1. Section 3: Cognitive Development
Chapter 8 Lesson 2
Section 3: Cognitive Development

2. 3. Cognitive Development

3. A. Cognitive Development from Childhood into Adulthood
Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development
Assimilation
Accommodation
Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development
Sensorimotor Stage
Object Permanence
Preoperational Stage
Concrete Operational Stage
Formal Operational Stage
Evaluating and Expanding on Piaget’s Theory
An Alternative View: The Nativist Approach
Vygotsky: Cognitive Development in Cultural Context
Revisionist Views of Adolescent and Adult Cognition

4. Cognitive Development
Jean Piaget ( )
Children actively construct their cognitive world using:
Schemas
concepts or frameworks that organize information
Assimilation
incorporate new info into existing schemas
Accommodation
adjust schemas to new information
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5. Piaget’s Theory Sensorimotor Stage (birth - 2 years)
coordinate sensations with movements
object permanence
progress from reflexive action to symbolic thought
Preoperational Stage (2 - 7 years)
symbolic thinking: words & images
egocentrism
intuitive reasoning
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6. Piaget’s Theory Concrete Operational Stage (7 – 11 yrs)
operational thinking (e.g., conservation)
classification skills
reason logically in concrete contexts
Formal Operational Stage (11-15 yrs)
lasts through adulthood
abstract and idealistic thought
hypothetical-deductive reasoning
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7. Other Theories of Intellectual Development
Nativist Approach
Piaget underestimated infant capacity.
core knowledge (Spelke)
Vygotsy’s Sociocultural Cognitive Theory
child as apprentice to expert adults
scaffolding
Revisionist views of Adolescent/Adult Cognition
adolescent egocentrism
Piaget overestimated adult capacity.
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8. B. Cognitive Processes in Adulthood
Early Adulthood
Idealism gives way to realistic pragmatism.
reflection on worldview
Middle Adulthood
Memory peeks.
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9. B. Cognitive Processes in Adulthood (2)
Late Adulthood
speed of processing generally declines
memory retrieval skills decline
wisdom increases in some individuals
strategy training and physical activity can improve cognitive function
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