Cognitive development

• What do babies perceive?• Do babies have memory? For

what?• Can babies problem solve? When?• Do babies think in the same way

as adults?

Methodology: Design

• Longitudinal design– Same individual; multiple test times– Investigate how individual CHANGES

over time

• Cross-sectional design– Different individuals at different ages– Investigate age DIFFERENCES

Development research question

• How can you find out when infants can distinguish different colors?

• What sort of methods can you use?

Infant Cognition Methods

• Preference technique– “Look longer technique”– Infer capability to differentiate

Infant Cognition Methods

Habituation technique- Decline in response to repeated stimulus- Measure novelty to infer perception and memory

Infant Cognition Methods

• Preference technique– “Look longer technique”– Infer capability to differentiate

• Habituation technique– Decline in response to repeated stimulus– Measure novelty to infer perception and memory

• Reward technique– Rewarded if performs action in specific situations– Study memory and learning

Rovee-Collier (1993)

Piaget’s theory• How do children think?

– Construct knowledge through activity

• Schemata– Assimilation

• Fit experience into what we already know

– Accommodation• Change schema for new experience

• Four stages of development– Sensorimotor (birth – 2yrs)– Preoperational (2 – 7 yrs)– Concrete operational (7 – 11 yrs)– Formal operational (11+ yrs)

Piaget’s Cognitive Development Theory

• Sensorimotor (birth-2yrs)– Sensory and motor reflexes and abilities– Develop object permanence

– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjBh9ld_yIo

Sensorimotor stage

Piaget’s Cognitive Development Theory

• Sensorimotor (birth-2yrs)– Sensory and motor reflexes and abilities– Develop object permanence

• Preoperational (2-7yr)– Practice and learn mental representations– Fail conservation tasks and show egocentrism

– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtLEWVu815o&feature=related

Conservation task

Egocentrism• Ask child what the object looks like

from other person’s point of view

Piaget’s Cognitive Development Theory

• Sensorimotor (birth-2yrs)– Sensory and motor reflexes and abilities– Develop object permanence

• Preoperational (2-7yr)– Practice and learn mental representations– Fail conservation tasks and show

egocentrism

• Concrete operational (7-11yr)– Gain logical reasoning about concrete objects

• Formal operational (11+)– Scientific reasoning– Capacity for abstract thinking and reasoning

Concrete operational and formal operational stage

tasks

Challenges to Piaget

• Children capable of more if use different methodology– Object permanence– Symbolic thought

• Discontinuous vs. continuous debate– e.g. Conservation tasks

• Role of culture– One course v. many courses debate– Cognitive abilities develop from social

interaction

Challenges to Piagetian theory

• New object permanence studies• Method: Look longer paradigm

Thought paper

• How could you use each of the following methodologies to study color perception in infants?– Preference technique– Habituation technique– Reward technique

How test if infants can differentiate colors

• Preference technique– Red and green screens side by side– Switch which side red and green screen is on– IF one is preferred then assume they can tell difference

between colors

• Habituation technique– Show red screen until bored of it– Show green screen and see if there is renewed interest.– IF interested, assume they can tell difference between colors

• Reward technique– Learn how to change sucking pattern to see red or green slide– Or If infant looks at green, rather than red screen, provide

nutrient pacifier. Then change sides of colors. If infant looks at green again, infer they can differentiate colors