UNIVERSIDAD CAECE
PSYCHOLOGY- PSYCHOPEDAGOGY – PSYCHOMOTRICITY December 2010
STUDENT:
MARK:
Part 1: Reading comprehension
Read the texts and answer the questions:
These excerpts are taken from the preface written by Vygotsky for the Russian edition of Piaget’s first two books
(Gosizdat, Moscow, 1932).
PSYCHOLOGY owes a great deal to Jean Piaget. It is not an exaggeration to say that he
revolutionized the study of child language and thought. He developed the clinical method of
exploring children’s ideas which has since been widely used. He was the first to investigate child
perception and logic systematically; moreover, he brought to his subject a fresh approach of unusual
amplitude and boldness. Instead of listing the deficiencies of child reasoning compared with that of
adults, Piaget concentrated on the distinctive characteristics of child thought, on what the child has
rather than on what the child lacks. Through this positive approach he demonstrated that the
difference between child and adult thinking was qualitative rather than quantitative.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………
According to Piaget, the bond uniting all the specific characteristics of child logic is the
egocentrism of the child’s thinking. To this core trait he relates all the other traits he found, such as
intellectual realism, syncretism, and difficulty in understanding relations. He describes egocentrism
as occupying an intermediate position, genetically, structurally, and functionally, between autistic
and directed thought.
The idea of the polarity of directed and undirected thought is borrowed from psychoanalytical
theory. Piaget says:
Directed thought is conscious, i.e., it pursues aims that are present in the mind of the thinker. It is
intelligent, i.e., it is adapted to reality and strives to influence it. It is susceptible of truth and of
error ... and it can be communicated through language. Autistic thought is subconscious, i.e., the
goals it pursues and the problems it sets itself are not present in consciousness. It is not adapted
to external reality but creates for itself a reality of imagination or dreams. It tends, not to
establish truths, but to gratify wishes and remains strictly individual and incommunicable as such
by means of language, since it operates primarily in images and must, in order to be
communicated, resort to roundabout methods, evoking, by means of symbols and of myths, the
feelings that guide it [Language and Thought in the Child, pp. 59-60].
Directed thought is social. As it develops, it is increasingly influenced by the laws of experience
and of logic proper. Autistic thought, on the contrary, is individualistic and obeys a set of special
laws of its own.
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…………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Piaget holds that egocentrism stands between extreme autism and the logic of reason
chronologically as well as structurally and functionally. His conception of the development of
thought is based on the premise taken from psychoanalysis that child thought is originally and
naturally autistic and changes to realistic thought only under long and sustained social pressure, this
does not, Piaget points out, devaluate the intelligence of the child. “Logical activity isn’t all there is
to intelligence” [Judgment and Reason in the Child, p. 267]. Imagination is important for finding
solutions to problems, but it does not take care of verification and proof, which the search for truth
presupposes. The need to verify our thought – that is, the need for logical activity – arises late. This
lag is to be expected, says Piaget, since thought begins to serve immediate satisfaction much earlier
than to seek for truth; the most spontaneous form of thinking is play, or wishful imaginings that
make the desired seem obtainable. Up to the age of seven or eight, play dominates in child thought
to such an extent that it is very hard to tell deliberate invention from fantasy that the child believes
to be the truth.
True or False?
Piaget’s methods are still used nowadays ................................................................ T – F
One of Piaget’s greatest contributions was to consider the child as such and not
in contrast with adults .............................................................................................. T – F
3. He demonstrated the inferiority of children ............................................................. T – F
4. Great discoveries sometimes just disclose the obvious, which nobody had seen .... T – F
5. The idea of evolution made Piaget´s theories more valuable .................................. T – F
6. Egocentric thinking produces autistic children ........................................................ T – F
7. Autistic thought does not seek to perform social functions ..................................... T – F
8. Directed thought complies with social rules and logic ............................................ T – F
9. The transition from autistic thought to logical reasoning is heavily influenced
by social pressure ..................................................................................................... T – F
10. Logical thought is more satisfactory ........................................................................ T – F
1.
2.
/10
Read this excerpt from a text by
by Gerald Grow, Ph.D.
School of Journalism, Media & Graphic Arts
Florida A&M University, Tallahassee FL 32307 USA
Available at: http://www.longleaf.net/ggrow
The core elements of the bodily-kinesthetic intelligence are control of one's bodily motions and
capacity to handle objects skillfully (206). Gardner elaborates to say that this intelligence also
includes a sense of timing, a clear sense of the goal of a physical action, along with the ability to
train responses so they become like reflexes. Along with these, you often find a high degree of finemotor control and a gift for using whole body motions.
These abilities may not seem very impressive, at first glance. Bodily intelligence is not widely
appreciated in our culture. Calling it an "intelligence" is almost startling, though less so after
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Gardner has called upon Marcel Marceau, athletes, actors, inventors, and dancers to make his case
for a bodily intelligence.
Gardner cites a dancer's conviction that we all have the capacity "to apprehend directly" the actions,
feelings, or dynamic abilities of other people, without help from words or pictures (228). Dancers
and actors draw on this ability; so do architects, who speak of "feeling in their bodies" the mass and
proportion of a building. Surely this ability is at work when I waltz out of an early Charlie Chaplin
movie, feeling as though my whole being has been taught to dance.
What light does it cast on writing if you assume--with Gardner--that people function with a bodily
intelligence of equal status to the linguistic and logical intelligences? Consider how many
kinesthetic expressions apply to the experience of reading.
..........................................................................................................................................................
Our stomachs turn. Our hearts leap. Our breathing quickens. We may tremble, sigh, and be
"moved." These responses are rooted in kinesthetic experience. Jacobson presented evidence that all
emotional responses are related in finely-tuned kinesthetic awareness. We know our emotions
through the intelligence of the body; any writer who wants to affect the way readers feel must find a
way to touch the kinesthetic intelligence with words.
Kinesthetic writing may be action oriented. It may also be tactile, motile, muscular. More subtly, the
kinesthetic intelligence might be what makes a piece of writing feel down to earth, real, physical,
sexual, funny, vital. If the kinesthetic intelligence is strong in a piece of writing, something beyond
its thinking and verbal facility is likely to grab you at the gut level. It may affect you, move you,
pace your responses. The writing may have a natural sense of movement.
.........................................................................................................................................................
A writer who tries to find a way to say it that "feels right," may be seeking words that re-create the
bodily component of an experience. This kind of writing is different from the translation of ideas or
mental images into words; it is the creation of words which occasion a particular bodily experience,
or which resonate with a complex and detailed bodily "map" of an experience. We may, as Einstein
remarked in a famous passage, think not only with images but with elements of thought that are "of
muscular type" (190).
Advertising researchers have measured certain physical changes caused in viewers of commercials:
changes in pulse rate, blood pressure, and galvanic skin response. Surely writers create similar
changes in readers. Writers may create very specific changes--physical, kinesthetic experiences--in
the bodies of their readers, (.......). Recent books by practitioners of various schools of "bodywork"
document the extraordinary degree to which a "mental" activity such as memory or emotion is
linked with highly specific muscular patterns.
Older ideas, based on a compartmentalization of "mind," "body," "reason," and "emotion," have
completely changed in current psychosomatic practice. Although no single new paradigm has been
accepted by everybody, what used to be dismissed mechanically as "the body" is now widely
discussed (e.g., in Bliss) as a knowing, conscious, and wise organism which has a multifaceted
relationship to other human faculties.
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True or False?
1.
Bodily kinesthetic intelligence enables us to control our movements and operate
machines or use objects appropriately ....................................................................... T – F
2. People with a highly developed kinesthetic intelligence are capable of beautiful
movements ................................................................................................................. T – F
3. Our society has always valued bodily intelligence .................................................. T – F
4. Some dancers believe you can learn to dance from books ...................................... T – F
5. Some dancers believe learning other people’s movements is just a question of
imitation and insight ................................................................................................... T – F
6. Architects feel their designs in their bodies ............................................................. T – F
7. The author learnt how to dance very well from Charlie Chaplin’s films ................ T – F
8. In this article, the experience of reading is connected to body movements and
feelings ....................................................................................................................... T – F
9. This connection demonstrates that reading is a purely kinesthetic experience ........ T – F
10. Writers try to affect the readers’ kinesthetic intelligence with words ..................... T – F
11. Writers may need their kinesthetic intelligence to create impressive texts ............. T – F
12. Einstein recognized the importance of developing muscles .................................... T – F
13. When we watch a commercial, our body responds to it together with our mind..... T – F
14. The writer of this article emphasizes the connection between mental and
kinesthetic activity...................................................................................................... T – F
15. It is terrible that psychosomatic practice still refuses to take “the body” into
serious consideration .................................................................................................. T – F
/15
Part 2 – Language
Issues in Developmental Psychology
By Kendra Van Wagner, About.com
There are a number of important issues that have been debated throughout the history of
developmental psychology. The major questions include the following: Is development due more to
genetics or environment? Does development occur slowly and smoothly, or do changes happen in
stages? Do early childhood experiences have the greatest impact on development, or are later events
equally important?
Nature vs. Nurture
The debate over the relative contributions of inheritance and the environment is one of the oldest
issues in both philosophy and psychology. Philosophers such as Plato and Descartes supported the
idea that some ideas are inborn. On the other hand, thinkers such as John Locke argued for the
concept of tabula rasa—a belief that the mind is a blank slate at birth, with experience determining
our knowledge.
Today, most psychologists believe that it is an interaction between these two forces that causes
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development. Some aspects of development are distinctly biological, such as puberty. However, the
onset of puberty can be affected by environmental factors such as diet and nutrition.
Early Experience vs. Later Experience
A second important consideration in developmental psychology involves the relative importance of
early experiences versus those that occur later in life. Are we more affected by events that occur in
early childhood, or do later events play an equally important role?
Psychoanalytic theorists tend to focus upon events that occur in early childhood. According to
Freud, much of a child’s personality is completely established by the age of five. If this is indeed the
case, those who have experienced deprived or abusive childhoods might never adjust or develop
normally.
In contrast to this view, researchers have found that the influence of childhood events does not
necessarily have a dominating effect over behavior throughout life. Many people with less-thanperfect childhoods go on to develop normally into well-adjusted adults.
Continuity vs. Discontinuity
A third major issue in developmental psychology is that of continuity. Does change occur smoothly
over time, or through a series of predetermined steps? Some theories of development argue that
changes are simply a matter of quantity; children display more of certain skills as they grow older.
Other theories outline a series of sequential stages in which skills emerge at certain points of
development. Most theories of development fall under three broad areas:
1. Psychoanalytic theories are those influenced by the work of Sigmund Freud, who believed in
the importance of the unconscious mind and childhood experiences. Freud’s contribution to
developmental theory was his proposal that development occurs through a series of
psychosexual stages. Theorist Erik Erikson expanded upon Freud’s ideas by proposing a stage
theory of psychosocial development. Erikson’s theory focused on conflicts that arise at different
stages of development and, unlike Freud’s theory, Erikson described development throughout
the lifespan.
2. Learning theories focus on how the environment impacts behavior. Important learning
processes include classical conditioning, operant conditioning, and social learning. In each case,
behavior is shaped by the interaction between the individual and the environment.
3. Cognitive theories focus on the development of mental processes, skills, and abilities. Examples
of cognitive theories include Piaget's theory of cognitive development.
Abnormal Behavior vs. Individual Differences
One of the biggest concerns of many parents is whether or not their child is developing normally.
Developmental guidelines chart the age at which certain skills and abilities emerge, creating concern
when a child falls slightly behind the norm.
.............................................................................................................................................
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Tick the correct answer:
1. “…throughout the history of developmental psychology” means “………… in the history of
developmental psychology”.
a. all the time.
b. sometimes.
c. very occasionally.
2. In “Philosophers such as Plato and Descartes”, the words “such as” introduce ……..
a. a new idea.
b. examples of philosophers.
c. the names of two people who opposed this idea.
3. The expression “On the other hand” introduces ………..
a. a consequence.
b. a contrast.
c. a similar idea.
4. In “However, the onset of puberty….”, the word “however” introduces …..
a. a contrast.
b. a consequence.
c. a condition.
5. In “….the onset of puberty can be affected by environmental factors”, the modal “can”
expresses….
a. ability.
b. obligation.
c. possibility.
6. In “…those that occur later in life”, the word “those” refers to ………
a. “importance”.
b. “early experiences”.
c. “experiences”.
7. “….by the age of five” means that personality is established ……… that age.
a. at
b. before
c. after
8. The sentence “If this is indeed the case, …” introduces ……..
a. a condition.
b. a consequence.
c. a speculation.
9. In “…..might never adjust or develop normally”, the modal “might” expresses ………
a. certainty.
b. capability.
c. probability.
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10. The sentence “….researchers have found that the influence of childhood events….” means
that researchers……..
a. learnt this some time ago, and now they know it.
b. are still trying to find answers.
c. will find this out in future.
11. In “…. as they grow older”, the word “as” means “………..they grow older”.
a. according to how
b. while
c. because
12. In “…. in which skills emerge at certain points …”, the word “which” refers to ……
a. series.
b. theories.
c. stages.
13. “…..unlike Freud’s theory” means that Erikson ….
a. did not like Freud’s theory.
b. worked in a more acceptable way.
c. developed a theory which was different from Freud’s.
14. The expression “In each case …..” refers to …….
a. the three processes mentioned before.
b. individuals.
c. learning theories and behavior.
15. In “…whether or not their child is developing normally”, “whether” expresses ......
a. a condition.
b. a consequence.
c. a yes-no alternative.
/15
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PART 3 – VOCABULARY
CHOOSE THE CORRECT WORD
1. This company is a private-sector medicine provision – provide – provider
2. We are researching the developing – development – developed of these organisms.
3. It is important to use reliable – reliability – relying information in research.
4. A laboratory should be equipped – equip – equipment with the latest technology.
5. Our results are not in agree – agreement – agreeing with these statistics.
6. The results are indicative – indicating – indicated of a high degree of frustration in the
population.
7. The colleagues did not help us. They were not very supporting – support – supportive.
8. Our planet has a lot of environment – environmentalist – environmental problems.
9. We want to observe the behavioural – behaviourist – behaviour of these students.
10. The results were biased, not objectivity – objective – objects.
/10
Passing-mark:30 (4 – four)
31 – 33 : 5
34 – 37 : 6
38 – 41 : 7
42 – 45 : 8
46 – 49 : 9
50: 10
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