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