AP Psychology

10/8/13

Essential Question

• How important is Piaget’s theory of cognitive development?

• Evaluate each stage in terms of its influence on understanding, accuracy, and critiques.

Piaget

• Early 1900s—constructivism.• Much different understanding of human mind

—he argued what?• What is a schema?

Assimilating & Accommodating• The schemas that humans are influenced by our experiences:

we assimilate experiences & accommodate schemas.

• Assimilating: dogs have four legs, so four-legged animals are dogs. A cow is a dog.

• Accommodating: other animals have four legs, so we need new names for these animals. Cows, dogs, and cats are all categories for animals now.

• Come up with your own example of assimilating & accommodating within schemas.

Sensorimotor

• Key idea: senses• Ages: birth - 2 years• Object permanence:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDfDYt-E9Kc

• Stranger anxiety: around 8 months, those who are unknown are identified as potentially threatening

Preoperational

• Key idea: developing mental skills• Ages: 2 - 6 or 7 years• Conservation:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GLj0IZFLKvg

• Egocentrism: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OinqFgsIbh0

• Theory of mind: the ability to infer others’ mental states

Concrete Operational

• Key idea: thinking logically• Ages: 6 or 7 - 7 or 11 years• Understand conservation & mathematical

transformations

Formal Operational

• Key idea: thinking abstractly• Ages: 12 - adulthood• Abstract logic (if x, then y. x, so y)• Imagined situations & symbols are understood

Piaget’s stages of cognitive development

• Create a short poem that will help your classmates remember each stage.

• 2-3 people per group

Critiquing Piaget…

RIGHT WRONG

Essential Question

• How important is Piaget’s theory of cognitive development?

• Evaluate each stage in terms of its influence on understanding, accuracy, and other critiques.

Homework

• Pages 154-173