copyright © 2010, pearson education inc., all rights reserved. prepared by katherine e. l. norris,...

Copyright © 2010, Pearson Education Inc., All rights reserved.

Prepared by Katherine E. L. Norris, Ed.D. West Chester University of Pennsylvania

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Chapter 11

Cognitive Development in Middle Childhood


Piaget’s Stage 3: Concrete Operational Thought

Information Processing: Memory Development

Information Processing: Knowledge, Strategies, and New Approaches


What Is Concrete Operational Thinking?

Class Inclusion, Seriation, and Transitive Inference Skills


Concrete Operational Thought◦ Stage of cognitive development in which children are able

to think about two or more dimensions of a problem (decentered thought), dynamic transformations, and reversible operations.


Children in the concrete operational stage also show their logical abilities when they solve class inclusion problems.

Class Inclusion◦ The fact that objects can be classified in different ways

and at different levels.


Two Models of Memory: Stores and Networks

Working Memory

Long-Term Memory

Other Characteristics of Memory


Stores Model of Memory◦ A model of human memory that views information as

moving through a series of storage locations – from the sensory to long-term store.

Chunking◦ The process of recoding individual elements in memory

into larger groups of information.

Network Models◦ Models of human memory that view memory as

interconnected network of concepts.


Working Memory◦ The information currently active in your memory system

and currently available for use in a mental task.


Long-Term Memory◦ Memory or knowledge or events that is permanent.

Encoding◦ Forming a mental representation of information.

Storage◦ Placing information in long-term memory.

Accessing◦ Finding information at the desired time.


Retrieval◦ Stores Model - The process of bringing information from

the long-term store to the short-term store. ◦ Network Model – The process of activating information

so that it becomes a part of the working memory and thus available for use.

Scripts◦ Mental representations of the way things typically occur

in certain settings or for certain events.


Reconstructive Memory◦ A characteristic of human memory. We store parts of

events and knowledge; during recall we retrieve the stored pieces and draw inferences about the rest.

Autobiographical Memory◦ Memories of events of great personal importance. They

are episodic memories and are often vivid and detailed.


Knowledge Base

Strategy Development

Newer Approaches to Understanding Cognitive Development


Knowledge Base◦ The amount of information a person knows about a

particular topic.


Strategies◦ Conscious, intentional, and controllable plans used to

improve performance. Rehearsal Organization Elaboration


Computational Models of Thought◦ Models of cognition that are programmed on computers;

output of the programs is compared to human performance.

Production Systems◦ Sets of computerized if-then statements.

Connectionist Models◦ View knowledge as based on patterns of activation

among interconnected sets of individual units. Fuzzy Trace Theory

◦ General memory traces based on the “gist” of information.


Since the early 1960’s information processing has become the dominant model for understanding.

There are limits to the approach:◦ Does not offer a comprehensive, overarching structure

for explaining cognitive development.◦ Has been described as “cold” cognition because of its

emphasis on thoughts based on logical reasoning.◦ Lack details on how the executive works or develops.


Experts in the Basics

Metalinguistic Awareness and Changes in How Language is Used

Connectionist Models of Language Development


Semantic Knowledge◦ What words mean.

Phonemic Development◦ Knowledge about speech sounds.

Syntax◦ Rules for Combining Words into Sentences.

Pragmatic Language Skills◦ Using language effectively to interact with others.


Metalinguistic Awareness◦ A person’s explicit knowledge about language itself and

about his or her own use of it.

Personal Narratives◦ Stories about personal experiences that use language to

inform others about the self and that provide increased self-understanding.


Connectionist Model of Language Development◦ A more recent and intriguing cognitive approach to

understanding language development.◦ Links of varying strengths connect simple elements

called units.


Learning in School.

How do children use the development of mathematical, reading, and writing skills in school?


Subitizing◦ A perceptual process in which people quickly and easily

determine how many objects are in a small set without actually counting them.

Counting Strategies◦ Approaches to solving math problems that involve

counting of the quantities. Strategy Choice Model

◦ The idea that children solve math problems by choosing the faster approach that they can execute accurately.


Do you enjoy solving mathematical word problems?

How are your mathematical problem-solving efforts affected by problem context and the types of relations in the problem?


Phonemic Awareness◦ The understanding that words are made up of smaller

units of sound; also, association of printed letters with the sounds that go with them.


Inventive Spelling◦ Incorrect spellings that children created by sounding out

words and writing the associated letters. Mechanics and Intermediate Writing

◦ Knowledge Telling Adding or “dumping” in ideas as they come to mind; a failure

to selectively organize ideas in writing. Planning and Revising

◦ Young writers have a particular difficulty knowing when and what to revise.

copyright © 2010, pearson education inc., all rights reserved. prepared by katherine e. l. norris,...

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