Chapter Six

Chapter Six The First Two Years:Cognitive DevelopmentPowerPoints prepared by Cathie Robertson, Grossmont College

Sensorimotor IntelligenceSensoritmotor intelligenceactive intelligence causing babies to think while using senses and motor skills

Stages 1 and 2: Primary Circular ReactionsThe feedback loop involving the infants own body; infant senses motion and tries to make sense of itStage 1 = Reflexes Stage 2 = First Acquired Adaptationsadaptations of reflexes, i.e., suckingnew information taken in by senses and responded to

Assimilation and Accommodationassimilationtaking in new information by incorporating it into previous knowledgeaccommodation intake of new data to re-adjust, refine, expand prior schema or actionsbabies eagerly adapt their reflexes and senses to whatever experiences they haveStages 1 and 2: Primary Circular Reactions, cont.

Sucking as a Stage-Two Adaptationbegin adapting at about one monthreflexive assimilationStages 1 and 2: Primary Circular Reactions, cont.

Stages 3 and 4: Secondary Circular Reactionsfeedback loop involving people and objectsStage 3 = Making Interesting Events Lastrepetition awarenessStage 4 = New Adaptation and Anticipationgoal-directed behaviorobject permanence

Feedback loop that involves active experimentation and explorationinvolves creativity, action, and ideasStage 5 = New Means Through Active Experimentationlittle scientistStages 5 and 6: Tertiary Circular Reactions

Stage 6 = New Means Through Mental Combinationsmental combinationssequence of mental actions tried out before actual performancedeferred imitationperception of something someone else does (modeling), then performing action at a later timeStages 5 and 6: Tertiary Circular Reactions, cont.

Piaget and Modern ResearchHabituationprocess of getting used to an object or event through repeated exposure to itfMRIfunctional magnetic resonance imaging measuring technique for brain activity and neurological responsesFirst three years are prime time for cognitive development

Information-processing theory perspective that compares human thinking processes to computer analysis of data, including sensory input, stored memories, and outputInformation Processing

AffordancesAffordancesopportunities for perception and interaction offered by environmentHow something is perceived and acted upon depends onpast experiencescurrent developmental levelsensory awareness of opportunitiesimmediate needs and motivation

Sudden DropsVisual cliff measures depth perception, which is based not on maturity level but affordancedepends on prior experienceObject Constancythings remain what they are, despite changes in perception or appearanceboundaries of three-dimensional objects

Movement and PeopleDynamic perception1 of the 2 principles explaining infant perception; namely, that from birth perception is primed to focus on movement and change 2nd principle explaining infant perception is that babies are fascinated by peopleInfants most interested in emotional affordances of their caregivers

Certain amount of experience and maturation in order to process and remember experiencesIn first year infants have great difficulty storing new memoriesOlder children often unable to describe events that occurred when they were youngerMemory

Very early memories possible ifsituation similar to real lifemotivation highspecial measures aid retrieval by acting as remindersMemory, cont.

Reminders and RepetitionReminder sessionany perceptual experience that helps a person recall an idea or experience

A Little Older, A Little More MemoryAfter 6 months infants capable of retaining information for longer periods of time with less remindingDeferred imitation apparent after end of first yearBy middle of the 2nd year, children capable of remembering and reenacting complex sequences

A Little Older, A Little More Memory, cont.Memory is not just single entity; distinct brain regions for particular aspects of memory; humans have a memory forwordsimagesactionssmellsexperiencesmemorized facts

Language: What Develops in Two Years?Most impressive intellectual achievement of young child and also of all humans

Children around the world have the same sequence of early language development buttiming and depth of linguistic ability varyThe Universal Sequence of Language Development

First Noises and GesturesBaby talkhigh-pitched, simplified, and repetitive ways adults talk to babiesVocalizationcryingcooingBabblingdeaf babies do it later and less frequently, but are more advanced in use of gestures

First word and sentences at age of 1 yearFirst Words

The Language Explosion and Early GrammarNaming explosionsudden increase in infant vocabulary, especially nouns, beginning at 18 monthsHolophrasesingle word that expresses a complete, meaningful thoughtGrammarall the methods that languages use to communicate meaning

Theories of Language LearningEven the very young use language wellThree schools of thoughtinfants are taught languageinfants teach themselvessocial impulses foster infant language

Theory 1: Infants are TaughtSkinners reinforcement theory: quantity and quality of talking to child affects rate of language development (learned)parents are good instructorsbaby talk characterized byhigh pitchsimpler vocabularyshorter sentence lengthmore questions and commandsrepetition

Chomsky and LAD (Language Acquisition Device)hypothesized neurological (inborn) structure that prewires all children for language, including basic aspects of intonation, grammar, and vocabulary infants innately ready to use their minds to understand and speak whatever language offered to themthey are experience expectantTheory 2: Infants Teach Themselves

Social-pragmaticsocial reason for language: to communicateInfants seek to respond, which shows their being social in nature and thus mutually dependentbyvocalizingbabblinggesturinglisteningpointingTheory Three: Social Impulses Foster Language

A Hybrid TheoryEmergentist coalitioncombination of valid aspects of several theoriescortex contains many language centersnature provides several paths to learning language