PSYB3 Cognitive Development

Cognitive Development Where have you encountered developmental psychology before? What do you think cognitive development will be about? What do you think you will need to learn? – Content? – Skills?

Cognitive development Content (AO1)Skills (AO2; AO3) Explanations of how & why children’s thinking changes over time: Jean Piaget; Lev Vygotsky; Renee Baillargeon; Robert Siegler. Empirical studies of thinking in childhood Using theories to analyse and explain real-world behaviour; Using evidence to evaluate theories; Evaluating evidence according to the methods used to obtain it; Designing research studies to test specific hypotheses.

Some recurring questions... How can we find out what infants and children are thinking? How is a child’s thinking different from an adult’s? Does nature or nurture have more influence on children’s development? Can a child’s rate of development be accelerated?

Today’s session You are learning about...You are learning how to... Piaget’s theory of cognitive development Schemas Adaptation Analyse real world behaviour and experiences in theoretical terms

Jean Piaget ( ) The first person to study cognitive development scientifically and systematically. The most influential theory of cognitive development.

Pair up. Decide who will be child and who will be investigator. The child will be given an object to play with. The investigator must observe carefully in order to be able to describe what the child did. Now swap roles.

Adaptation of schemas Assimilate Accommodate DisequilibriumEquilibrium

Adaptation The process by which the child changes its mental models of the world to match more closely how the world actually is.

Cognitive development As the child gets older its schemas become... More numerous More complex More interconnected More abstract

Cognitive development The child’s understanding develops because... Its brain is developing (maturation) It is exploring the world around it (experience)

Where do you think Piaget would stand on the nature-nurture debate?

Homework Write a paragraph describing a child adapting its understanding of the world due to an experience it has had. Make sure you use the correct terms: – Schema – Assimilation – Disequilibrium – Accommodation – Equilibrium