PSYC 50Developmental Psychology

SECTION 3: INFANCYChapter 6: Cognitive Development in Infancy

PIAGET’S THEORY OF INFANT DEVELOPMENT

Cognitive Processes Schemes – actions or mental representations that organize

knowledge. Assimilation – occurs when children incorporate new

information into their existing knowledge (schemes). Accommodation – occurs when children adjust their

schemes to fit new information and experiences. Organization – Piaget’s concept of grouping isolated

behaviors into a higher-order, more smoothly functioning cognitive system; the grouping or arranging of items into categories.

Equilibration – a process by which children reorganize their schemes to return to a state of equilibrium when disequilibrium occurs.

The Sensorimotor Stage of Development Sensorimotor stage – the first of Piaget’s stages, which

lasts from birth to about 2 years of age; infants construct an understanding of the world by coordinating sensory experiences (such as seeing and hearing) with motoric actions.

Substages:o Simple reflexes – corresponds to the first month

after birth; the basic means of coordinating sensation and action is through reflexive behaviors, such as rooting and sucking.

o First habits and primary circular reactions – develops between 1 and 4 months of age; infant’s reflexes evolve into adaptive schemes that are more refined and coordinated.

o Secondary circular reactions – develops between 4 and 8 months of age; the infant becomes more object-oriented, or focused on the world, moving beyond preoccupation with the self in sensorimotor interactions.

o Coordination of secondary circular reactions – develops between 8 -12 months of age; several significant changes take place involving the coordination of schemes and intentionality.

o Tertiary circular reactions, novelty, and curiosity – between 12 and 18 months of age; infants become intrigued by the variety of properties that objects possess and by the multiplicity of things they can make happen to objects.

o Internalization of schemes – between 18 and 24 months of age; the infant’s mental functioning shifts from a purely sensorimotor plane to a symbolic plane, and the infant develops the

ability to use primitive symbols and form enduring mental representations.

Object permanence – understanding that objects and events continue to exist, even when they cannot directly be seen, heard, or touched.

LEARNING AND REMEMBERING

Conditioning Operant conditioning – in which the consequences of the

behavior produce changes in the probability of the behavior’s occurrence.

Attention The focusing of mental resources.

Imitation Deferred imitation – imitation that occurs after a time of

delay or hours or days.

Memory Memory – a central feature of cognitive development,

pertaining to all situations in which an individual retains information over time.

Implicit memory – memory without conscious recollections; involves skills and routine procedures that are automatically performed.

Explicit memory – conscious memory of facts and experiences.

INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES IN INTELLIGENCE

Developmental quotient (DQ) – an overall developmental score that combines subscores in motor, language, adaptive, and personal-social domains in the Gesell assessment of infants; developed by Arnold Gesell (1934).

Bayley Scales of Infant Development – developed by Nancy Bayley that are widely used in the assessment of infant development. The current version has three components: a mental scale, a motor scale, and an infant behavior profile.

LANGUAGE DEVELOPMENT

What is Language? Language – a form of communication, whether spoken,

written, or signed, that is based on a system of symbols. Infinite generativity – the ability to produce an endless

number of meaningful sentences using a finite set of words and rules.

Language’s Rule Systems Phonology – the sound system of the language, including

the sounds that are used and how they may be combined.

Morphology – units of meaning involved in word formation.

Syntax – the ways words are combined to form acceptable phrases and sentences.

Semantics – the meaning of words and sentences. Pragmatics – the appropriate use of language in different

contexts.

How Language Develops Babbling and other Vocalizations

o The purpose of these early communications is to attract attention from caregivers and others in the environment.

Crying – can signal stress Cooing – gurgling sounds made in the

back of the throat and usually express pleasure during interaction with the caregiver.

Babbling – includes strings of consonant-vowel combinations, such as “ba,ba,ba,ba.”

Gestures – showing and pointing. May wave bye-bye, nod to mean “yes,” show an empty cup to want more milk, and point to a dog to draw attention to it.

Recognizing Language Sounds First Words Two-word Utterances

o Telegraphic speech – the use of short and precise words without grammatical markers such as articles, auxiliary verbs, and other connectives.

e.g. Mama give ice cream. Mommy give Tommy ice cream.

Biological and Environmental Influences Biological influences

o Evolution and the Brain’s Role in Language Aphasia – a loss or impairment of

language ability caused by brain damage.

Broca’s area – an area in the brain’s left frontal lobe next to the part that directs the muscle movements involved in speech production.

Wernicke’s area – an area of the brain’s left hemisphere that is involved in language comprehension.

o Language Acquisition Device – Chomsky’s term that describes a biological endowment that enables the child to detect the features and rules of language, including phonology, syntax, and semantics.

The Behavioral View and Environmental Influenceso The Behavioral Viewo Interaction with People

Reflection:1. Would it be good idea for parents to hold large flash cards of

words in front of their infant to help the infant learn language? Why or why not? What do you think Piaget would say about this activity?

References: Kail, R. V. and Cavanaugh, J. C. (2013). Human Development: A Life Span View. 6th

edition. Cengage Learning Asia Pte Ltd.Santrock, J.W. (2006). Life-Span Perspective.10th Edition. McGraw-Hill. New York.

Prepared by:Mrs. Maria Angela L. DiopolInstructor