Cognitive development

PIAGET

4 stages in ability to reason

  1. Sensorimotor (0-2)
  2. preoperational (2-7)
  3. concrete operations (7-11)
  4. formal operations (12+)

assimilation= using existing schemes to interpret new experiences
accommodation= modifying schemes to fit new experiences
adaptations= using assimilation and accommodation to adjust to the environment.
intelligence = our ability to adapt (assimilation and adaptation)

not interested in what children know, more how they think

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constructivist: believed that we are constantly developing and texting hypotheses about what we see and how that fits into what we know

interested in genetic epistemology= how we come to know reality

Sensorimotor: new born uses reflexes to understand world. By the end of the stage: mental representation evidenced by object permanence and symbolic capacity evidenced by language

concrete operations 7-11yo, conservation!

Preoperational stage: // and seriation problems)// imaginary companions// lack conservation// // //

Formal operations (adolescence/puberty)

  • reflex activity (birth-1mth) : exercise and refinement of inborn reflexes eg sucking refined to shape of different objects
  • primary circular reactions (1-4mths): repetition of interesting acts centered on the child's own body eg leg kick, thumb sucking
  • secondary circular reactions (4-8mths): repetition of interesting acts on objects eg shaking rattle
  • coordination of secondary schemes (8-12 mths): combining actions to solve simple problems (first evidence of intentionality)
  • tertiary circular reactions (12-18mths): finding new ways to solve problems or produce interesting outcomes
  • beginning of thought (18-24mths): solving problems mentally, using symbols to stand for objects and actions. first evidence of insight

perceptual salience (the most dominant characteristic of an object overrides other characteristics, understanding is driven by how things look rather than derived by logical reasoning)

irreversible thought (can't mentally undo an action)

centration (centre on a single aspect of a problem rather than 2 or more dimensions at once)

transductive reasoning (children combine unrelated facts, often leading them to draw faulty cause-effect conclusions simply because 2 events occur close together in time or place)

egocentric thinkers (children have difficulty seeing things from other perspectives and assume that what is in their mind is also what others are thinking)

simple classification (children classify objects by single dimensions at one time)
eg flowers or carnations

reversibility of though; can mentally reverse or undo and action

decentration; can focus on 2 or more dimensions of a problem at once

deductive reasoning; draw cause effect relationships logically, based on factual information presented to them

transformational thought; can understand the process of change from one stage to another

logical reasoning; children acquire a set of internal operations that can be applied to a variety of problems

less egocentric; understand that other people may have thoughts different from their own

multiple classification ; can classify objects by multiple dimensions and grasp class inclusion

adolescent egocentrism : difficulty differentiating their own thoughts from others'. Personal fable= a type of egocentrism, the way that you think/ feel is special - can be difficult to move adolescents out of this

decontextualised thinking: ability to separate prior knowledge/ beliefs from new evidence to the contrary

logical thinking about ideas
hypothetical and abstract thinking rather than just basing knowledge on what we see and what we know.

video: a world without thumbs
younger child restricted to the world she knows whereas older boy realised that the whole world would built differently

limitation of Piaget: people can be quite stubborn and hold on to prior beliefs even though they are presented with evidence to the contrary .

Contributions: stimulated so much research. In many ways was correct about cognitive development

Challenges:

  • underestimated competencies (especially young children)
  • focused on performance, not competence
  • domain growth rather than stage
  • social influences left (incl cultural influences)
  • "clinical method" would not be considered standardised by today's standards
  • issues with universality of the stages of development

Cognitive development into adulthood

post formal thought: relativist thinking, there is no absolute answer in many situations

VYGOTSKY

emphasised sociocultural context of development: culture affects how and what we think

notion of Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)= the difference between what a learner can accomplish independently and what a learner can accomplish with the guidance/ encouragement of a more skilled partner.

  • this is where lessons should be aimed

child, parent, teachers constructing knowledge together

no assumption of universal development stages: development is different in different social and historical contexts

learning precedes development (tools learned with adult help become internalised. cf piaget who believed development precedes learning (children cannot master certain things until they have the requisite cognitive structures)