Developmental Psychology Unit 2: Cognitive Development

Overview of Cognitive Development

• Definition of Cognition: Knowledge, reasoning, and problem-solving.

• Emphasis on the origins of knowledge and how cognitive processes develop over time.

Major Theories of Cognitive Development

• Piaget - Framework emphasizing stages of development.

• Information-Processing - Focus on how children process information.

• Sociocultural/Vygotsky - Emphasizes the role of social interaction and culture in development.

• Core Knowledge - Suggests children are born with innate knowledge.

Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development

Jean Piaget (1896-1980)

• Known for detailed observations and clever experimental tasks.

• Contributed significantly to understanding children's cognitive processes.

How Children Learn According to Piaget

• Children are seen as "scientists" actively testing hypotheses.

• They construct knowledge through interactions with their environment.

Piaget's Four Stages of Development

1. Sensorimotor Stage (0-2 years)

   • Infants start as a blank slate.

   • Focus on sensory and motor processes in the first 8 months.

   • Object permanence: infants initially "fail" at this task.

   • By 8 months: Development of object permanence but fragile.

   • A-not-B task demonstrates infants' error in responding to location of objects.

   • By 12 months: AB search task performance improves.

   • By 24 months: Capable of mental representations and deferred imitation.

2. Preoperational Stage (2-7 years)

   • Major innovations include the use of symbols, language, and drawings.

   • Children engage in pretend play evolving from basic object substitution.

   • Limitations:

     • Egocentrism: Difficulty seeing perspectives other than their own.

     • Example: Three Mountains task - younger children may not recognize the doll's view.

     • Centration: Focus on one feature, neglecting others; conservation tasks illustrate this.

       • Examples include conservation of liquid and number.

3. Concrete Operational Stage (7-12 years)

   • Development of logical reasoning about concrete situations.

   • Can perform operations resulting in conservation of quantity despite visible changes.

   • Limitations:

     • Thinking is limited to concrete situations and fails on hypothetical reasoning.

     • Example: Pendulum Problem - Difficulty reasoning about counterfactuals.

4. Formal Operational Stage (12 years and up)

   • Children gain abilities such as hypothetical reasoning and abstract thinking.

   • Can systematically approach problem-solving tasks, like the pendulum problem.

Evaluation of Piaget's Theory

• Significance: Broad and influential theory in developmental psychology.

• Weaknesses:

  • Vague on processes of change (assimilation, accommodation), leading to the need for more detailed models.

  • Underestimates children's cognitive abilities; core knowledge theories bring attention to innate capabilities.

  • Lack of emphasis on social and cultural factors contrasts with sociocultural theories.

  • The stage theory may oversimplify cognitive development.

Important Questions for Reflection

• Understand names, age ranges, and limitations/accomplishments of each cognitive stage.

• Familiarize with tasks illustrating children's limitations at each stage: e.g., object permanence, egocentrism.

• Analyze how children's actions and experiences contribute to cognitive achievements.

• Reflect on themes such as continuity vs. discontinuity, nature vs. nurture, individual differences, and sociocultural context.