Cognitive Development

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Cognitive Development
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Cognitive Development

• Cognition How people think Understand.
• Within this module you will begin to understand
  the development of logical competence and the
  causes of developmental change and an account of
  the nature of developmental change.

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Jean Piaget (1896-1980)

• Piaget developed four stages to his theory of
  cognitive development
• Sensori-Motor Stage
• Pre-Operational Stage
• Concrete Operational Stage
• Formal Operational Stage

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Jean Piaget (1896-1980)

• There are some core essences of Piagets theory
  that you should become familiar with.
• There are qualitative differences between child
  adult thinking.
• It is a biological approach- Prerequisite for
  change.
• Language is the outcome of cognitive ability
  rather than being the lead in cognitive
  development.

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Jean Piaget (1896-1980)

• In short Piaget believed that cognitive
  development was the direct result of maturation
  (ageing) and environment. Thus as a child becomes
  older through interactions with others in their
  environment a child's understanding becomes more
  complex.

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Keywords explained

• Schemas- Mental structure that gives child model
  for what happens when he/she does something.
• Assimilation- Adding information to existing
  schemas, and strengthening them. E.G sucking
  dummy is reflex, learns to suck different shape
  dummy.
• Accommodation- Amending existing schemas to suit
  a new situation.
• Adaptation- Way baby adapts to processes of
  assimilation accommodation.
• Equilibration- Balance of equilibrium
  adaptation- the process is on going as biological
  changes and environment keeps going.

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Piagets stage theory explained.

• Sensori-Motor Stage is characterised by
• The child aged between (0-2) learns to
  co-ordinate his/her sensory input with motor
  actions through a system called circular
  reactions...i.e. the child repeats the action in
  order to test their sensori motor-motor skills
  relationship.

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Sensori motor cont,

• Within this stage the child develops an important
  skill called object permenace which is defined as
  the ability to understand that when an object is
  out of sight it still exists.
• E.g. Hiding keys under a blanket, a small child
  will believe the keys no longer exist, as they
  get older and develop motor skills they will
  reach under the blanket for the keys.

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Pre-operational stage

• The childs thoughts become more symbolic and
  they represent their world through images and
  words.
• However they do not have the skill of
  reversibility They do not understand
  quantity,volume and number have not changed
  despite a change in its appearance.

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Pre-operational stage cont..

• Piaget also thought children within this age
  group found it difficult to understand the
  perspective of another person, thus making them
  egocentric aka only viewing situations from
  their own point of view.
• He illustrated this using a experiment named the
  3 mountains task

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Three mountains task.
The children were asked to choose the picture
seen by the doll. The 3 4 yr olds 58 33
respectively chose their own perspective rather
than the dolls. This is an example of egocentric
illusion that is their own perspective is
relative.
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Conservation of volume..
Children tend to centre/focus upon one aspect of
a situation and not take into account others.
Pre-operational children tended to say there was
more liquid in C as they focused on height
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Concrete Operational Stage.

• Children acquire internally consistent (adult)
  logic but only in concrete situations such as
  problem solving.
• Children in this stage are able to conserve and
  decentrate, they may also be able to use
  reversibility

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Concrete Operational Stage cont..

• Children within this stage are also able to solve
  seriation problems, placing objects in order of
  some defining attribute i.e. length,weight or
  height.
• Jane is 96cm tall. John is 1.3m tall. How much
  taller is John than Jane? A 0.34cm (highlight
  for answer turn font colour to black.)

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Thus far what do we think about Piaget?

• In evaluating Piagets work one should consider
  the following
• Methodology
• Evidence
• Alternative explanations
• Practical Application

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Lev Vygotsky (1896-1934)

• Vygotsky felt the acquisition of knowledge was
  active and socially constructed rather than a
  passive conditioning.
• He believed that social interaction played a
  vital role in cognitive development firstly on a
  social level (between child and the world) and
  then on a individual level (Internally).

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Lev Vygotsky cont..

• Vygotsky believed children were born with
  elementary mental functions that are transformed
  into higher mental functions by the influence of
  culture.
• Lower functions are innate.
• Higher functions are voluntary, but controlled by
  other functions.

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Lev Vygotsky...cont the what's ,whys and
wherefores of Vygotsky!

• Culture teaches children both what and how to
  think, through the acquisition of knowledge via
  intellectual tools.
• Since much of what children learn is through
  interaction Vygotsky believed isolation was
  inappropriate...guidance by a another is usually
  most beneficial.
• Woods et al described this process as
  scaffolding. I.e. The support given by a
  significant other, e.g. teacher, parent or even
  peer.

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The role of language.

• What does language mean to you?
• Technically speaking it can be phrased as a
  shared set of dialogues between adult and child
  (pre intellectual speech).
• Children eventually become more sophisticated and
  converse between themselves as they would with
  others, this skilled is named representation.

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The role of language cont..

• Do you speak to yourself out loud??
• (Ego-centric speech)
• Do you use your inner monologue??
• It is likely you engage more in the latter, a
  skill we develop form about 6/7 years old.
• Vygotsky identified 4 cognitive development in
  short.

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The role of language cont..

• Pre intellectual (social speech 0-3)
• Egocentric speech (3-7) Language controls
  behaviour.
• Inner Speech (7) Language used as communicative
  tool, also shapes thoughts.
• These distinct stages in concept formation are
  linked with the following

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(ZPD) Zone of proximal development??

• This is the distance between a child's current
  and potential abilities.
• The assumption behind this theory is that
  instruction is to stimulate those functions which
  lie waiting in the ZPD.
• What a child can do with help today, he can do
  independently tomorrow

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Feed a man a fish feed him for a day, teach a man
to fish feed him for a lifetime!

• Learning initially occurs between people but
  eventually becomes internalised..
• Think how much support you needed at 6yrs
  oldprobably not as much now!!

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Research to support Vygotsky.

• Wood et al (1976) Problem solving working with
  mum. Most successful strategy involved
  encouragement and specific instructions (Hence
  using Scaffolding!)
• Shif (1935) children aged 7-8 to complete
  sentences that ended in because or although-
  children coped better with scientific concepts
  rather than everyday concepts.
• NcNaughton leyland (1990) ZPD- Children worked
  with mum on puzzles that got progressively more
  difficult, then on their own a week later-
  greatest success was when with mum (i.e.
  Accessing their potential, than on their
  own-current potential)
• Dont forget the importance of interaction
  (recall attachment!!) children learn from the
  interaction, then on their own as Vygotsky
  predicted.

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Evaluation of Vygotsky.

• Little scientific evidence.
• Too much emphasis on social interaction.
• However!
• Bridges the gap between social and cognitive
  approaches
• Helps to understand how to actively help learners
  reach their potentialit has more educational
  application.

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Piaget vs.Vygotsky.
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Putting it all together

• Vygotsky believed in power of the community,
  Piaget was a product of individualist society.
• Piagets child Introvert
• Vygotsky Child Extrovert.
• But both place cognition at the centre of
  learning not unlike Pavlov/Freud) both see the
  complex interactionist character of
  development-I.e. Everyone is different.

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Applying the theories to education...Piaget.

• Readiness-Child needs to be ready have reached
  a level of maturation before others skills can be
  gained.
• Discovery Learning-Activities planned to allow
  learners to experience assimilate and accommodate
  language thus allowing them to discover
  themselves.
• Role of teacher- To act as facilitator not
  instructor.

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Applying the theories to education...Vygotsky.

• Learning as collaboration- Learning together
  rather than individuals...promotes critical
  thinking interest.
• Zone of proximal Development (ZPD)- MKO- more
  knowledgeable other i.e. teacher or friend. ZPD
  encompasses the tasks that learners cannot
  perform on their own but can with help form the
  MKO.
• Scaffolding- Begin with full support, gradually
  remove support as abilities and confidence
  increase.