Cognitive Development Dr M Worthington 15th Nov 2012
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Transcript Cognitive Development Dr M Worthington 15th Nov 2012
• Developed through observation.
• The thinking of children is qualitatively
different from thinking in adults.
• Knowledge and cognitive development
depend on the child’s pre-programmed
behaviours interacting with the world.
• Development follows sequential stages.
Egocentrism = Inability to distinguish
perspectives
Schemes/Schemas = Patterns of knowledge.
Operations = logical procedures allowing
mental manipulation of thoughts/concepts.
Assimilation = Attempts to understand novel
situations in terms of existing schemas.
Accommodation = Ability to modify existing
schemas in order to understand novel
situations.
Adaptation = Assimilation + Accommodation
1. Sensorimotor (0 - 18/24m)
2. Pre-Operational (18/24m – 7y)
3. Concrete Operational (7 – 11y)
4. Formal Operational (11y +)
Through reflexive behaviour stimulusresponse/cause-effect relationships are
learned.
Self is differentiated from external world
Object permanence is achieved;
knowledge that objects continue to exist
even if we can no longer see them
No understanding of temporal
relationships is evident.
Lack of Object Permanence
Symbolic schemas used (e.g. play,
drawing).
Egocentricity gradually declines as the
ability to understand alternative
perspectives develops (decentre).
Perception influences judgement.
3 Mountains
Task
Conservation Task
Logical thought appears.
Mental or physical
actions can be considered
in reverse.
Egocentrism disappears.
Reasoning and thought can be purely
verbal/logical and self reflective
Reasoning from other perspectives is possible
Abstract concepts are understandable
Systems of belief develop
A complex self identity develops
• Problems with formal operations
– Formal operation is rarely reached by 11
– A good proportion of adults rarely or never
think in such away unless constrained to do
so by the task
• Underestimates children’s abilities – too
rigid
– Most researchers agree that children posses
many of the abilities at an early age than
Piaget suspected
Growth in communication skills.
Single words→short
sentences→competent but
unsophisticated language.
Towards the end: Development of
linguistic pragmatics: Rules of appropriate
use.
Social skills requiring appreciation of alternative
perspectives.
Understanding of indirect questions, sarcasm,
Development parallels reduction and
disappearance of egocentrism.
Alternative perspective taking becomes
fully developed.
Able to say what others know.
Able to persuade rather than simply to use
crude requests.
Development of humour
Increased subtlety.
Irony and satire.
Understanding unfamiliar words inferred
from their context.
Abstraction and understanding of abstract
concepts increases : egocentrism
decreases.
• Linguistic ability and communicative skill
are closely related to the Piagetian stages
• As abstraction develops egocentrism
declines whilst social skills of
communication (pragmatics) develop:
– Spoken language becomes complex and
directed at achieving goals in a social context.
– Abstract concepts become more readily
understood.
– Written communication develops as the
perspective/needs of the reader are appreciated.
Dr Mark Worthington
Clinical Psychologist
Phonemes: Units of sound used to construct word
sounds
Phonology; rules about structure & sequence of speech
sounds
Grammar
Morphemes: Word or meaning units, made up of phonemes.
Syntax: rules in which words are arranged into sentences
Semantics: how concepts are expressed through
sounds.
Pragmatics: relationships between words and their
social uses, rules for appropriate and effective
communication
• Universal Language:
– A common underlying structure to languages
related to genetic factors that enable language
acquisition (language acquisition device).
• Conditioning is insufficient to account for
richness and speed of development.
• Language acquisition proceeds through
stages.
• Rate of acquisition is related to intelligence.
• Phonological
– Speech sounds – cooing/babbling (strings of
phonemes)
– Categorisation of sounds made by others
– End of year 1 – phoneme range specific to native
language, first words are spoken
• Semantic
– Understanding develops before production
– Recognition of familiar words, use of preverbal
gestures
• Pragmatic
• Phonological
– Recognise correct pronunciation of familiar words
– No word order (18m) rigid word order learned
from interactions (24m)
• Semantic
– Vocabulary spurt 18-24m; 13 300 words
• Grammatical
– Telegraphic speech (two word combinations)
• e.g. ‘big house’ (attributive), ‘Daddy ball’ (agentobject)
• Pragmatics
• Phonological
– Phonological awareness and pronunciation
improve
• Semantic
– Rapid word learning
– Difficulty using words correctly – e.g.
Overextensions, underextensions
• Grammatical
– Simple 3-word sentences follow adult rules,
gradually get refined
– Grammatical morphemes added as these emerge
– over-generalisation of grammatical rules
• Phonological
– Simple utterances/sentences
• Semantic
– can understand metaphors
• Grammatical
– Generally correct grammar
– Begin to use future tense
– Understanding still greater than generation
Semantic
Verbal thought is apparent
Grammatical
Several clauses in sentences.
Pragmatics
Social rules apply
Resembles adult language
Awareness of own ability to use language
Linguistic skills are a subgroup of
communication skills
Many species display communicative
competence.
At what point does word use become
language?
Non-verbal behaviour is closely related.
Signing as language?
First year crucial for differentiation of
phonemes.
Syntactic development over first few years.
Full competence is never achieved following
early language deprivation.
Similar evidence in deaf children’s acquisition
of sign language.
Cognitive development necessary but
not sufficient for acquisition
Relies on social context, learning
relationships between objects/people.
Cognitive development leads.
Language is one communication skill.
Phonetic forms are reduced over time
according to native language.
Isolation impairs later acquisition.
Worse if also socially isolated.