Theories of cognitive development
As a result of his early research in biology, Piaget concluded that all species inherit two basic tendencies or “invariant functions” of thinking (45). What are those two basic tendencies?
Organization and adaptation
What are the specialized nerve cells that accumulate and transmit information called?
Neurons
What are the four factors that Piaget identified that interact to influence changes in thinking?
maturation, activity, social experience, equilibration
What is the understanding that objects exist in the environment whether they perceive them or not?
object permanence
What are the theories that retain Piaget’s insights about children’s construction of knowledge and the general trends in children’s thinking but add findings from information processing theories about the role of attention, memory and strategies called (54)?
Neo-Piagetian Theories
What is the last part of the brain to develop?
the cortex
Without learning from others through _____ _____, we would need to reinvent all the knowledge already offered by our culture.
social experiences
What is the area between the child’s current performance and the level of performance that the child could achieve with adult guidance or by working with “a more fully developed child” (61)?
The zone of proximal development
Vygotsky believed that both ______ tools and ______ tools play very important tools in cognitive development (58).
Cultural and psychological
True or False. Some people are more “right brained,” and others are more “left brained"?
It takes both sides of your brain to do most things.
What influence is the increased ability to act on the environment and learn from it?
Activity
What is the “magic middle” or the place of the “match” referring to the perfect place students need to be taught? hint: both Piaget and Vygotsky would probably agree that this is best for students (65)
Where students are neither bored or frustrated…in a situation where they have to reach to understand, but also support from other students, learning materials, and the teacher is available
Piaget’s and Vygotsky’s theories of egocentric or private speech differ in that one represents an inability to take the perspective of another and engage in reciprocal communication (1) and the other represents externalized thought and its function is to communicate with the self for the purpose of self-guidance and self-direction (2) (60). Which is which?
1 - Piaget and 2 - Vygotsky
What is brain-based teaching?
an instructional strategy used to activate student's brains with the goal of maximizing engagement in the learning process
How does maturation (maturing) influence development?
the biological changes that are genetically programmed
True or False…early experiences are critical for language development (33)
true
What are the age ranges for each of Piaget’s Four Stages of Cognitive Development, Sensorimotor, Preoperational, Concrete Operational, and Formal Operational (47)?
Sensorimotor: 0-2 years, Preoperational: when child starts talking-7 years, Concrete Operational: first grade-11 years, Formal Operational: adolescence-adulthood
Communication between neurons by these synaptic transmissions is strengthened or weakened, depending on patterns of use. What is the called?
Synaptic plasticity or Neuroplasticity
In piaget theory, the actual changes in thinking take place through the process of ____ —the act of searching for a balance.
equilibration
In which of the four stages of cognitive development do most children’s vocabulary increase from about 200 to 2,000 words (48)?
Preoperational Stage