Core knowledge theories: L5

Question 1

Piaget: sensorimotor

Answer 1

birth - 2 years

Understands the world through senses and action

Question 2

Piaget: pre-operational

2 task examples

Answer 2

2-7 years
Understands world through symbols and mental images

1. Three-mountain task - under 6 y/o difficulty in separating perspective from others
2. Egocentrism

Question 3

Piaget: concrete operational

Answer 3

7-12 years
Understands world though logical thinking and categories
-> conservation of liquid & solid quantity achieved by 7

Question 4

Piaget: formal operational

Answer 4

12 years+

Understands world through hypothetical thinking and scientific reasoning

Question 5

Piaget: sensorimotor

1. simple: object permanence
2. changed hiding place
3. invisible displacement

Answer 5

1. 0-5 months = toy hidden under towel, no active search
   6-9 months = active search, indicating mental representation/memory
2. 8-12 months = toy placed under towel A numerous times. Then placed under towel B. child still reaches for towel A
   10-12 months = mastered mental representation
3. 12-18 months = researcher hides toy in hand, moves under a napkin. Child looks for the toy in the hand not napkin
   18 months = mastered mental representation

Question 6

Piaget:

1. Positives (3)

Answer 6

1. good overview of children’s thinking at different points
2. broad spectrum of development and ages
3. fascinating observations

Question 7

Piaget:

2. Negatives (3)

Answer 7

1. stage model depicts children’s thinking as more consistent than it is
2. Infants are more cognitively competent that Piaget recognised
3. Piaget’s theory is vague about the cognitive processes giving rise to children’s thinking & about the mechanisms that produce cognitive growth

Question 8

Core Knowledge theories: domain specific (overview + 2 main researchers)

-> what is the starter kit?

Answer 8

1. Spelke and Kinzler (2007)

• babies are born with innate theories about objects, actions, biology, number, space
• This is part of what is called the “starter kit”

Question 9

Core knowledge:
Habituation, dishabituation paradigm

(possible + impossible outcome)

Answer 9

= interaction of objects, looking at child’s understanding of object permanency
- infant becomes upset by an impossible event (screen passes through a box)
- novel event elicits longer looking time, faster heart rate (reacting to change)
= mentally represented the presence of the invisible box (object permanence)

Question 10

Core knowledge:
observational learning, knowing the number of things

(possible + impossible outcome)

Answer 10

• object placed behind screen, second added
  (a) screen drops & reveals 2 objects
  (b) screen drops & reveals 1 object

(b) = elicited longer looking time & infant became distressed

Question 11

Core knowledge systems are limited in 3 ways

Answer 11

1. Domain specific = each system represents only a small subset of things perceived by the infant
2. Task specific = each system solves a limited set of problems
3. Encapsulated = each system operates independently

Question 12

Core (initial) knowledge: 6 suggestions

Answer 12

1. emerges early in development
2. domain specific
3. constrained
4. innate
5. constitutes the core of mature knowledge
6. task specific

Question 13

Differences,

1. what Piaget didn’t have compared to core knowledge: starter kit
2. what we have/believe now

Answer 13

1. • contemporary research tools (change in methodology)
     - didn’t focus on evolutionary constraints
     - not specific, very general
2. • brain responsivity to changes within the environment
     - we have a basic set of mechanisms supporting development
     - we are evolutionary pre-disposed to interact with our world in a particular way

Question 14

The brain:

• spurts
• weight at birth & 2 y/o

Answer 14

• spurts may coincide with important changes in cognitive development
• at birth brain is 25% of adult weight , at 2 its 75% of its adult weight

Question 15

Overview of sensorimotor stage (6 substages)

Answer 15

1. birth-1m
   - modify reflexes
   - centered on own body
2. 1-4m
   - organise reflexes
   - integrate actions
3. 4-8m
   - repetition of actions = pleasurable/interesting results
   - object permanence
4. 8-12m
   - search for hidden object
   - fragile mental representations
   - A-not-B error
5. 12-18m
   - active exploration of potential use of object
6. 18-24 months
   - enduring mental representations

Question 16

Core knowledge systems:

3 things about them

Answer 16

1. innate (inborn)
2. universal across cultures
3. continuous over development

Question 17

Core knowledge systems:

why they are limited

Answer 17

1. skeletal, partial & limited information about the system it serves
2. shared by all animals & not unique to humans alone -> this means our uniquely human cognition cannot be explained by core knowledge systems alone