C HAPTER 5 Cognitive Development in Infancy Lecture prepared by Dr. M. Sawhney

J EAN P IAGET

C OGNITIVE P ROCESSES Schemes Assimilation Accommodation Cognitive Equilibrium

S ENSORIMOTOR S TAGE (0-2 Y RS ) First Habits & primary Circular reactions Secondary Circular Reactions Coordination of Secondary Circular Reactions

S ENSORIMOTOR S TAGE (0-2 Y RS ) Internalization of Schemes Tertiary Circulatory Reactions

O BJECT P ERMANENCE Object permanence: Understanding that objects and events continue to exist: when they cannot directly be seen, heard, or touched No understanding under 4 months watch?v=NCdLNuP7OA8

C RITICISM OF P IAGET ’ S S ENSORIMOTOR STAGE The A-not B error Perceptual Development and Expectations Nature Vs. Nurture Issue

A TTENTION Attention Orienting and Investigative Process Habituation & Dishabituation Joint Attention

M EMORY Memory Implicit memory Explicit memory Infantile amnesia ube.com/watch?v =ee3MFixiXwc

IMITATION If an adult smiles, will the baby respond with a smile? Imitative ability is not hardwired response ube.com/watch?v =k2YdkQ1G5QI Deferred imitation

C ONCEPT FORMATION AND CATEGORIZATION Concept Formation: Grouping of similar objects, events, people or ideas Perceptual Categorization Conceptual Categorization Categorization gradual shift from perceptual to conceptual categorization in toddlerhood

I NDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES AND ASSESSMENT Measures of infant development Predicting intelligence Gisell Test : Developmental quotient, score that combines subscores in 4 categories. Bayley Scales of Infant Development: Used to assess infant behaviour and predict later development Fagan Test of Infant Intelligence evaluates an infant’s ability to process information

L ANGUAGE D EVELOPMENT Defining Language: A form of communication, spoken, written or signed, that is based on a system of symbols. It consists of the words used by a community and the rules for varying and combining them.

B ASIC P ROPERTIES OF LANGUAGE All human languages : spoken signed written Consists of : Infinite generativity Organizational rules

L ANGUAGE RULE SYSTEMS Phonology: batter vs. badder Morphology: Happy, Unhappy, Happiness Syntax: “Today we are going to complete this chapter” “To chapter we this going are complete today” Semantics : The bicycle talked the boy into buying a candy bar. Pragmatics “The dog bite resulted in infection”

L ANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT Recognizing language sounds Babbling and other vocalizations Crying Cooing Babbling Gestures Showing and pointing

S TARTING TO TALK First words: Receptive Vocabulary Spoken Vocabulary Underextension Overextension Two-word utterances: telegraphic speech copies adult word pairings Gradually generalizes to grammatical rules

B IOLOGICAL INFLUENCES IN LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT Regions involved in language Broca’s area Wernicke’s area

T HEORIES OF LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT Theories of Nativist Perspective: Children are biologically predisposed to learn a language Language Acquisition Device universal grammar infinite generativity

E NVIRONMENTAL INFLUENCES Behaviorist approach Interaction view - Children learn language in specific contexts Vocabulary development is linked to: Family’s socioeconomic status Type of talk that parents direct to their children Child-directed speech: Higher pitch than normal, with simple words and sentences

I NTERACTIONIST VIEW In teraction view - interaction between inner capacities and environmental influences social-interactionist view: emphasizes social skills and language experiences