Lecture 1: Basic Concepts in Cognitive Development

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Lecture 1 Basic Concepts in Cognitive
Development

• Chad Mortensen
• Psy 353 Fall Semester 2008

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Preliminary Assumptions

• Experience is essential in the development of
  thinking.
• It takes nearly 25 years to develop an adult
  nervous system.
• Cognition develops quantitatively and
  qualitatively during the life-span. That is,

• You dont just know more but think quite
  differently over time.

• The changes take place by virtue of

The developmental function the species-typical
form cognition takes over time.
Individual differences variations among people
at any given developmental period.
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Cognition A Conceptual Description

• Occurs when knowledge is acquired and
  manipulated.
• Otherwise known as, thinking.
• It is not directly observable, but is inferred
  from behavior we can observe.
• It is real and it exists.
• Cognition includes conscious and deliberate
  attempts at problem solving as well as
  unconscious and non-deliberate processes.
• It is comprised of different types of activity.

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Those activities consist of

• Acquiring, comprehending, and modifying
  information.
• Developing, executing, and evaluating
  plansmaking modifications as needed.
  (higher-order processes, or macro-mechanisms)
• Giving meaning to things we perceive.
  (micro-mechanisms)
• Forming concepts and classifying stimuli.
  (micro-mechanisms)

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• Finally, cognition reflects the knowledge that
  one has and what one does with it.

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Cognition Its Development over Time

• Cognition has structure and function.
• Cognition changes in both structure and function
  over time.
• Change is perpetual.
• Developmental progression is an interaction of
  biology and experience.
• Developmental progression moves from simple to
  complex, and incomplete to complete.
• Development is an active process.

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• Structure

Refers to the framework of knowledge that
underlies behavior knowledge comprised of how
to put one leg in front of another to walk and
knowledge of how to solve an algebra problem, or
how to program a DVR to record the next episode
of COPS, or how to set the table for
dinner. Cognition organizes this knowledge in
existing mental structures.
Function
Refers to what we do with the cognitive system.
(The action taken) Function is necessary for
proper development to occur. Perceptions,
retrieving information (memory), reasoning,
making comparisons, making judgments, and problem
solving.
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Cognition Its Development over Time

• Structure Function
• of cognition during development is
  bi-directional.
• Aspects of development are inter-related and
  integrated.
• Development is sequential, but not continuous.
  It is discontinuous.
• Children will use a developmental accomplishment
  over and over once it is acquired.

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Illustrating the bi-directionality of function
and structure

• Embryology of chickens
• Spontaneous movement from the maturation of
  underlying structures, such as, bone, muscle, and
  nervous tissue.
• When embryonic chicks are given a paralyzing
  agent temporarily
• Deformations in the legs, toes, and neck develop
  and impair the subsequent movements of the limbs.

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Therefore

• The spontaneous activity (function) of the
  skeletal structures is necessary for the proper
  development and functioning of the joints.

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Another Example

• Individual differences in activity level are
  found in newborns and are believed to be
  biologically based.
• A highly active toddler enjoys exploring his
  surroundings.
• These experiences of the highly active child will
  be different than the experiences of less active
  child.

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• These resulting experiences will affect the
  childrens developing intellect (structure),
  which in turn will affect the childrens actions
  (function).
• Therefore, the inherited or biological structures
  of the child, influence the childrens behaviors,
  experiences, and their reactions to others.
• Furthermore influencing the development of the
  childrens cognitive-behavioral structures.

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Stages of Development

• Development is stage-like in nature.
• Stages are characterized by
• Stages entail qualitative changes rather than
  quantitative differences.
• The change from one stage to the next is
  relatively abrupt or discontinuous.
• Childrens thinking within a stage is relatively
  even, or homogeneous. Similar cognitive
  functioning across a wide range of tasks.

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• Children will give cues to their environment when
  they are ready to move to the next developmental
  level.
• Children will seek out stimulation in order to
  develop.