Cognitive Development - Piaget Schemas – action plans based on past experience Assimilation – new experiences/objects/events are incorporated into existing

Cognitive Development - Piaget Schemas – action plans based on past experience

Assimilation – new experiences/objects/events are incorporated into existing schemas

Accommodation – existing schemas are modified, new schemas created

Cognitive Development - Piaget

Stage Age

Range

Characteristics and Achievements

Sensorimotor 0–2 years Differentiates self from objects and other people, seeks interesting sights, develops object permanence, and basic understanding of causality; begins to imitate and engage in imaginative play

Preoperational 2–7 years Begins to use symbols and language; problem solving is intuitive, and thinking is egocentric, irreversible, centered

Concrete operations 7–12 years Can reason logically about present objects, grasps concept of conservation, can take the perspective of another person, can organize objects into classes and series

Formal operations > 12 years Thinking is flexible and complex; can think about abstract ideas and hypotheses

Copyright © 2015 M. Guthrie Yarwood

Cognitive Development - Piaget


Sensorimotor – Object permanence

Preoperational – egocentrism,

incapable of conservation, compensation

Concrete Operations – conservation, reversibility

Formal Operations – hypothetico-deductive thinking, imaginary audience, personal fable

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwgo2O5Vk_g

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnArvcWaH6I

Evaluation of Piaget’s Theory

Strengths Links between cognition and social reactions

Object permanence, Egocentrism

Weaknesses Not enough acknowledgement of how children’s interactions

with others (vs. objects in the environment) contributes to development

Neglect of social, emotional, and cultural influences on development

Stage theory criticized

Consider Piaget’s Cognitive Development Theory Nature, Nurture, or Both?

Active or Passive?

Continuous or Discontinuous?

Situation, Personality, or Both?

Universal, Cultural, or Both?Copyright © 2015 M. Guthrie

Yarwood

Cognitive Developmental –Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory Development emerges from interactions with

more skilled people and the institutions and tools provided by the culture

Principles of cultural influence

Zone of Proximal Development


Evaluation of Vygotsky’s Theory Strengths

Focused on assessing child potential via the ZPD Offered new perspective on ways to teach children Increased focus on cultural variation and historical

influence Weaknesses

Not clear how interactions between partners shift over the course of development

Not clear how other areas of development contribute to the types of contexts that are made available to children

Measurement of ZPD is difficult


Consider Vygotsky

Nature, Nurture, or Both?

Active or Passive?




Yarwood

Systems Theory Perspective Systems approach - describes how children’s

development is affected by the interacting components that form one of these systems as well as by single factors within the system

Recall Levels of Analyses Dyadic → triadic → long-term → social groups → social

networks → society/culture



Ecological Contexts

Microsystem - the context in which children live and interact with the people and institutions closest to them

Mesosystem - interrelations among the components of the microsystem

Exosystem - the collection of settings that influence a child’s development but in which the child does not play a direct role

Ecological Contexts

Macrosystem - the system representing the values, ideologies, and laws of the society or culture

Chronosystem - the time-based dimension

What is the system?

Prenatal exposure to alcohol is associated with ADHD in children

13

What is the system?

Parents and teachers punish children diagnosed with ADHD, leading these children to develop academic problems and poor peer relationships

14

What is the system?

Low-weight children are less likely to develop ADHD when their mother express warmth toward them.

What is the system? 70% of children with ADHD who took a

stimulant showed improvement in academic performance and peer relationships.

What is the system?

The prevalence of ADHD is increasing. Some suggest that this rise in ADHD is due to the compulsory schooling requirement set forth by the government.

What is the system?

Section 504 of the American Disabilities Act was passed in 1973. This act provides reasonable accommodations for students and employees diagnosed with ADHD.

Evaluation of Bronfenbrenner’s Theory Strengths

Attention to broad range of influential contexts Provides a bridge to other disciplines

Weaknesses Useful descriptive guide but does not explain

processes Does not explain how different contexts have

different influences across development Can be difficult to categorize variables within one

systemCopyright © 2015 M. Guthrie

Yarwood

Consider Bronfenbrenner

Nature, Nurture, or Both?

Active or Passive?




Yarwood

Biological Perspectives Ethological theory - theory that behavior must

be viewed in a particular context and as having adaptive or survival value

Critical Period vs. Sensitive Period


Critical vs. Sensitive PeriodsCritical

Begins/ends abruptly

Period beyond which a phenomenon will not appear

Lorenz = viewed as completely fixed

Sensitive Begins/ends

gradually Period of maximal

sensitivity Greater flexibility in

boundaries of time

Evidence for Critical Period Konrad Lorenz goslings

Case Studies of children living in deprived environments (e.g., Victor the Wild Child, Genie)

The earlier children learn a second (or ALS) language, the better their performance on a language test as adults Somewhere around age 7 or earlier

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqZmW7uIPW4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqZmW7uIPW4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjZolHCrC8E

Evidence against a critical period Previously, time b/w birth and age 3 was

most important critical period

Poor diet before 3 years can be corrected after age 3

If most important period was before age 3, we would solved many problems within developmental psychology!

Evaluation of Ethological Theory Strengths

Discoveries regarding social development based on animal research

Combo of Biology and Environ: Instincts need the right environment to develop properly

Weaknesses Largely descriptive Narrowly defined “critical” period with regard to

human development

Biological Perspectives – Evolutionary Developmental Thy Focus on behaviors that ensured past

survival of the species

Central principle: parents give their children attention and resources to ensure the passage of their genes through the next generation


Evaluation of Evolutionary Developmental Theory Strengths

Brings attention to adaptive value of several behaviors observed in childhood

Weaknesses Limited relevance for addressing issues

associated with rapid changes, such as new technological advances or sudden social shifts

Post hoc explanations


Biological Perspectives – Human Behavior Genetics Focuses on the relative contributions of

heredity and environment to individual differences

Strengths Emphasis on environmental causes of behavior

Weaknesses Need more specific measure of environment


A Variety of Theoretical Perspectives No single theory adequately addresses social

development Contemporary theories focus on specified

domains Some theories are better at explaining some

aspects of social behavior than others All theories are needed to address the broad

nature of social development


Documents

Cognitive Development - Piaget Schemas – action plans based on past experience Assimilation – new experiences/objects/events are incorporated into existing