education

Summary & Resources:Piagets Stages of Cognitive Development • Because of the qualitative differences in thinking that Piaget consistently observed across the same-aged children, he developed a stage theory of cognitive development. • Sensorimotor development is the first of four Piagetian stages of cognitive develop- ment. Children rely on their senses and actions to learn about […]

Memory Across the Lifespan 7.7 Memory Across the Lifespan In a classic demonstration of learning and memory, Rovee-Collier (1999) placed mobiles over the cribs of 2-month-old infants, and then attached a ribbon that connected the mobile to their feet. It took only a few minutes for most infants to learn that by vigorously kicking they

The Stage Model of Memory will recognize its primary caregivers within its first days of life regardless of experiences in the womb. So although there is increasing evidence that fetuses develop memories and are more sensitive to sensory stimuli than scientists once thought (e.g., Del Giudice, 2011), it is not yet clear if any specific

Information Processing 7.5 Information Processing Beyond Piaget and Vygotsky, information-processing theory provides a third major approach to understanding cognitive development. It is modeled after the way in which information flows logically in computers. Like computers, we are able to take in, store, and process words, numbers, and other information. The smooth, linear progression of information

Sociocultural Theory 7.4 Sociocultural Theory Whereas Piaget felt that cognitive development was constructed by children’s individual experiences in the world, Lev Vygotsky (1896–1934) focused on the essential nature of social experiences (Vygotsky, 1978). To Vygotsky, understanding the cultural and social context in which a child lives contributes to knowledge about how development occurs; hence, his

Effect of age and emotion on reasoning Blanchard-Fields showed that little difference existed in reasoning ability (probed reasoning) between adolescents and adults when there was an absence of emotional content. However, when the dilemma was emotionally charged, adults showed more cognitive sophistication. Source: Blanchard-Fields, F. (1986). Reasoning on social dilemmas varying in emotional saliency. Psychology

Beyond Formal Thought Perry’s students indeed moved from seeing a world marked by absolute standards and values to one where diverse societies, cultures, and val- ues could be endorsed equally. How- ever, it is difficult to discern whether changes are due to natural maturation or, because Perry studied college stu- dents, if the environment specifically

Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development Although the distinction among Piaget’s stages epitomizes discontinuity, the processes of assimilation and accommodation are more continuous. There is a constant adjustment in emphasis between them. Furthermore, over time the balance between them changes. Accord- ing to Piaget, when children are able to incorporate new information about the world into

Summary of Key Concepts Nature, Nurture, and Intelligence • The ability to retain information is an important part of what we refer to as intel- ligence. Traditionally, psychologists have viewed intelligence as innate, and twin studies also suggest a strong biological component to intelligence. However, psychol- ogists have determined that the environment (e.g., family, schooling,

Fluid and crystallized intelligence Although fluid intelligence begins to decline relatively early, crystallized intelligence continues to increase with age. What kinds of implications does this pattern have for overall competence and intelligence? Source: Adapted from Baltes, P. B., Staudinger, U. M., & Lindenberger, U. (1999). Lifespan psychology: Theory and application to intellectual functioning. Annual Review