FIRST 2 YEARS COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENTHow does a baby & toddler begin thinking?

What are Piaget’s Stages of development?

• Sensorimotor stage (Infancy)• Preoperational stage• Concrete operation stage• Formal operations stage (Adult)

What is Piaget’s sensorimotor stage of cognitive development?• Primary reactions (Reflexes and habits)

• Stage 1 (Birth – 1 month)• Reflexes

• Stage 2 (1-4 months)• Adapting to new items (e.g. breast to pacifier)

• Secondary reactions (Responds to other people)• Stage 3 (4-8 moths)

• Making interesting interactions last• Stage 4 (8-12 months)

• Anticipates interaction (e.g. putting Mother’s hands together to play)

• Tertiary Reactions (Acts independently)• Stage 5 (1 – 1½ years)

• “Little scientist” experimenting• Stage 6 ( 1½ - 2 years)

• Considers consequences

What is sensorimotor Intelligence?• Learned through the senses• Circular reaction

• Sensation – perception – cognition cycle around and around

Primary reaction• Stage 1 ( Reflexes) (Birth – one month)

• Responding to own body (e.g. stepping reflex)• Stage 2 (Habits) (1-4 months)

• Adapting reflexes to new situations• (Acquired adaptation)• E.g. Sucking from mom’s nipple to bottle to pacifier

• A sign baby is thinking

Secondary reaction• Responding to other people & objects• Stage 3 (Continuing interaction)

• 4-8 months• Making interesting sights last

• E.g. clapping hands for “patty-cake”• 8 Mos. Understanding object permanence

• Stage 4 ( Starting interaction)• 8mos. – 1 year• Infant has goals• Initiates and anticipates

• Initiates• E.g. Patty-cake

• Anticipates• E.g. Running from an unwanted bath

Tertiary reaction• Stage 5 (Acts independently - Experimenting)

• 1-1½ years• Active experimenting

• “Little scientist”

• Stage 6 (Thought before action)• 1½ - 2 years• Thinks about consequences

• E.g. Toilet overflowed last time• Mommy was mad at squeezing toothpaste

• Deferred imitation• Copying behavior they saw earlier

Do you remember?• What are the major differences between primary,

secondary, and tertiary reactions?• What is the concept of “object permanence”?• At what level of reaction will children begin

experimenting?• What is this behavior called?

How do children process information?

What are “affordances”• Opportunities to interact with people and things afforded

by the environment• Visual Cliff

• Based on experience• 6 month will go over cliff

• 10 Month will refuse

What do babies perceive?• Movement

• Dynamic Perception• Infant focusing on the chasing things that move

• E.g. A mobile spinning overhead, or a moving ball

• People preference• Preference for looking at faces• Recognizing caregivers

What types of memories do children have?

• Implicit• Hidden

• Unconscious habits, emotions, procedures• Crying• Learning to move mobile

• Explicit• Usually verbal• Recalled on demand• Words, data, concepts

• Reminders help

Do you remember?• What is the visual cliff?

• When will children refuse to cross it?• What is an example of dynamic perception?

Language

What is the universal sequence of learning language?• Reflexes, cooing, babbling, spoken words

• All babies, regardless of native language follow this sequence• Listening & Responding• Babbling

• E.g. ma-ma-ma, da-da-da• All babies, regardless of native language or deafness

• Holophrase• One word = phrase

• E.g. More, cookie, Dada!

• Naming explosion• Nouns

• Grammar

What are the theories of language?• 1. Learning theory• 2. Social Pragmatic• 3. Innate• 4. Hybrid

1. Learning theory• Based on B.F. Skinner

• Reinforcement• E.g. Parents talking to children

2. Social Pragmatic• Needed for communication

• Parents• Outside world

3. Innate• Noam Chomsky• Children have an inborn ability to learn language• E.g. Grammar• Hypothesized a Language Acquisition Device (LAD) in the

brain.• Enables universal inborn ability to learn language

• Language in general is experience-expectant• Words are expected by the developing brain

• Specific language is experience-dependent

4. Hybrid• Combination of the other three• Multiple cues contribute to learning language

Do you remember?• What is the universal sequence of learning language?• What is an example of a holophrase?• What is the concept of the “Learning Acquisition Device”

in the brain?