Theories of Cognitive Development (AP Psychology Review: Unit 3 Topic 4)

Summary

This video provides a comprehensive review of cognitive development across the lifespan, focusing on key theories and stages. It covers Jean Piaget’s stages, including sensory-motor, pre-operational, concrete operational, and formal operational stages, explaining key concepts like assimilation, accommodation, object permanence, and egocentrism. The video also highlights Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory, emphasizing the importance of social interaction, the zone of proximal development, and scaffolding. Additionally, it touches on changes in cognitive abilities throughout adulthood, including fluid and crystallized intelligence, and addresses cognitive disorders like dementia. The video encourages active learning with practice quizzes.

Takeaways

• 😀 Cognitive development refers to how a person's thinking and skills evolve over time.
• 😀 John Piaget developed the theory of cognitive development and introduced the concept of schemas, which are mental frameworks to understand and organize information.
• 😀 Assimilation occurs when new information is added to an existing schema without altering it, while accommodation involves changing the schema to fit new information.
• 😀 Piaget identified four stages of cognitive development: sensory-motor, pre-operational, concrete operational, and formal operational.
• 😀 In the sensory-motor stage (birth to 2 years), children develop object permanence and learn through sensory experiences and physical interaction.
• 😀 During the pre-operational stage (2 to 7 years), children develop symbolic thinking, engage in pretend play, and struggle with concepts like conservation and reversibility.
• 😀 The concrete operational stage (7 to 11 years) is marked by the ability to think logically about concrete things, understand conservation, and perform classification and seriation tasks.
• 😀 In the formal operational stage (12 years and older), individuals develop abstract thinking, logical reasoning, and the ability to consider hypothetical situations.
• 😀 Lev Vygotsky's sociocultural theory emphasizes the importance of social interactions and environmental factors in cognitive development, with a focus on the zone of proximal development (ZPD) and scaffolding.
• 😀 Crystallized intelligence, which includes acquired knowledge and facts, improves with age, while fluid intelligence, which involves problem-solving and quick reasoning, tends to decline as individuals grow older.

Q & A

What is cognitive development?

Cognitive development refers to how an individual's skills and thinking change over time, including the development of intellectual abilities, problem-solving skills, and the ability to understand and interpret the world.

Who is Jean Piaget and what was his contribution to cognitive development?

Jean Piaget was a psychologist known for his theory on cognitive development, which emphasizes how children learn and think about the world. He proposed that children develop schemas, which are mental frameworks used to organize and understand information.

What is a schema, and how does it evolve as a child grows?

A schema is a mental framework used to understand and organize information. As a child grows, their schemas become more detailed and accurate, refining their understanding of concepts like animals, objects, and people.

What is the difference between assimilation and accommodation?

Assimilation occurs when new information is incorporated into an existing schema without changing it. Accommodation happens when new information doesn't fit into the existing schema, prompting a change or adjustment in the schema.

What is the sensory motor stage, and what cognitive development happens during this stage?

The sensory motor stage occurs from birth to around 2 years old. During this stage, children learn through their senses and physical actions. A key development in this stage is object permanence, which is the understanding that objects continue to exist even when out of sight.

What is symbolic thinking, and when does it develop in children?

Symbolic thinking refers to the ability to think about things that aren't immediately in front of the person, such as using language or engaging in pretend play. It typically develops in the pre-operational stage, which spans ages 2 to 7.

What is egocentrism in children, and how does Piaget test for it?

Egocentrism is when a child has difficulty seeing the world from another person's perspective. Piaget tested this using the 'three mountains task,' where children were asked to pick a picture representing the doll's view of a model, often choosing what they themselves saw, which indicated egocentrism.

What is the concrete operational stage, and what abilities do children develop during this period?

The concrete operational stage occurs from around 7 to 11 years old. Children in this stage become capable of logical thinking and can perform mental operations such as classification (organizing objects by multiple attributes) and seriation (arranging objects in order).

What is the formal operational stage, and what cognitive abilities emerge in this stage?

The formal operational stage begins around age 12 and involves the development of abstract thinking, logical reasoning, and the ability to consider hypothetical situations. People in this stage can use deductive reasoning and think about philosophical questions.

What are the main concepts of Vygotsky's sociocultural theory of cognitive development?

Vygotsky's sociocultural theory emphasizes the importance of social interaction, guidance, and support in cognitive development. Key concepts include the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) and scaffolding, which refer to the support a child receives to help them learn tasks they can't yet accomplish independently.