Chapter 7 Cognition

Chapter 7: Cognition Cognition: the activity of knowing Typical of humans throughout lifespan Changes across the lifespan Piaget and Vygotsky

Piaget Genetic Epistemology How we come to know reality Clinical Method Question and answer technique Used to discover how children reason Intelligence: How well we adapt Schemes/cognitive structures Represent reality

Piaget Assimilation Using existing schemes to interpret new experiences E.g., Birds are things that fly Accommodation Modifying schemes to fit new experience E.g., Butterflies are different than Birds even though they both fly

Piaget Adaptation Adjusting to the environment Using assimilation and accommodation Intelligence = Adaptation Constructivism Children construct own reality use their experiences (schemes)

Piaget Four stages/changes in ability to reason Sensorimotor: birth to 2 years Preoperational: 2 to 7 years Concrete operations: 7 to 11 years Formal operations: 12+ years Invariant sequence Rates may vary Requires maturation and experience

Piaget Sensorimotor Stage Newborn uses reflexes to understand world Eventually - mental representation Object Permanence Symbolic Capacity Language

Figure 7.4 Some common tests of the child’s ability to conserve.

Preoperational Stage Ages 2 – 7: preschool May have imaginary companions Egocentric thinkers Problem solving limited Classification and Seriation problems Lack conservation Perceptual salience Irreversible thinking Centration

Concrete Operations Age 7-11 Can conserve Decentration Reversible thinking Logical thinking (limited to reality) Seriation and classification Transitive thinking: “ If J is taller than M, and M is taller than S, who is taller – J or S?”

Formal Operations Adolescence/puberty Logical thinking about ideas Hypothetical and abstract thinking Hypothetical-deductive reasoning Decontextual thinking Ability to separate prior knowledge/beliefs from new evidence to the contrary

Formal Operations 2 Adolescent egocentrism Differentiating own thoughts from others’ Imaginary audience Also, learning to present themselves to a real audience Personal fable “No one has ever felt like this before!” “I drive better when I’m drunk!”

Cognition in Adulthood Formal operations requires Normal intelligence Higher education (scientific thinking) Lower performance on formal operations Use only in field of expertise Postformal thought Relativistic thinking: Labouvie-Vief No absolute answer in many situations

Piaget Contributions Stimulated much research Correct about cognitive development Challenges Underestimated competencies Focused on performance not competence Domain growth rather than stages Social influences left out

Vygotsky Emphasized the sociocultural context Culture effects how and what we think Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) Accomplishment with guidance Where lessons should be aimed Guided participation learning Private speech/ guides behavior (3&4 yr olds)