Psy 611 Children's Thinking
Chapter 1: Introduction to Cognitive Development

I.          Basic concepts in cognitive development

A.  Cognition

1.      can’t be observed directly, so must infer cognitive process based on observable behaviors

2.      includes unconscious and nondeliberate processes used to solve problems

3.      macromechanisms

4.      micromechanisms

B.  Development

1.      Changes in structure (can be physical or psychological) and function (actions related to a structure) over time; biological changes that take place in a particular context

2.      Structure and function are bi-directional

C.  Developmental Function and Individual Differences

Will study developmental functioning (age-related changes over time) and individual differences in cognition

II.        The Five Truths of Cognitive Development

A.  Cognitive Development Proceeds as a Result of the Dynamic and Reciprocal

      Transaction of Internal and External Factors

1. interested in how biology and environment interact

2. “innate” (genetically-based) constraints on development

a.  representational constraints

b.  architectural constraints

c.  chronotopic constraints

3.  dynamic systems approaches

  development is continuous and bi-directional at all levels

self-organization, nonlinear changes, phase changes

B.  Cognitive Development is Constructed within a Social Context

1.  the social environment plays an important role in determining a child’s development

2.  developmental contextualism

3.  sociocultural perspectives

4.  evolutionary theory

C.   Cognitive Development Involves both Stability and Plasticity over Time

1.  stability – the extent to which the same rank relative to their peers on some aspect of cognition over time.

2.  plasticity – the extent to which some developed cognitive skill can be altered

3.  some cognitive skills are relatively stable and static over time, while others may be more dynamic and susceptible to change

D.  Cognitive Development Involves Changes in the Way Information is Represented

1.  representation – the mental encoding of information

2.  qualitative differences in the way information is encoded as children age

E.  Children Develop Increasing Intentional Control over their Behavior and Cognition

1.      The importance of taking an evolutionary perspective

2.      Cognitive development involves changes in both domain-general and domain-specific abilities

To Think About:            

1) Think of an example of cognitive immaturity.  How might this immaturity be adaptive at a specific point in development?

2)  How has the concept of stage-like development entered into mainstream thinking about cognitive development? How is this reflected by educational practices?

3) Discuss "innateness" and the contributions of representational, architectural, and chronotopic constraints.

4)  Describe the extreme views of nature vs. nurture influence on development. How do the two interact in development?

5)  Why is it important to understand and describe individual differences in cognitive abilities? How does our educational system strive to understand and describe individual differences?