Sharon Seidman, Ph.D.
CAS 325A
Infant/Toddler
Cognition
CAS 325A
Week 6
What do kids know?
vs.
How do kids think?
Piagetian Principles
z
Children are “little scientists”
scientists”
z
Cognition is based on operations (rules)
z
Development occurs in stages
z
People seek equilibration through
z
Assimilation
z
Accommodation
Infant/Toddler Cognition
1
Sharon Seidman, Ph.D.
CAS 325A
Piaget’s Stages
z
Sensorimotor
z
Preoperational
z
Concrete Operations
z
Formal Operations
Sensorimotor Substages
Substage Months
1
2
3
4
5
6
Skills & Milestones
0–1
Uncontrollable reflexes
• Adaptation of reflexes
1–4
• Primary circular reactions
• Increasing awareness of environment
4 – 8 • Secondary circular reactions
• Partial search
• Mental representations
8 – 12 • Object permanence
• Intentional coordinated action
• Experimentation
12 – 18
• Tertiary circular reactions
• Symbolic representation
18 – 24 • Resolution of AA-notnot-B error
• Language
Simple Reflexes
Infant/Toddler Cognition
2
Sharon Seidman, Ph.D.
CAS 325A
Primary Circular Reactions
Sensorimotor Substages
Substage Months
1
2
3
4
5
6
Skills & Milestones
0–1
Uncontrollable reflexes
• Adapting reflexes
1–4
• Primary circular reactions
• Increasing awareness of environment
4 – 8 • Secondary circular reactions
• Partial search
• Mental representations
8 – 12 • Object permanence
• Coordination of circular reactions
• Experimentation
12 – 18
• Tertiary circular reactions
• Symbolic representation
18 – 24 • Resolution of AA-notnot-B error
• Language
Secondary Circular Reactions
Infant/Toddler Cognition
3
Sharon Seidman, Ph.D.
CAS 325A
Object Concept
z
Size constancy
z
Shape constancy
z
Edges / continuity
“Partial Search” Behavior
z
z
Beginning of
object permanence
Shows object concept
Sensorimotor Substages
Substage Months
1
2
3
4
5
6
Skills & Milestones
0–1
Uncontrollable reflexes
• Adapting reflexes
1–4
• Primary circular reactions
• Increasing awareness of environment
4 – 8 • Secondary circular reactions
• Partial search
• Mental representations
8 – 12 • Object permanence
• Coordination of circular reactions
• Experimentation
12 – 18
• Tertiary circular reactions
• Symbolic representation
18 – 24 • Resolution of AA-notnot-B error
• Language
Infant/Toddler Cognition
4
Sharon Seidman, Ph.D.
CAS 325A
Object Permanence
Coordination of Secondary
Circular Reactions
Tertiary Circular Reactions
Infant/Toddler Cognition
5
Sharon Seidman, Ph.D.
z
z
Have object
permanence
Do not have
ability to
mentally
manipulate
object
CAS 325A
A-not-B Error
Sensorimotor Substages
Substage Months
1
2
3
4
5
6
Skills & Milestones
0–1
Uncontrollable reflexes
• Adapting reflexes
1–4
• Primary circular reactions
• Increasing awareness of environment
4 – 8 • Secondary circular reactions
• Partial search
• Mental representations
8 – 12 • Object permanence
• Coordination of circular reactions
• Experimentation
12 – 18
• Tertiary circular reactions
• Symbolic representation
18 – 24 • Resolution of AA-notnot-B error
• Language
Symbolic Representation
z
z
Ability to
z Manipulate mental concepts
z Link concepts and objects
= transition to preoperational stage
Infant/Toddler Cognition
6
Sharon Seidman, Ph.D.
CAS 325A
Reconsidering
Piaget’s View of
Cognition
Uncontrollable Reflexes
z
z
Piagetian view
z 0 – 1 mo = uncontrollable reflexes
z 1 – 4 mo = adaptation of reflexes
Contradictory research
z Early imitation
z Modification of reflexes to ensure
preferred stimuli
Object Permanence
z
z
z
Piagetian view
z Object permanence develops 8 – 12 mo
z Measured by search behavior
Issue: search behavior requires 2 skills
z Cognitive understanding
z Physical ability
Alternative research:
possible vs. impossible events
Infant/Toddler Cognition
7
Sharon Seidman, Ph.D.
CAS 325A
Baillergeon’s Research
z
z
z
Purpose: ReRe-examine object
permanence
Goal: Separate behavior & cognition
Strategy:
Strategy: Examine attention
Interpretation
z
z
z
Piaget
z Correct description of observable behavior
z Late description of cognitive development
Assessment of child skills influenced by focus on
z Ability vs. inability
z Quantitative vs. qualitative change
Human behavior is multiply determined
Example: Counting
z
z
z
Subitizing
Language
Counting principles
z OneOne-toto-one correspondence
z Stable order
z Cardinal principle
Infant/Toddler Cognition
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Sharon Seidman, Ph.D.
CAS 325A
Information Processing
Information Processing
z
z
View of development
z System/structure remains unchanged
z Strategies improve with experience
Implications
z Developmental change is quantitative
z Age is not important
Bronfenbrenner’s Model
Infant/Toddler Cognition
9
Sharon Seidman, Ph.D.
CAS 325A
Contextual View
z
z
Examples:
z Bronfenbrenner
z Vygotsky
Key principles:
z Development always interaction of
individual and environment
z Cannot understand skill without context
Vygotsky’s Principles
z
Children are “little apprentices”
apprentices”
z
Ability is situational
z
Learning is development
Infant/Toddler Cognition
10
Sharon Seidman, Ph.D.
CAS 325A
Sources of Development
z
z
z
BottomBottom-Up
z Piaget
z SelfSelf-discovered
Top Down
z Environmentalist (sort of)
z Taught
Scaffolding
Zone of Proximal Development
Can do
on own
Counting
Can do
with help
Cannot
do yet
Addition Subtraction
Cognitive Keywords
z
z
z
z
z
z
Circular Reactions
z Encoding
z Primary
z Sensory Register
z Secondary
z Working/ShortWorking/Short-Term Memory
z Coordination
z LongLong-Term Memory
z Tertiary
Object Permanence
z Retrieval
z Partial Search
z Zone of Proximal Development
z A not B Error
z Scaffolding
Reflexes
Top-Down
Symbolic Representation z TopOperations
z BottomBottom-Up
Experimentation
Infant/Toddler Cognition
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