Deck 4: Section 1: Theories of Cognitive Development

Question 1

Does Piaget consider any sources of continuous development? If so, describe them and provide examples. If not, discuss one facet of development that you believe to be continuous, and explain why you believe Piaget was wrong on this issue.

Answer 1

Not Answer

Question 2

Cecilia, the mother of 3-year-old Maria, has become increasingly frustrated with her daughter's behaviour toward other members of the family. Among other things, Cecilia complains that Maria is inconsiderate of her baby brother and that if she is playing, she doesn't listen when Cecilia asks her to do something. Use Piaget's theory to explain how Maria's level of cognitive development is a source of Maria's frustrating behaviour.

Answer 2

Not Answer

Question 3

Describe the aspect of each theory that you found most interesting or accurate. Would it be possible to unify these aspects into one supertheory? Why or why not?

Answer 3

Not Answer

Question 4

Each of the four theories discussed in this chapter (Piagetian, information-processing, sociocultural, and dynamic-systems) has implications for teaching methods. Describe how a teacher might approach the task of teaching a child the concept of conservation from each of the four perspectives.

Question 5

Describe how infants' ability to form mental representations develops over the first two years of life. Give an example of a mental representation infants are typically able to make at 8 months, at 12 months, at 18 months, and at 24 months.

Question 6

Describe the development of a conservation concept. Describe Piaget's explanation of why younger children are unable to demonstrate this understanding and what changes to enable older children to do so.

Question 7

Steven is the proud uncle of newborn baby Rachel. His first gift for her is a colourful rattle. Think about how baby Rachel is likely to respond to or interact with the rattle at each of the following ages: 2 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, 10 months, 15 months, and 21 months. For each age, give an example of Rachel's likely behaviour with the rattle as well as a brief description of how Piagetian theory would explain this behaviour.

Question 8

Describe how children's nature is viewed by each of the four theories (Piagetian, information-processing, sociocultural, and dynamic-systems). In addition, for each theory, discuss one central developmental issue (e.g., nature versus nurture, active versus passive, continuous versus discontinuous) and how the theory's view of children's nature is associated with this central issue.

Question 9

Describe the main components of memory discussed in the text. Describe how these components related to your studying for this exam.

Question 10

Each day, each of us solves a variety of problems, including finding lost keys, remembering a friend's phone number, figuring out what to get Dad for Father's Day, and so on. Think about a recent problem, small or large, that you have had to solve. Do a task analysis of your problem solving. Be sure to describe your goals, subgoals, and relevant facts, as well as any inferences you had to make or biases you had. Also be sure to describe any errors you made in your processing.

Question 11

Jason, who is 5 years old, and his sister Lynne, who is 9 years old, have just received a chess set from their grandparents. Neither Lynne nor Jason has ever played chess, but they are both motivated to learn the game. According to information-processing theories, who is more likely to quickly become skillful at the game? Give three specific differences between younger and older children that will enable Jason or Lynne to learn the game faster.

Question 12

Describe how intelligence is conceived of within each of the four theories described in this chapter (Piagetian, information-processing, sociocultural, and dynamic-systems). Use examples to support your descriptions.

Question 13

Describe in detail three sources of the development of memory, according to information-processing theories. How do each of these sources contribute to the development of memory?

Question 14

Do information-processing theories consider any sources of discontinuous development? If so, describe them and provide examples. If not, discuss one facet of development that you believe to be discontinuous, and explain why you believe the information-processing theories cannot address this issue.

Question 15

To what extent do you agree with the perspective of the sociocultural approach that says that all learning occurs within an interpersonal context? Do you believe it is possible for learning to occur outside an interpersonal context? Why or why not?

Question 16

Describe two similarities and two differences between information-processing theories and dynamic-systems theories. Provide one or more examples to demonstrate these similarities and differences.

Question 17

Describe the typical behaviour of a 6-year-old child on a test of the conservation concept. Discuss two benefits and two limitations of Piaget's theory for explaining this result.

Question 18

Define and describe the features of guided participation, and explain why it is a core component of the sociocultural perspective. Use an example to illustrate the features.

Question 19

Describe how Piagetian theory explains the A-not-B error and how the dynamic-systems approach explains it. Then select another experiment used by Piaget to demonstrate the limitations of children's cognition at a particular age, and suggest what conclusions might be drawn if one instead looked at the problem from a dynamic-systems perspective.

Question 20

How do Piaget's concept of centration and the information-processing concept of selective attention illustrate the notion of the active child?

Question 21

Define intersubjectivity and social scaffolding. Give two specific examples of the impact each one has on children's learning.

Question 22

Imagine that you are trying to teach a young child how to ride a bicycle. Describe how you might best scaffold the task so that the child can learn optimally. How would you use your knowledge to direct your instructional efforts to the appropriate level for the child?

Question 23

Describe Vygotsky's perspective on the relation between language and thought. Be specific, and provide an example to support the answer.