Cognitive Development II - Information processing, core knowledge and sociocultural approaches

Page 1

Title Page

• Developmental Psychology: From Infancy to Adulthood by Fiona White, Brett Hayes, and David Livesey

• Published by Pearson Prentice Hall

Page 2

Copyright Information

• University of Canberra Library Catalog Number: 0234545

• Copyright Pearson Education Australia, 2005

• The Copyright Act 1968 allows copying one chapter or 10% of the book for educational purposes with appropriate notice.

• Contact information for Copyright Agency Limited (CAL) included.

Page 3

Chapter 6 Overview: Cognitive Development II

• Key Topics of this Chapter:

  • Basic assumptions of information-processing, core-knowledge, and sociocultural approaches

  • Evaluation of each approach concerning contemporary research

  • Task analysis and its importance in information-processing theory

  • Cognitive and behavioral changes in attention and memory during infancy and childhood

  • Age-related changes in children's theory of mind

  • Emerging theoretical approaches: connectionist and dynamic systems

  • The role of culture, schooling, mentoring, and peer relationships in cognitive development

  • Contributions of Australian researchers

  • Practical research exercise on children's memory

Page 4

Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development

• Aim: To describe and explain changes in children’s thinking during development.

• Alternative frameworks reviewed:

  • Information-Processing Approach: Analyzes cognitive processes in tasks, such as attention, memory, problem solving.

  • Core-Knowledge Approach: Proposes immediate understanding of certain world aspects, accelerating cognitive development in these areas.

  • Sociocultural Approaches: Examines the impact of social interactions, culture, and environment on cognitive development.

• Integration of ideas across frameworks provides a comprehensive understanding of children's cognitive development.

Page 5

Information-Processing Approach

• Illustrative Example: Analyzing a 4-year-old's process of recognizing the word "CAT" including:

  • Attention to letters, filtering distractions

  • Forming visual representations of letters

  • Encoding sounds of the letters

  • Combining sounds to produce the word

• Task Analysis: Specification of processing steps in cognitive tasks aids in understanding developmental changes.

• Origin: Emerged in the late 20th century, predominates cognitive development research today, drawing parallels with computer processing.

Page 6

Basic Processes I: Attentional Development

• Human Attentional System: Handles overwhelming sensory inputs, allowing selective focus on relevant stimuli.

• Selective Attention: Focusing on specific stimuli, ignoring distractions (e.g., when a child is instructed to pay attention).

• Studies show older children better at selective attention and retaining target information while filtering distractions.

• Sustained Attention: Ability to remain focused on a task; increases with age, observable by age one.

• Attention skills developed through structured intray activities and cognitive profiling may indicate risks for attention disorders.

Page 7

Basic Processes II: Memory Development

• Importance of Memory: Affects all areas of life from academics to personal relationships.

• Conventional Memory Assessment:

  • Recognition: Identifying previously encountered items.

  • Recall: Retrieving information without cues.

• Studies focus on infant memory development methodologies for recognizing and recalling experiences.

Page 8

Memory Development in Infancy

• Evidence suggests memory begins at birth; infants exhibit recognition and can learn operant responses.

• Duration of memory increases as infants grow older.

• Recognition memory assessed through habituation and dishabituation and operant conditioning.

• Contextual Influences on Memory:

  • Context during encoding and retrieval impacts memory retention and recall accuracy.

Page 9

Continued Memory Development and Implicit Memory

• Implicit Memory: Expressed through behavior without conscious recall.

• Examples of implicit memory include visual repetition priming.

• Children as young as three can exhibit implicit memory effects; hence this suggests distinct developmental trajectories for implicit vs explicit memory systems.

Page 10

Connectionist and Dynamic-Systems Approaches

• Connectionist Theories: Focus on parallel processing, mimicking neural connections; emphasizes how experience strengthens cognitive abilities.

• Dynamic-Systems Theories: Examine interactions between various cognitive domains like attention, language, memory, etc., highlighting complexity in understanding cognitive development.

Page 11

Sociocultural Approach Overview

• Emphasizes interactions between children and their social environment (e.g., parents, peers) as critical to cognitive development.

• Vygotsky's Contributions:

  • Advocated for sociocultural perspectives on learning and development, underscoring the social nature of human learning.

  • Concepts of guided participation and cultural tools enriching cognitive growth.

Page 12

Vygotsky's Concepts

• Private Speech: Children verbalize thought during tasks as a cognitive aid, gradually transforming from overt to internalized dialogue.

• Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD): Characterizes the difference between what a child can do alone and what they can achieve within guided support.

• Scaffolding in Learning: Adults adapt instruction based on the child’s competence, enhancing learning abilities over time.

Page 13

Cognitive Development Conclusion

• Integration of various approaches aids comprehensive understanding of cognitive development's complexity.

• Highlights the influence of social, cultural, and innate factors on cognitive growth across multiple domains.

Page 14

Discussion Questions

• Questions regarding concepts of personification in children's understanding of animals; comparing assessment methods in educational settings based on Vygotsky's theories.