The Nativist approach

The Nativist approach

1. A01

   • States that were are born with innate cognitive structures that determine cognitive ability
   • Chomsky
     • Proposed we are born with innate ability to use and understand language (LAD)
   • Any developmental changes simply reflect genetic dispositions
   • Research
     • Bower et al
       • Babies aged 6-21 days old
         • Moved an object towards their face and the infants made a typical collision response
           • Therefore supports nativist explanations that certain cognitive abilities, such as death perception, are innate
   • Direct perception is the immediate and automatic understanding of a stimulus
   • Cross modal integration is the understanding of relationship between dimensions
     • e.g relationship between sound and where it came from

2. A02

   • Research challenges Piaget's findings on object permanence and his theory that the child's knowledge is constructed through experience
   • Theory has good empirical evidence
     • Experimental method
   • Takes nomothetic approach
   • Nature side of N/N debate
     • More scientific
       • More credible for psychology as a science
   • Does not account for individual differences
   • Ignores enviromental factors
   • Cognitive structures are hypothetical constructs, so cannot be tested easily
   • Comparisons
     • Piaget underestimated ability i.e reflexes alone
     • Object permanence
       • Baillargeon's studies conflict Piaget