OP Summer Psychology - Week 3 Notes

Piaget’s Theory of Development

Believes that it is genetic, development processes through its natural course of development

Sensorimotor Stage

Birth - 2 years
Infants gain information through their senses and movement (cognitive development through walking and talking)

Preoperational

2-6 years
ecocentrism (only thinking of themselves)

• conversation problems 

  • only focuses on one aspect of the problem, doesn’t understand two waters are equal even if it looks different in two cups

Concrete Operational

6-11 years
able to perform mental action —> operations

able to apply logic to specific objects/events

Formal Operation

11 years-now
hypothetical reasoning, thought is logical and abstract

Schemas

models the way the world works

Assimilation

taking new information/experiences and fitting them into an existing mental framework/schema

Example: thinking all flying things are birds

Accommodation

process in which infants change their schemas after learning new information, differentiating the schemas

Object permanence

idea that an object still exists even if they are covered

Differed Imitation

able to imitate something later in time

Piaget Criticisms

newer theories see the stages as continuous and children may acquire abilities earlier than proposed

Lev Vygotsky Theory (1896-1934)

believes that cognition is dependent on interactions of people of their own culture, emphasis on environment and ability to learn from others

Fundamental attribution error

when analyzing others’ behavior, you overestimate the influence of personal traits and underestimate the effects of the situation

Cognitive Dissonance Theory

attitudes do not fit with actions
Example: you want to lose weight but you eat a large fast food meal (and say you’re going to start your diet tomorrow)