Cognitive DevelopmentCognitive Development

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CONSTRUCTIVISMCONSTRUCTIVISM A view of learning + development that

emphasizes active role of learner in “building” understanding + making sense of the world.

Piaget + Vygotsky are both constructivists.

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PIAGETIAN CONCEPTSPIAGETIAN CONCEPTS

SCHEMA (or SCHEME) – the “blueprints” or “scripts” of knowledge about the world

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PIAGETIAN CONCEPTSPIAGETIAN CONCEPTS

EQUILIBRIUM – innate tendency to try to achieve “balance” between what you think you know about the world and what the world is really all about

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PIAGETIAN CONCEPTSPIAGETIAN CONCEPTS

ASSIMILATION – adding new information to already existing schemes

ACCOMMODATION – changing old schemes to new ones based on acquisition of new knowledge

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WHAT DRIVES WHAT DRIVES DEVELOPMENT DEVELOPMENT

ACCORDING TO PIAGET?ACCORDING TO PIAGET?

Innate, biologically driven tendency to seek out information about the world

Development progression is limited by maturation

Says you cannot learn something until you are ready no matter how good the teacher

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PIAGETIAN STAGESPIAGETIAN STAGESOF COGNITIVE DEV.OF COGNITIVE DEV.

SENSORIMOTOR (0-2 years)

What do schemas consist of?

- only what the baby can see, feel, hear, do in the present

- baby cannot really represent information symbolically and….

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BABY HAS NO

OBJECT PERMANENCE

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PIAGETIAN STAGES OF PIAGETIAN STAGES OF COGNITIVE DEV.COGNITIVE DEV.

PRE-OPERATIONAL (2-6 years)What do schemas consist of?

- child now has symbolic thought

- has learned many cause/effect relationships

- BUT child lacks much in way of logical reasoning (lacks “operations”)

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CONSERVATION: One Type of CONSERVATION: One Type of OperationOperation

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PIAGETIAN STAGES OF PIAGETIAN STAGES OF COGNITIVE DEV.COGNITIVE DEV.

CONCRETE OPERATIONAL (6-11 years)What do schemas consist of?- child now has learned much more in way of

logical reasoning (now has “operations”)- child can “test” hypotheses (predictions)- child is poor in ABSTRACT LOGIC (“what if”

situations that are not based in real events)

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PIAGETIAN STAGES OF PIAGETIAN STAGES OF COGNITIVE DEV.COGNITIVE DEV.

FORMAL OPERATIONAL (11+ years)What do schemas consist of?- child can now “test” hypotheses (predictions)

in ABSTRACT LOGIC (“what if” situations that are not based in real events)

- child can plan and achieve long-term goals more realistically

VygotskyVygotsky Russian psychologist Cognitive development progresses by

social interactions with others Learning results from interaction of

biological processes (such as brain development) + sociocultural interactions.

ZONE OF PROXIMAL ZONE OF PROXIMAL DEVELOPMENTDEVELOPMENT

range of skills that child cannot yet do

alone but can accomplish when assisted Assumes there is a zone of proximal

development for each skill to be learned Assumes learners develop at different

rates so they may differ in their ability to benefit from instructions.

SCAFFOLDINGSCAFFOLDING Assistance that “props up” student to complete

skills they are not able to complete independently. Effective scaffolding is responsive to students’

needs. In classroom, teachers’ provide scaffolding by:

– Breaking content into manageable pieces– Modelling skills– Provide practice and examples– “Letting go” when students are ready

Behavioral Approaches to Behavioral Approaches to Cognitive DevelopmentCognitive Development

Knowledge and Ability Natural & Contrived Consequences What Reinforces Cognitive Behavior?

Problem Solving Exploratory Behavior Creative Behavior

Knowledge: Class of behaviors Knowledge: Class of behaviors specified by a stimulusspecified by a stimulus

Simple discriminative behavior conceptual (abstract) behavior describing past events describing how things work

Ability - Ability -

Do things in a certain order Do things with a certain topography

Problem SolvingProblem Solving

Operant chain Precurrent behavior - makes “correct”

response more likely

Exploratory BehaviorExploratory Behavior

Reinforced by “ecological stimuli” Needs environment which affords

exploration Automatic (natural) reinforcement

Creative BehaviorCreative Behavior

Large repertoire of knowledge & ability History of reinforcement for “creative”

combinations of behavior

Stimulus EquivalenceStimulus Equivalence

Identity (Reflexivity)[ A =A

Symmetry[ A=B then B=A

Transitivity[ A=B and B=C then emerges A=C

Equivalencing: How?Equivalencing: How?

Basic Process (M. Sidman) Learned Skill (S. Hayes) Can Equivalencing be taught?

– Charlie Studies (Lipkens, Hayes & Hayes) Is Equivalencing taught?

– Novak, et al.

Relational Frame TheoryRelational Frame Theory

Approach to identify how we learn arbitrarily applicable relational responding (abstract relational concepts)

Eg., bigger than, smaller than, analogies Says the “appropriate” way of relating to

stimuli is controlled by the “frame” in effect