Cognitive Development Assessment Tasks

Cognitive Development Assessment Tasks

• These tasks record necessary materials and procedures for cognitive development tests.

Task 1: Conservation of Volume

• Materials needed are two identical beakers (wide and short), one measuring cylinder (narrow and tall), and 200ml of water.
• Procedure:
  • Pour 100mL of water into each identical beaker.
  • Ask if there's more water in either glass or if they're the same.
  • Pour water from one beaker into a measuring cylinder.
  • Ask again if there's more water in either glass or they're the same and ask why.
  • Inform the participant of pouring water.
  • Ask if there is more water in either galss or if they are both equal and why
  • Record the response on a data collection sheet.

Task 2: Conservation of Mass

• Materials: two 100g blue Playdough balls and a scale.
• Procedure:
  • Show both playdough balls.
  • Ask if there's more playdough in either ball or if they're equal.
  • Roll one ball into a cylinder shape, keeping the other as a ball.
  • Ask if there's more playdough in either shape or if they're the same and ask why.
  • Record response on a data collection sheet.

Task 3: Conservation of Number

• Materials: ten pink counters.
• Procedure:
  • Lay out a row of 5 counters, 1 cm apart on a flat surface.
  • Lay out another row of 5 counters directly underneath, also 1 cm apart.
  • Ask if either row has more counters or if they're the same.
  • Spread the counters in the second row to 3 cm apart.
  • Ask again if either row has more or if they're the same and ask why.
  • Record response on a data collection sheet.

Task 4: Conservation of Length

• Materials: two 30cm wooden rulers.
• Procedure:
  • Place rulers parallel and aligned.
  • Ask if either ruler is longer or if they're the same length.
  • Shift one ruler 5 cm to the right.
  • Ask again if either ruler is longer or if they're the same length and ask why.
  • Record response on a data collection sheet.

Task 5: Classification

• Materials: twelve dolls of different styles.
• Procedure:
  • Place dolls randomly in front of the participant.
  • Ask them to group the dolls that go together.
  • Observe how they sort, by color, type, or other characteristics.
  • Ask why they grouped them that way.
  • Record response on a data collection sheet.

Task 6: Reversibility of Thought

• Materials: pen and two A4 papers.
• Procedure:
  • Write "2+3=5" on one paper.
  • Ask the participant to explain it.
  • Write "3+2=" on the other paper.
  • Ask the participant for the answer and why, observing their solving method.
  • Record response on a data collection sheet.

Data Collection Sheet - Ages 3 to 5

• Conservation of Volume:
  • Participants identified the water amount as the same in identical beakers.
  • Measuring cylinder perceived as having more due to height.
• Conservation of Mass:
  • Participants identified the playdough mass as the same.
  • Changing shape doesn't alter the amount.
• Conservation of Number:
  • Participants identified both rows of counters as the same.
  • Spreading out doesn't change the number.
• Conservation of Length:
  • Participants identified both rulers were the same length at first.
  • When the ruler was pushed, the pushed one was percieved as longer.
• Classification:
  • Participant were unable to use visual features at first but after influence from tester put the dolls into either colored hair dolls or Blonde hair dolls.

Data Collection Sheet - Ages 7 to 8

• Reversibility of Thought:
  • Understood and showed 2+3=5 with fingers.
  • Needed fingers to resolve 3+2 and were not able to identify that 3+2 was the same as 2+3.
• Conservation of Volume:
  • Participants identified the water amount as the same in identical beakers.
  • Measuring cylinder perceived as having more due to height
• Conservation of Mass:
  • Participants identified the playdough mass as the same.
  • Changing shape doesn't alter the amount.
  • Said no playdough was added or taken away when it was changed.
• Conservation of Number:
  • Participants identified both rows of counters as the same.
  • Spreading out doesn't change the number.
  • No counters were added or removed when they were spread out.
• Conservation of Length:
  • Participants identified that both rulers were the same length at first.
  • Moving a ruler did not influence the length.
• Classification:
  • Instant separation depending on bows added to dolls or not
• Reversibility of Thought:
  • Understood and showed 2+3=5 as a concept.
  • Could reverse and solve the 3+2 with ease.

Cognitive Development

• Cognitive development is adaptation to a changing external environment.
• Assimilation: fitting information into existing ideas.
• Accommodation: changing ideas based on new information.
• Schema: mental idea of something.

Research Task's Role

• Explores cognitive development theory by assessing different cognitive stages to see the understanding of Conservation of Mass, Volume, Length, Number, Classification, and Reversibility of thought.

Piaget's Four Stages of Cognitive Development

• Sensorimotor Stage (0-2 years):
  • Infants explore through senses and movement.
  • Key achievement: object permanence and goal-directed behavior.
• Pre-Operational Stage (2-7 years):
  • Children mentally imagine objects and experiences.
  • Symbolic thinking, egocentrism, and centration are demonstrated.
• Concrete Operational Stage (7-12 years):
  • True logical thought and imagining consequences.
  • Achieves Conservation of Mass + Volume, Number and Length
  • reversibility of thought + Classification
• Formal Operational Stage (12+ years):
  • Abstract thinking and forming hypotheses.
  • Hypothetico-deductive and inductive reasoning are performed

Criticisms of Piaget's Theory

• Possible underestimation of children's abilities.
• Too little credit to learning effects.
• Research based on his own children.
• Measurement limited to early life stages.
• Intellectual development may not align with age or stages, gaining knowledge continuously.

Criticisms in Research Findings

• Piaget may have underestimated young children's understanding of conservation.
• Learning enhances cognitive abilities more than natural development.

Aim

• To study the affect of cognitive development on children in the pre-operational stage (3-5 years) + the concrete operational stage (7-8 years) of key accomplishments with the releancy to piagets theory.

Hypothesis

• It is theorized that the children in the concrete operational stage would demonstrate greater accuracy in tasks such as conservation of volume, mass, number etc in comparison to kids in the pre-operational stage.

Experiment Summary

• Assesses cognitive tasks linked with the pre-operational stage + concrete operational stage, such as conservation of volume, mass, number etc.
• Used tasks such a rolling a play dough ball to test conservation
• Asked mathematical equations to test the difference of what children knew + recorded it to Piaget's theories

Concrete Operational Stage Accomplishments

• Acccording to Piaget, kids between 7-12 should show a greater undersanting such a classification, conservation and reversibility of thought.

Extraneous Variables

• Prior Knowledge: preoperational may have been in a similar test before.
• Motivation Level: preoperational may have not been as motivated as concrete operational
• Distraction: There may have been distractions in where test was conducted
• Presence of People: preoperational had a more pressuring environment
• Time of Day: preoperational test was done at the end of the week where energy levels were lower than other test.
• Climate: Hot day may have caused discomfort
• Instructions clarity and tone
• Non-verbal gestures affecting answers by subtle cues

Data

• Data test shows how old younger (Pre-Operational Stage) and older (Concrete Operational Stage) may have different answers in tests such as classification, conservation.

Conclusion

• This study does indicate that cognitive development such as conservation, classification and reversibility of thought increases as they get older (aligning with Piaget's theory), other factors need to be controlled to ensure the validity and reliability of future experiments.