Cognitive Development and Language

Major Questions in Human Development Continuous or discontinuous development? Nature or nurture? Is there one course of development or many?

Piaget’s Assumptions Child as scientific problem solver  Child ACTIVELY constructs meaning from environment Stage theory  Changes are invariant and universal

Developmental Processes Schemes  Mental structures for organizing and interpreting information Adaptation –Assimilation  Use current schemes to interpret the external world. –Accommodation  Creating new schemes or adjusting old ones.

Equilibrium Process New Experiences DisequilibriumNew Schemes Equilibrium

Piaget’s Stage Theory Sensorimotor stage Preoperational stage Concrete operational stage Formal operational stage

Sensorimotor Stage: 0-2 yrs Infants use senses to explore Object permanence Goal directed actions

Preoperational Stage: 2-7 yrs Operations Semiotic function  including language One-way logic Difficulty with centering & conservation Egocentrism

Concrete Operational Stage: 7-11 yrs “Hands on” thinking Conservation, identity, compensation Reversibility Classification Seriation

Formal Operational Stage: 11- adult Mental operations can now grasp the abstract Scientific thinking Hypothetical-deductive reasoning Logical Consequences  adolescent egocentrism

Implications of Piaget’s Theory for Teachers Understanding students’ thinking “Match” teaching to cognitive stage Individuals “construct” knowledge Use disequilibrium to motivate

Limitations of Piaget’s Theory Not necessarily a qualitative change Not universal Difficult to test developmental processes Overlooks cultural basis of cognitive development

Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory Cognitive development is inherently both a social and cultural process Knowledge is co-constructed –Interpsychological and Intrapsychological Role of cultural tools Role of language & private speech Role of adults and peers

Zone of Proximal Development Gap between what person can do alone and what they are capable of doing if guided by more experience other

Scaffolding Assistance provided in the zone of proximal development Should gradually decrease as children become more competent at a task

Implications of Vygotsky’s Theory for Teachers Assisted learning Scaffolding Zone of proximal development Collaborative learning Alternative assessment

Piaget vs. Vygotsky Egocentric vs. private speech Implications for education

Implications for Education PiagetVygotsky Cognitive Development Child actively interacts w/ environment Thru scaffolding & ZPD LearningGiven stimulating environment Challenging tasks with help Teacher’s Role Provides environment Scaffolding ActivitiesDiscovery learningCooperative learning