cognitive development

Question 1

what is cognitive development

Answer 1

changes in abilities such as thinking, memories, attention, imagination and language

Question 2

what are schemas

Answer 2

cognitive framework that helps people organise and interpret information

Question 3

how to schemas work (step by step)

Answer 3

• you receive new information
• you attempt to assimilate into an existing schema
• if it can assimilate there is no change and there is equilibrium
• if it cannot assimilate there is disequilibrium
  -you then either accommodate the new information by change or creating a new schema
• there is then equilibrium again

Question 4

disequilibrium

Answer 4

if a new experience does not fit existing knowledge

Question 5

accommodation

Answer 5

how people adapt current knowledge structures in response to new experiences

Question 6

assimilation

Answer 6

how people translate incoming information into a form they can understand

Question 7

equilibrium

Answer 7

the balance for assimilation and accomodation to create stable understanding

Question 8

invariant sequence

Answer 8

an order that is unchanging and theories the order in which the stages of development occur

these stages children must progress through sequentially

Question 9

what are the 4 stages of piagets theory

Answer 9

sensorimotor stage
pre operational stage
concrete operational stage
formal operational stage

Question 10

what age does sensorimotor stage occur

Answer 10

birth - 2

Question 11

what age does pre operational stage occur

Answer 11

2 - 6

Question 12

what age does concrete operational occur

Answer 12

7 - 11

Question 13

what age does formal operational occur

Answer 13

12 +

Question 14

briefly describe sensorimotor stage

Answer 14

• the infant explores the world through direct and motor contact
• object permanence

Question 15

outline the A not B task (sensorimotor stage)

Answer 15

• experimenter hides a toy under the box A, the baby reaches for the toy under box A
  -repeated
  -experimenter moves toy to box B
  -babies under 10 months make a preservation error and look under box A
  -this demonstrates a lack of schema of object permanence

Question 16

briefly describe the pre operational stage

Answer 16

• symbolic thinking
• egocentrism
• animism
  -centration
  -seriation

Question 17

outline the 3 Mountains task (pre operational)

Answer 17

• child sat at table with 3 different mountains
• child walks around table then sits down
• a doll is placed in a position
  -the child is asked to pick one photograph from multiple that shows what the doll is seeing
• if the child picks the correct doll they are no longer egocentric
• 7 years and up consistently choose the correct photo

Question 18

briefly describe the concrete operational stage

Answer 18

• conserve quantities

Question 19

outline the conservation of liquid and numbers task (concrete operational)

Answer 19

• 2 same size cups are shown with same amount of liquid
  -“do they have the same amount or different amounts?”
• water from one is poured into a small tall cup
• “do they have the same or different amount”
• coins close together vs spaced apart
  -“do they have the same amount or different amounts”

Question 20

briefly describe the formal operational stage

Answer 20

• abstract and deeper thinking

Question 21

outline the pendulum problem (formal operational)

Answer 21

• compare the motions of longer and shorter strings with different weights attached
• children below 12 perform unsystematic experiments and draw incorrect conclusions
• children in formal operational approached it systematically testing one variable at a time.