Cognitive Development

The way our thinking changes from the womb

to the tomb

CognitionAll mental activities

associated with thinking, knowing and

remembering.

Basically everything that goes on in our heads

Cognitive Development• This field is dominated by Jean PiagetJean Piaget

– He discovered that individuals learn and think He discovered that individuals learn and think differently throughout our lifetimes.differently throughout our lifetimes.

– Piaget was working on IQ test development when he noticed that children tended to answer questions wrong on tests in similar ways.

– He thought to himself, “maybe these kids aren’t He thought to himself, “maybe these kids aren’t stupid, but instead think differently than adults.”stupid, but instead think differently than adults.”

– Piaget said – ““Hey, since they think Hey, since they think differently than adults – we have differently than adults – we have

to teach them differentlyto teach them differently ““

• So he came out with a theory of cognitive developmentcognitive development

Isn’t he a Isn’t he a smart looking smart looking

man??man??

Piaget’s Cognitive Development Theory

• Piaget hypothesized that when it came to thinking children had different SCHEMASSCHEMAS than adults

• What is a Schema?– A mental outlook or framework developed as a

child and used to solve problems or to organize knowledge (our worldview)(our worldview)

– What??•Think of it this way, our schema is our

mental map of the world based on our life experiences

•We use this mental map to make judgments about situations we face daily

Schemas - an example• When I think about Raven fans, I think of

backwards illogical people who act rude and do not know much about football history.

• Thus, my schema or world viewschema or world view of Raven fans is not very flattering and this helps me make judgments about the world and people around me and situations I may face daily.

Piaget’s important concepts• Assimilation

– interpreting new experiences into one’s existing schemas.

•Accommodation• adapting one’s current understandings (schemas) to incorporate new information.

Lets look at how schemas, assimilation, and accommodation work through a few examples…

Schemas• Think about what a high school teacher Think about what a high school teacher

should look like…should look like…• The image popping into your head now is The image popping into your head now is

your your schemaschema of high school teachers. of high school teachers.• You are probably thinking about some You are probably thinking about some

frumpy boring guy with no style and bad frumpy boring guy with no style and bad breathbreath

• Now if you meet me – and my youthful Now if you meet me – and my youthful charm and good looks – I would not fit into charm and good looks – I would not fit into your schema of high school teachers. How your schema of high school teachers. How does this make you feel?does this make you feel?

• Your world probably doesn’t make much Your world probably doesn’t make much sense. sense.

• Lets explore another example…Lets explore another example…

• The first time a kid saw a dog he might point and say “what is that?”

• I tell him that is a dog

• He looks at the dog, sees four legs and a tail and thinks to himself – ok a dog

• Now he has a schemaschema (a mental map) for a dog – four legs and a tail

• The next week he is hanging out at the park near our house and he sees an animal

• He says to himself “hmmmm – four legs and a tail – must be a dog” and he goes on to call it a dog.

• This is called assimilationassimilation– Incorporating new

experiences into existing schemas

• Now, every animal he sees that has four legs and a tail, he will call a dog because it fits in his schemaschema of a dog.

• Now lets say I tell a child that what he sees is really a cat, which looks like a dog, but much smaller.– He understands and is confused…

but he trusts his dad…

• Then he is hanging out in DC and he sees a lady with a Chihuahua (a small dog)

• He sees the dog – thinks four legs, tail, small – must be a cat.

• I will correct him and say that sometimes dogs can be small too

• He has to do what now??

The child has to The child has to ACCOMMODATEACCOMMODATE (change) (change) his schema for dogs to fit both big and little ones.his schema for dogs to fit both big and little ones.

Lets get back to the teacher exampleLets get back to the teacher example

So, like I said earlier, if you are lucky enough to So, like I said earlier, if you are lucky enough to have me as your teacher, your schemas of have me as your teacher, your schemas of teachers may be thrown a little out of whackteachers may be thrown a little out of whack

I will insist that I am a high school teacher, but all I will insist that I am a high school teacher, but all you see is my youthful charm and movie star you see is my youthful charm and movie star looks.looks. I would not fit into your frumpy, bad breath schema of I would not fit into your frumpy, bad breath schema of

teachers.teachers.

You would be forced to change, You would be forced to change, accommodateaccommodate,, your schema of high school teachers to fit both your schema of high school teachers to fit both frumpy and movie star resembling teachers frumpy and movie star resembling teachers

Can you think of other examples??Can you think of other examples??

Back to Piaget and his Back to Piaget and his theory of developmenttheory of development

Piaget believed that children Piaget believed that children develop cognitively in a series develop cognitively in a series

of stages, each one built on the of stages, each one built on the one prior to it.one prior to it.

Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development

•Sensorimotor•Preoperational•Concrete Operational•Formal Operational

Piaget’s stages are broken down Piaget’s stages are broken down by age and they go in a specific by age and they go in a specific

orderorder

Sensorimotor Stage (0 to 2)• Babies learn and start to develop

schemas (their worldview)– They do this by sensing the world

through their senses (most important is taste)

• Babies develop object object permanencepermanence– The realization that objects continue to

exist even when you cannot see them– At first babies do not have this– This is why babies love peek-a-boo

• When babies finally develop When babies finally develop object permanenceobject permanence, they , they enter the next stageenter the next stage

Preoperational Stage (3-7)Preoperational Stage (3-7)

• During this stage kids lack During this stage kids lack basic logical operations basic logical operations skillsskills

• During this stage children During this stage children are are egocentricegocentric– They think the world was They think the world was

created solely for them created solely for them – Inability to see the world Inability to see the world

through another’s through another’s perspectiveperspective

– Should be gone by age 5Should be gone by age 5

Preoperational Stage Cont.• Children do NOT yet understand the

concepts of conservationconservation– That objects remain the same even when their

shapes change

• Usually occurs toward the end of this stage

Concrete Operational Stage (7-11)Concrete Operational Stage (7-11) Children begin to look at the world more logically Children begin to look at the world more logically

and can piece together logical statementsand can piece together logical statements God is love, love is blind, Stevie Wonder is blind thus…God is love, love is blind, Stevie Wonder is blind thus… Stevie Wonder must be god (not really, but you get the Stevie Wonder must be god (not really, but you get the

point)point) Children can, use analogies, and perform Children can, use analogies, and perform

mathematical transformations (8+4=12 is the mathematical transformations (8+4=12 is the same as 12-4=8) = same as 12-4=8) = known asknown as reversibility reversibility the mental process of understanding that numbers and the mental process of understanding that numbers and

objects can change and then can return to their original objects can change and then can return to their original state state

Children can not yet think about abstract Children can not yet think about abstract concepts such as parallel lines, god or calculusconcepts such as parallel lines, god or calculus ““If A is greater than B and B is greater than C, is A If A is greater than B and B is greater than C, is A

greater than C?”greater than C?”

Formal Operational Stage(12 and up)

• We start to use abstract thinking– Can weigh or think about several

objects at once– Can understand consequences about

decisions– Can think hypothetically– Can think in “shades of grey”

• Also, in this stage we can learn to think about the way we think – Called Metacognition Metacognition – Piaget said that not all of us reach Piaget said that not all of us reach

this stagethis stage

How does Cognition Change as How does Cognition Change as we get older??we get older??

There are definite differences between recognition and recall. – Recognition remains stable

• (seeing then remembering).

– Recall declines with old age • (just remembering with no external clues).

Do old people get stupid?Do old people get stupid? Cross-sectional studies show Cross-sectional studies show

decline.decline. Longitudinal Studies show Longitudinal Studies show

consistency.consistency.

What is the difference?Cross-sectional studies: study with people of different ages studied at the same time.

Longitudinal Studies: same people studied and retested over a period of time.

But there are different types But there are different types of intelligence.of intelligence.

Crystallized intelligenceCrystallized intelligence one’s accumulated knowledge and verbal skillsone’s accumulated knowledge and verbal skills What we knowWhat we know tends to increase with age.tends to increase with age.

Fluid IntelligenceFluid Intelligence one’s ability to reason speedily and abstractlyone’s ability to reason speedily and abstractly Our ability to get things doneOur ability to get things done tends to decrease during late adulthood.tends to decrease during late adulthood.

Criticism of Piaget’s Theory• Recent research has shown that Piaget

greatly underestimated children’s capabilities.– Object permanence may start soonerObject permanence may start sooner

• Children sometimes develop skills of one or more stages at the same time – Not in stages but more continuous processNot in stages but more continuous process

• Piaget ignored cultural influences– Kids in different cultures do go through the Kids in different cultures do go through the

stages but at different ages dependent on stages but at different ages dependent on cultureculture

• Some people never develop formal reasoning skills

• Moral Development