Chapter Six The First Two Years Cognitive Development

Chapter Six The First Two Years: Cognitive Development Power. Points prepared by Cathie Robertson, Grossmont College

Sensorimotor Intelligence • Sensoritmotor intelligence—active intelligence causing babies to think while using senses and motor skills

Stages 1 and 2: Primary Circular Reactions • The feedback loop involving the infants own body; infant senses motion and tries to make sense of it • Stage 1 = Reflexes • Stage 2 = First Acquired Adaptations - adaptations of reflexes, i. e. , sucking—new information taken in by senses and responded to

Stages 1 and 2: Primary Circular Reactions, cont. • Assimilation and Accommodation – assimilation—taking in new information by incorporating it into previous knowledge – accommodation— intake of new data to readjust, refine, expand prior schema or actions – babies eagerly adapt their reflexes and senses to whatever experiences they have

Stages 1 and 2: Primary Circular Reactions, cont. • Sucking as a Stage-Two Adaptation – begin adapting at about one month – reflexive assimilation

Stages 3 and 4: Secondary Circular Reactions • feedback loop involving people and objects • Stage 3 = Making Interesting Events Last - repetition - awareness • Stage 4 = New Adaptation and Anticipation - goal-directed behavior - object permanence

Stages 5 and 6: Tertiary Circular Reactions • Feedback loop that involves active experimentation and exploration - involves creativity, action, and ideas • Stage 5 = New Means Through Active Experimentation – little scientist

Stages 5 and 6: Tertiary Circular Reactions, cont. • Stage 6 = New Means Through Mental Combinations – mental combinations—sequence of mental actions tried out before actual performance – deferred imitation—perception of something someone else does (modeling), then performing action at a later time

Piaget and Modern Research • Habituation—process of getting used to an object or event through repeated exposure to it • f. MRI—functional magnetic resonance imaging measuring technique for brain activity and neurological responses • First three years are prime time for cognitive development

Information Processing • Information-processing theory— perspective that compares human thinking processes to computer analysis of data, including sensory input, stored memories, and output

Affordances • Affordances—opportunities for perception and interaction offered by environment • How something is perceived and acted upon depends on – – past experiences current developmental level sensory awareness of opportunities immediate needs and motivation

Sudden Drops • Visual cliff measures depth perception, which is based not on maturity level but affordance - depends on prior experience • Object Constancy - things remain what they are, despite changes in perception or appearance - boundaries of three-dimensional objects

Movement and People • Dynamic perception— 1 of the 2 principles explaining infant perception; namely, that from birth perception is primed to focus on movement and change • 2 nd principle explaining infant perception is that babies are fascinated by people • Infants most interested in emotional affordances of their caregivers

Memory • Certain amount of experience and maturation in order to process and remember experiences • In first year infants have great difficulty storing new memories • Older children often unable to describe events that occurred when they were younger

Memory, cont. • Very early memories possible if – situation similar to real life – motivation high – special measures aid retrieval by acting as reminders

Reminders and Repetition • Reminder session—any perceptual experience that helps a person recall an idea or experience

A Little Older, A Little More Memory • After 6 months infants capable of retaining information for longer periods of time with less reminding • Deferred imitation apparent after end of first year • By middle of the 2 nd year, children capable of remembering and reenacting complex sequences

A Little Older, A Little More Memory, cont. • Memory is not just single entity; distinct brain regions for particular aspects of memory; humans have a memory for – – – words images actions smells experiences “memorized” facts

Language: What Develops in Two Years? • Most impressive intellectual achievement of young child and also of all humans

The Universal Sequence of Language Development • Children around the world have the same sequence of early language development but – timing and depth of linguistic ability vary

First Noises and Gestures • Baby talk—high-pitched, simplified, and repetitive ways adults talk to babies • Vocalization – crying – cooing • Babbling – deaf babies do it later and less frequently, but are more advanced in use of gestures

First Words • First word and sentences at age of 1 year

The Language Explosion and Early Grammar • Naming explosion—sudden increase in infant vocabulary, especially nouns, beginning at 18 months • Holophrase—single word that expresses a complete, meaningful thought • Grammar—all the methods that languages use to communicate meaning

Theories of Language Learning • Even the very young use language well • Three schools of thought – infants are taught language – infants teach themselves – social impulses foster infant language

Theory 1: Infants are Taught • Skinner’s reinforcement theory: quantity and quality of talking to child affects rate of language development (learned) – parents are good instructors – baby talk characterized by • • • high pitch simpler vocabulary shorter sentence length more questions and commands repetition

Theory 2: Infants Teach Themselves • Chomsky and LAD (Language Acquisition Device)—hypothesized neurological (inborn) structure that prewires all children for language, including basic aspects of intonation, grammar, and vocabulary – infants innately ready to use their minds to understand speak whatever language offered to them – they are experience expectant

Theory Three: Social Impulses Foster Language • Social-pragmatic—social reason for language: to communicate • Infants seek to respond, which shows their being social in nature— and thus mutually dependent—by - vocalizing - babbling - gesturing - listening - pointing

A Hybrid Theory • Emergentist coalition—combination of valid aspects of several theories - cortex contains many language centers - nature provides several paths to learning language