LECTURE 1: BASIC CONCEPTS IN COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT

Dr. Neil H. Schwartz

Department of Psychology

Psych 353

PRELIMINARY ASSUMPTIONS

Experience is essential in the development of thinking It takes nearly 20 years to develop an adult nervous system Cognition develops quantitatively and qualitatively during the

life-span. That is,

• You don’t just know more but think quite differently over time. • The changes take place by virtue of:

The developmental function- the form cognition takes over time

Individual differences-variations among people at any given developmental period.

COGNITION: A CONCEPTUAL DESCRIPTION

It is what laypersons call thinking.

It is not directly observable, but implied from behavior.

It is real and it exists.

Cognition includes conscious and deliberate acts and non-deliberate processes.

It is comprised of different types of activities.

THOSE ACTIVITIES CONSIST OF:

acquiring, comprehending and modifying information.

developing, executing and evaluating plans. (macro-mechanism)

giving meaning to things we perceive. (micro-mechanism)

forming concepts and classifying stimuli. (micro-mechanism)

COGNITION: ITS DEVELOPMENT OVER TIME

Cognition has structure and function.

Cognition changes in both structure and function over time.

Change is perpetual.

Developmental progression is an interaction of biology and experience.

Developmental progression moves from simple to complex, and incomplete to complete.

Development is an active process.

STRUCTURE

Refers to the framework of knowledge that underlies behavior. Ex. knowledge comprised of how to put one leg in front of another to walk or knowledge of how to solve a calculus problem, Or how to program a VCR or set the table for dinner.Cognition organizes this knowledge. It is probably a neural network, and network of networks.

FUNCTION

Refers to what we do with the cognitive system. Perception, memory, reasoning, judgment, problem solving.

COGNITION: ITS DEVELOPMENT OVER TIME

Structure and function of cognition during development is bi-directional.

Environmental stimulation and actions of a structure itself can change the structure.

Changes in structure change the functions. Functions are limited by structures’ capability.

Function is necessary for development.

Aspects of development are inter-related and integrated.

Development is sequential but not continuous. It is discontinuous.

Children will use a developmental accomplishment over and over once it is acquired.

Children will give cues to their environment that they are ready to move to the next developmental level.

Children will seek out stimulation in order to develop.

DEVELOPMENTAL FUNCTION & INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES

Development is studied in stages and norms.

Important differences do exist between and within individuals.

FIVE “TRUTHS” OF COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT

Cognitive development proceeds as a result of the dynamic and reciprocal transaction of internal and external factors;

Cognitive development is constructed within social context

Cognitive development involves both stability and plasticity over time;

Cognitive development involves changes in the way information is represented;

and Children develop increasing intentional control over

their behavior and cognition

ADAPTIVE CONSTRAINTS

1. Representational – hardwired into brain, such as the nature of objects.

2. Architectural – type and arrangement of neurons limit what information the brain can process, such as language.

3. Chronotopic – neural readiness for different areas is on a timeline.

EVOLUTION AND COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT

Evolutionary theory’s influence on cognitive development:

Evolutionary psychology provides explanations for

both the “how” and “why” questions about human behavior.

COGNITIVE FLEXIBILITY

Stability: degree to which one’s intelligence maintains its relative rank order compared to one’s peers

Plasticity: degree of flexibility of a cognitive ability

A DEVELOPMENTAL CONTEXTUAL MODEL

Time

cultureSociety

Community

teachers

classmates

School Network

Social network

Parent peers

Child’s peers

Nonnuclear

family

siblings Parent spouse

Marriage network

Work networkImmediate

job associates

Indirect job associates

child

parent

cognition

personality

Behavior

Demand

shealth

Etc

tempera

ment

Developmentlevel

biology

child

cognition

pers

onal

ity

Behavior

DemandsHealth

Etc

Temper

amen

t

Development level

biology

DYNAMIC SYSTEMS APPROACH

Cognitive changes are emergent due to interaction among characteristics of structure and the environment.

Change is nonlinear.

Systems continually self-organized, transitioning from one stable state to another, known as phase transition.

DOMAIN-GENERAL VS. DOMAIN-SPECIFIC ABILITIES

Both exist

Domain-general: cognition is influenced by one set of factors

Domain-specific: different cognitive domains are controlled by different brain functions or areas of the brain

CHANGES IN COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT

Representation: Children and adults differ in the ways they represent information. Different techniques are particular to each stage of development.

Intentional Control: Children develop strategies to solve problems. Strategies are intentional, goal-directed mental operations designed

to solve a problem

STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT: CHARACTERISTICS

Stages are defined by qualitative differences: changes in type, often subjectively perceived as different.

There is discontinuity from one stage to the next as different behaviors appear at once.

Homogeneity of cognitive function is seen in stage related functions being done in the same way.

EVOLUTIONARY PSYCHOLOGY

Cognitive development is contextual

Cognition is shaped by domain-specific brain modules, and as such, function varies by each module.

Because of domain-specificity, representational, architectural, and chronotopic constraints on cognition, learning becomes more facilitated.

Constraints allow the learner to filter and focus attention on what is important to learn.

http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/eng/patricia_kuhl_the_linguistic_genius_of_babies.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCt1Wc8Kx4U&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9ioMR8C9GI