Cognitive DevelopmentCognitive Development

Physical DevelopmentPhysical DevelopmentIn Utero:

◦Zygote: conception-2 weeks◦Embryo: 2 weeks-2 months (8 weeks)

Cell differentiation◦Fetus: 2 months to birth

Functioning organ systems develop, early reflexes seen (e.g. non-nutritive sucking)

Infancy: ◦Very slow development, comparatively◦Brain development takes off◦Spurts of growth throughout childhood

(body and brain)

Physical DevelopmentPhysical DevelopmentFrom birth:

◦Reflexes: Grasping Rooting Foot flexing

◦Sensory Discriminate high and low sounds,

vowels, mother’s voice Very near-sighted, but can discriminate

brightness and color and track moving objects

Physical DevelopmentPhysical Development Gross motor skills

◦ 7-8 months: sitting up◦ 8-10 months: crawling◦ 10-12 months: “cruising”◦ 12-15 months: walking◦ 2 years: hopping on one foot, kicking◦ 4 years: jumping rope, balancing on one foot

Fine motor skills◦ 1 month: reflexive grasp◦ 4 months: reaching, hands at midline◦ 6 months: reach precisely, grabs at objects◦ 12-14 months: throwing objects◦ 2 years: unscrewing jars◦ 3 years: cutting with scissors, holding pencil◦ 6 years: writing, drawing shapes

Physical DevelopmentPhysical DevelopmentBrain:

◦ Making/pruning connectionsAttention

◦ Infants have little selective attention. If something is interesting, they will look at it.

◦ Development of Prefrontal cortex (PFC)development of attentional control 1-2 years: single-channeled attention: can

concentrate on task, but not external verbal/visual stimuli

2-3 years: still single-channeled, but with help can adjust focus back and forth

3-4 years: single-channeled, but can adjust focus on their own

4-5: two-channeled, but short attention span 5-6: audio, visual, and manipulatory channels

integrated

Physical DevelopmentPhysical Development

Physical DevelopmentPhysical DevelopmentBrain:

◦ Making/pruning connectionsAttention

◦ Infants have little selective attention. If something is interesting, they will look at it.

◦ Development of Prefrontal cortex (PFC)development of attentional control 1-2 years: single-channeled attention: can

concentrate on task, but not external verbal/visual stimuli

2-3 years: still single-channeled, but with help can adjust focus back and forth

3-4 years: single-channeled, but can adjust focus on their own

4-5: two-channeled, but short attention span 5-6: audio, visual, and manipulatory channels

integrated

Jean Piaget (1896-1980)Jean Piaget (1896-1980)

Swiss Psychologist“Father of Developmental

Psychology”Creator of “constructivist

theory of knowing”

Stage Theory of Stage Theory of DevelopmentDevelopmentChildren

progress through a series of stages of development

Long periods of time spent in each stage, abrupt transition to next stage

Sensorimotor StageSensorimotor StageFrom birth to ~2 years oldExperience the world through

senses and motor movementsSchema: mental representation

of what things are/how we deal with them

Object PermanenceInternal RepresentationEgocentrism

A-Not-B ErrorA-Not-B Error

VideoChildren don’t understand that objects

are permanent.

PreoperationalPreoperational2-7 years of ageSymbolic thoughtEgocentrismAnimismFailure of Conservation

Concrete OperationalConcrete OperationalAges 7-11Logical thinkingDevelopment of rational,

“operational” thoughtCan think logically about object,

if they are able to manipulate it.

Formal OperationalFormal Operational11 and upAbstract thinkingCan think logically about objects

even if not presentProblem solving

Arguments against PiagetArguments against PiagetArgument 1: Discrete stages do

not properly explain child development◦A lot of child knowledge is more

context-dependantArgument 2: Young children are

actually more advanced than Piaget gave them credit for.

A-not-B task RevisitedA-not-B task Revisited

Modify task◦ Have fewer trials with toy

in location A◦ Decrease delay between

hiding and finding◦ Make hiding places more

distinctSo why can babies do it

in some contexts but not others?

Using Habituation in Using Habituation in InfantsInfants

More boring babies!Procedure: Show baby

image/scene until he/she no longer looks at it.

Test: Introduce new image/scene.

If baby looks longer at new image, it’s perceived as new.

Drawbridge ExperimentDrawbridge ExperimentChild habituated

on (A)Child sees possible

outcome (B) and impossible outcome (C)

Child looks more at impossible event than possible event

Child knows block is there, even if he can’t see it

Numerical Reasoning Numerical Reasoning RevisitedRevisitedNumber

Conservation TaskChildren are

confused by experimenter’s questions- why is he asking the same question again?

Knowledge still tentative, but there

An alternative theory: An alternative theory: Information ProcessingInformation Processing

Human brain as computer◦ Representation of

information◦ Processes: applied

on representations◦ Limitations: memory

Development = change in processing abilities

Rehearsal as Information Rehearsal as Information ProcessingProcessingIncrease in

rehearsal speed, increase in memory

Older children actively use rehearsal as a memory strategy and remember more

The Sociocultural accountThe Sociocultural accountVygotskyCognitive development happens

in the context of social interaction

Development happens through internalization of socially shared processes

Zone of Proximal Development