Lecture notes
Cognitive development - A-Level Psychology notes
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- Cognitive development
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- AQA
Cognitive development - A-Level Psychology notes
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Cognitive DevelopmentCognitive development The process by which our mental processes change as we age
- It’s the result of adaptation between the individual’s existing schemas and environmental ‘demands’ for
change, like new experiences which don’t fit existing schemas.
Lifespan learning: There are limitations on what can be learned at different ages due to the maturity of the mind.
Schema A cluster of related facts based on previous experiences used to generate future expectations
- Schemas can be behavioural (grasping an object) or cognitive (classifying objects).
- Schemas are ‘programs’ that people construct for dealing with the world
Assimilation In Piaget’s theory of cognitive development, the process of fitting new experiences into existing
schemas without making any change.
- A child initially tries to understand any new information in terms of their existing knowledge about the world.
- Assimilation occurs when an existing schema (sucking) is used on a new object (a toy car).
- It involves the incorporation of new information into an existing schema.
Accommodation In Piaget’s theory of cognitive development, the process of adjusting or changing existing
schemas because new, conflicting information creates disequilibrium.
- A child adapts existing schema to understand new information that doesn’t appear to fit.
- Learning how to drive a manual car develops a schema for working the 3 pedals, so when switching to
automatic, the schema must adapt quickly to be able to drive it.
o Ex. a child learns that ‘four legs and fur = dog’ so every time the chid sees an animal with similar traits
they have to assimilate their existing schema. However, when the child is introduced to a ‘cat’ which
challenges the current schema and accommodates the new information.
Equilibration Experiencing a balance between existing schemas and new experiences.
- If an experience can’t be assimilated into existing schemas, then there’s a state of imbalance which is
experienced as an unpleasant state and the individual seeks to restore balance through equilibration.
Evaluation:
+ There is evidence to support existence of innate schemas. Fantz 1961 showed that infants as young as 4 days
show a preference for a schematic face rather than the same features all jumbled up. This finding has been
replicated in a number of studies: Goren et al 1975 although none of the studies make it clear whether this is
just due to linking for things that are symmetrical. The face preference makes sense as a new born who can
recognise and respond to its own species will better elicit attachment and caring, which supports Piaget’s view
that infants are born with innate schemas
+ Applications in education: true understanding only occurs through the process of making one’s own
accommodations. Bennett criticises this, finding that children taught via formal methods did better in reading,
maths and English. This can be due to tests based on exact things that were taught in the lesson which results in
the children getting a better test score.
+ Piaget thought language didn’t play a fundamental role in cognitive development, however Vygotsky thought
otherwise. Hermina 1969 taking on Piaget’s point of view, demonstrated that children who were ‘non-
conservers’ differed in terms of their language from ‘conservers’. She then taught appropriate verbal skills to
‘non-conservers’, but 90% of them were unable to conserve. This supports the view that cognitive maturity is a
prerequisite for linguistic development, not the other way around.
+ Piaget produced the first comprehensive theory of children’s cognitive development. This theory generates a lot
of research. It’s valued for the combination of nature and nurture to explain cognitive development.
- There’s little research to support Piaget’s ideas about the effects of disequilibrium. Some of Piaget’s co-workers,
Berbel Inhelder et al 1974 showed that children’s learning was helped when there was a mild conflict between
what they expected to happen and what did happen, but Bryant 1995 argues that this wasn’t really the sort of
conflict that Piaget was referring to. The problem with Piaget’s theory is that some aspects of it aren’t testable
because concepts are hard to operationalise
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