Educational Psychology Ch. 2
Cognitive Development and Language
Ashleigh Dunn
03/19/2011
Introduction Chapter 2:
► Development
►Cognitive
► Piaget’s
Development
Theory of Cognitive Development
►4
stages
►Implications
►Limitations
► Vygotsky’s
Sociocultural Perspective
►Language
and Private Speech
►Implications
► Development
of Language
Development
► Definition
of Development
 Orderly, adaptive changes we go through from
conception to death.
 Physical, personal, social, and cognitive
► Principles
of Development
 People develop at different rates
 Development is relatively orderly
 Development takes place gradually
► Brain
and Cognitive Development
 Brain is plastic, lateralized and specialized for certain
functions but works together
Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive
Development
► “Strive
to make sense of the world”
► Influences
► Biological
maturation – genetically programmed, cognition not
involved
► Activity – act on environment and learn from it
► Social experience – interact with people
► Equilibration – search for balance
► Basic
Tendencies in Thinking
► Organization
– Arrange information and experiences into schemes
► Adaptation
 Assimilation - Fitting in new information into existing schemes
 Accomodation – Altering existing schemes or creating new ones
Piaget’s Four Stages
1.
Sensoriomotor
►
►
►
2.
Preoperational
►
►
►
3.
2-7 yrs, use of language and symbolic thought
Operation thought in one direction
Difficult seeing others view
Concrete Operational
►
►
►
4.
0-2 yrs, imitation, memory and thought
Object permanence
Goal-directed activity
7-11 yrs, solve concrete problems
Laws of conservation, able to classify and seriate
Understands reversibility
Formal Operational
►
►
►
►
11-adult, solve abstract problems
More scientific thinking
Concerns about social issues
Might not reach this stage
Implications of Piaget’s Theory
for Teachers
► Understanding
thinking
►Cognitive
development will vary greatly in the
classroom, must observe students’ thinking
► Matching
strategies to abilities
►“problem
of the match”, not too easy or difficult
► Constructing
►Learning
engaged
knowledge
is constructive, students need to be actively
Limitations to Piaget’s Theory
► Trouble
with Stages
►Children
inconsistent with thinking
► Underestimating
Children’s Abilities
►Problems
and instructions to young children may
have been too difficult
► Information
Processing
►As
children grow: attention, memory, capacity and
learning strategies improve
► Overlooked
►Example
Culture influence
Vygotsky
Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Perspective
► Sociocultural
Theory
►Children
learn the culture of their community through
interactions with more knowledgeable members
► Role
of Language and Private Speech
►Most
important symbol system in learning, private
speech guides development
►Piaget thought it was egocentric and negative
►Cognitive self-instruction = students “talk themselves
through” tasks
Implications of Vygotsky
► Believed
in instructional learning, teaching directly
► Assisted learning
 Guided participation in classroom, use of scaffolding
► Zone
of proximal development
 Phase where a child can master a task if given
appropriate help and support
► Assessment
– learning potential assessment, not just standard
tests
► Teaching – reach to understand but have support, sometimes
best teacher is another student, teachers are responsible for the
environment, “cooperative learning”
Development of Language
►
How do we learn language?
 Behavioral
► Repeating
behaviors that led to positive response but research shows
not just imitation but original creations.
 Biological and experiential
►
Stages in Language Acquisition
 First words
 Holophrases = single words
 Overextension = one word for range of concepts
 Underextension = too specific
 First sentences
 Telegraphic speech = use only essential words (2 word sentences)
 Learning grammar
 Overregularize = apply a learned grammar rule to all situtation, including
incorrect ones
 Learning vocabulary
 From 1-4 200 to 2,000 words
Language Development in School
Years
► Pronunication
► Certain
sounds take longer to develop
► Syntax
► Passive
► Vocab
voice takes longer to master
and meaning
► Average
6 year old vocab of 8,000 to 14,000 words
► Pragmatics
► Use
language correctly to communicate, contexts on meaning
► Metalinguistic
► Age
awareness
5, understanding about one’s own use of language.
► Process continues throughout life!
Teachers Role in Language
► Focus
on effective communication, meaning,
comprehension and respect for language
► Parents can play a key role
► Form partnerships
Summary
►
Development
 Different rates, orderly process, and gradual
►
Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development
 Sensoriomotor, preoperational, concrete operational and formal
operational
 Implications – understand students’ thinking and match teaching
style
►
Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Perspective
 Based on social interactions and development of language
 Implications – challenge students in appropriate environment
►
Development of language
 Linked to cognitive development