Development of thinking

Development of thinking

1. Theories of cognitive development

   • Piaget: child as a scientist
     • Knowledge is stored as schemas which are combined in operations
       • Assimilation
       • Accomodation
       • Equilibrium
       • Disequilibrium
     • Stages of development
       • Sensorimotor: 0-2 years
         • Object permanence
           • Toy and blanket (Piaget, 1963)
             • No object permanance below 8 months
             • Too many schemas for children to combine
           • Dark room (Bower and Wishart, 1972)
             • Object permanence from 1-4 months
           • Impossible situation (Baillargeon)
       • Pre-operational: 2-7 years
         • Animism
           • Do animism and egocentricity seem like contradicting ideas?
         • Egocentricity
           • Three mountains task (Piaget and Inhelder, 1967)
             • Task too difficult for children?
             • Why doesn't Piaget ask children what they're thinking?
           • Hide from the policeman (Hughes, 1975)
         • Conservation
           • Juice in a container
           • Naughty teddy (Donaldson)
           • Pasta shells (Light)
           • Siegler's mixed methods control study
         • Seriation
           • Stick A > B > C
         • Class inclusion
           • Horses or animals?
             • Does this question confuse children?
       • Concrete operations: 7-11 years
       • Formal operations: 11+ years
         • Abstract reasoning
           • Can everyone do this?
       • Nature/nurture
     • All cognition develops at the same rate
     • Children learn in different ways at different ages
     • Teachers of young children facilitate learning
   • Vygotsky: language and scaffoolding