacle, and a strategy or rule, children's cognitive flexibility helps them attain their goals

working memory

actively attending to, gathering, maintaining, storing, and

processing information, limits on capacity and speed, implications for learning, subset of that knowledge attended to at a given time

long-term memory

knowledge that people accumulate over their lifetime, no limits on capacity or duration, totality of one's knowledge

executive functioning

control of cognition (behavior and thought processes), aids other cognitive functions, links to behavior problems (inhibition, enhancement of working memory, and cognitive flexibility)

improving memory using basic processes

simplest and most frequently used mental activities, they include associating events with one another, recognizing objects as familiar, recalling facts and procedures, and generalizing information

encoding

the representation in memory of specific features of objects and events

neural development

also contributes to improvements in memory through myelination and connectivity

improving memory using strategies

information-processing theories point to the acquisition and growth of strategies as another major source of memory development, children begin to use a number of broadly useful memory strategies

selective attention

intentionally focusing on most relevant information that is most relevant to the current goal

content knowledge

increased knowledge makes new information easier to connect/integrate with what is already known, improves recall of new material, providing useful associations

rehearsal

repeating information multiple times in order to remember

overlapping waves theory

an information-processing approach that emphasizes the variability of children's thinking, individual children usually use a variety of approaches to solve problems, with age and experience they begin to rely on more advanced strategies

dynamic-systems theories

theories that focus on how change occurs over time in complex physical and biological systems, children's actions shape their development

soft assembly

the process of self-organization that involves bringing together and integrating attention, memory, emotions, and actions as needed to adapt to changing environments (current situation, immediate past, long-term history)

dynamic-systems theories emphasize

-children are innately motivated to explore the

environment

-children have a precise way of problem solving

-infants and toddlers are competent

-other people are important in influencing development

centrality of action

children's specific actions contribute to development throughout life, thought shapes action but action also shapes thought

mechanisms of change

the processes by which an intervention stimulates change in an outcome or individual

variation

the use of different behaviors to pursue the same goal

selection

increasing frequent choice of behaviors that are relatively successful in reaching goals

efficiency

children meet goals more quickly or with less effort than do other approaches

novelty

the lure of trying something new

sociocultural theories

other people and the surrounding culture are primary contributors to children's development, this theory emphasizes the importance of children's interactions with others

guided participation

a process in which more knowledgeable individuals organize activities in ways that allow less knowledgeable people to perform the activity at a higher level than they could manage on their own, initially helping them develop skills on their own

social scaffolding

a process in which a more competent person provides a temporary framework that supports the child's thinking at a

higher level than children could manage on their own

autobiographical memories

memories of experiences including thoughts and emotions, parents use scaffolding to help children develop autobiographic memories (narrate through the day)

cultural tools

symbol systems, artifacts, skills, and values used to convey thoughts

Lev Vyotsky

believed that children were social learners, connected to others who help them gain skills and understanding

3 steps to thought processing

-private speech becomes whispers or silent lip movements

eventually leading to internal thoughts only

-parent helps child understand and problem solve

-child uses private speech

private speech

the internal dialogue that occurs when people talk to themselves (either silently or out loud)

core-knowledge theories

approaches that view children as having some innate knowledge in domains of special evolutionary importance and domain-specific learning mechanisms for rapidly and effortlessly acquiring additional information in those domains

nativism

the belief that infants are born with substantial knowledge of evolutionarily important domains, as well as the ability to quickly and easily acquire more knowledge in these domains

constructivism

an extension of symbolic interaction theory which proposes that reality is what humans cognitively construct it to be, blends elements of nativism, Piagetian theory, and information-processing theories