Cognitive Development Stages and Concepts

Right and wrong are judged based on social laws, but these laws are not always perfect.

Right and wrong are determined by ethical principles like equality and justice.

People make a decision first and then use moral justifications afterwards.

Children feel distressed when separated from their parent but are comforted when the parent returns.

Children are anxious even when their parent is present and become extremely upset when separated, often angry when the parent returns.

The ability to understand that a symbolic object, like a model, represents something else, allowing children to grasp both the model and the real-world object it represents, even if they are different in size.

The inability to understand another person's perspective or point of view.

A stage of cognitive development characterized by the ability to perform operations on tangible objects and real-world events.

The understanding that a physical quantity (like liquid, number, mass, length, or area) remains the same even if its appearance changes.

The ability to mentally reverse an action or process.

The tendency to focus on only one aspect of a situation at a time, neglecting other important details.

A stage of cognitive development characterized by the ability to think abstractly, understand implications beyond what is seen, and think logically.

The first level of moral development, where a person's sense of right and wrong is based on external factors, such as punishment or reward.

Piaget's first stage of cognitive development, spanning from birth to approximately 2 years of age. During this stage, infants primarily learn through their senses and motor actions, developing fundamental abilities such as object permanence and basic understanding of physical laws.

Repetitive actions performed by infants during the sensorimotor stage. Infants repeat actions that have positive outcomes, like reaching for a toy and getting it, or making sounds and getting a response from their caregivers.

The understanding that objects continue to exist even when they are out of sight. This is a key milestone in infant cognitive development. For example, an infant who understands object permanence will search for a toy that has been hidden under a blanket.

An experimental apparatus used to test infants' depth perception. It presents a safe surface that appears to drop off suddenly, creating an optical illusion of depth. This helps to determine whether babies have developed an understanding of depth and are capable of experiencing fear of heights.

Habituation is the process of becoming accustomed to a repeated stimulus, leading to reduced attention towards it. Dishabituation is the renewed attention shown towards a new or changed stimulus. Scientists use these phenomena to understand what infants perceive and how they learn.

Piaget's second stage of cognitive development, spanning from approximately 2 to 7 years of age. During this stage, children begin to use symbols, but their thinking is still limited in terms of logic, reversibility, and conservation.

Representations of real objects or environments at a smaller scale. Children's ability to use scale models demonstrates their growing understanding of symbolic thought and their ability to relate a miniaturized representation to the full-sized object.

The ability to use symbols, such as words, gestures, and images, to represent objects, actions, and ideas. This is crucial for language development, imagination, and problem-solving.