Cognitive Development Theories

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Points Summary: Total of 10 points available.

Cognitive Theories
- Piaget’s Cognitive Developmental Theory
- Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Cognitive Theory
- Information Processing Theory
Behavioral and Social Cognitive Theories
- Watson’s Classical Conditioning
- Skinner’s Operant Conditioning
- Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory
Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Theory

Definition: Cognitive development refers to how children think, learn, and understand the world around them.
Focus: Focus on children’s active role in learning.
Development: Occurs through interaction with the environment.
Emphasis: Emphasizes stages or progressions in cognitive growth.

Sensorimotor Stage (0 to 2 years)
- Characteristics: Motor activity without use of symbols.
Preoperational Stage (2 to 7 years)
- Characteristics: Development of language, memory, & imagination.
Concrete Operational Stage (7 to 11 years)
- Characteristics: More logical and methodical manipulation of symbols.
Formal Operational Stage (12 years and up)
- Characteristics: Use of symbols to relate to abstract concepts.

Learning method: Learning through senses and actions.
Exploration: Exploring the world by touching, looking, tasting, and moving.
Object Permanence: Developing object permanence; understanding that objects continue to exist even when they are out of sight.

Thinking style: Thinking is symbolic, using words and images.
Play: Involves imaginative and pretend play.
Representation: Children use objects, actions, or ideas to represent something else.
Egocentric Thinking: Difficulty seeing others’ perspectives.
Logic and Conservation: Struggling with logic and conservation; understanding that quantity remains the same even if the shape or arrangement changes.

Logical Thinking: Logical thinking about concrete events.
Understanding: Understands conservation; less egocentric than preoperational stage.
Focus: Focuses on tangible, real-world situations.

Abstract Thinking: Abstract and hypothetical thinking.
Possibilities Reasoning: Can reason about possibilities and future scenarios; "what if" scenarios.
Problem-Solving: Systematic problem-solving and planning, such as planning a science experiment to test a hypothesis.
Ethical Consideration: Considering ethical dilemmas or societal issues.

Learning Factor: Learning is social and cultural.
Development: Humans develop through interaction with more knowledgeable others (MKO).
Scaffolding: Refers to the support provided to help individuals learn new skills.

Zone of Achieved Development: Tasks that can be completed independently by the child.
Zone of Proximal Development: Tasks that can be accomplished with guidance and assistance (scaffolding).

Focus: Focuses on how humans take in, store, and use information; likens the mind to a computer.
Process: The steps include input → processing → output.
Attention and Memory: Emphasizes the roles of attention and memory in learning.
Development Type: Development is gradual and continuous, not stage-like.

Focus: Concentrate on observable behaviors and learning through experience.
Role of Environment: Emphasizes the role of the environment in shaping behavior.
Behavior Development: Used to explain and predict behavior across the lifespan; follows a continuous approach where behavior develops gradually rather than in stages.

Principle: Founded the school of behaviorism, focusing on observable behavior rather than internal mental states.
Environmental Influence: Emphasized the role of environmental factors in shaping behavior and development.
Classical Conditioning Application: Applied principles of classical conditioning to child development; known for the "Little Albert" experiment.

Definition: Learning occurs through the consequences of behavior and the presence of specific stimuli.

Learning Mechanism: Learning occurs by observation (modeling); people learn behaviors by watching others.
Examples:
- A child hears older siblings say “thank you” and repeats it.
- A teen observes a classmate raise their hand and receive extra credit, making them more likely to participate in class.
- A parent apologizes after making a mistake, guiding the child to learn similar behaviors.

Premise: Human development is shaped by different layers of environmental systems.
System Interaction: Each system interacts with others, influencing the individual over time.

Microsystem: Immediate environment of the individual (e.g., family, school, peers, neighborhood).
Mesosystem: Connections between different microsystems.
Exosystem: Settings that the child does not directly participate in but that still affect them.
Macrosystem: Cultural values, laws, customs, ideologies affecting the individual.
Chronosystem: Life transitions and sociohistorical changes that influence development over time.