Developmental Psychology Key Terms

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Questions and Answers

What is maturation?

Biological growth processes that enable orderly changes in behavior, relatively uninfluenced by experience.

What is developmental psychology?

A branch of psychology that studies physical, cognitive, and social change throughout the life span.

What does Piaget's Cognitive Development Theory describe?

Children progress through a series of four critical stages of cognitive development.

What is a schema?

A collection of basic knowledge about a category of information. Signup and view all the answers

What is the sensorimotor stage?

The stage (from birth to about 2 years of age) during which infants know the world mostly in terms of their sensory impressions and motor activities. Signup and view all the answers

What occurs during the preoperational stage?

Children learn to use language but do not yet comprehend the mental operations of concrete logic. Signup and view all the answers

Define the concrete operational stage.

The stage of cognitive development (from about 6 or 7 to 11 years of age) where children gain mental operations to think logically about concrete events. Signup and view all the answers

What is the formal operational stage?

The stage of cognitive development (normally beginning about age 11) where people think logically about abstract concepts. Signup and view all the answers

What is adaptation?

An inherited behavior or physical characteristic that helps an organism survive and reproduce. Signup and view all the answers

What is assimilation in Piaget's theory?

The process by which new ideas and experiences are absorbed into existing mental structures. Signup and view all the answers

Describe accommodation.

The process by which existing mental structures are modified to adapt to new experiences. Signup and view all the answers

What is object permanence?

Knowledge that an object does not cease to exist even when it cannot be seen. Signup and view all the answers

Define egocentrism in Piaget's theory.

The preoperational child's difficulty in taking another's point of view. Signup and view all the answers

What is centration?

The tendency of a young child to focus only on one feature of an object while ignoring other relevant features. Signup and view all the answers

What does conservation refer to?

The ability to recognize that objects can be transformed but still retain the same attributes like number or volume. Signup and view all the answers

What is classification limitation?

The preoperational child's inability to classify similar objects into the same groups. Signup and view all the answers

Define constructivism.

The theoretical perspective proposing that learners construct knowledge from their experiences. Signup and view all the answers

What is the zone of proximal development (ZPD)?

The range between the level a child can solve a problem alone and the level they can achieve with assistance. Signup and view all the answers

Explain scaffolding.

The mechanism where parents provide initial assistance in learning but gradually remove it as competence increases. Signup and view all the answers

What is Vygotsky's theory of sociocultural learning?

It stresses the importance of social and cultural interactions in cognitive development. Signup and view all the answers

What is pre-intellectual social speech?

Thought is not constructed using language and speech is only used to enact social change. Signup and view all the answers

Define egocentric speech.

Language that helps control a child's behavior and is spoken out loud. Signup and view all the answers

What is inner speech?

The child uses speech silently to develop thinking and for social communication. Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Key Concepts in Developmental Psychology

Maturation: Refers to biological growth processes enabling orderly behavioral changes, largely independent of experience.
Developmental Psychology: A field focusing on physical, cognitive, and social changes throughout the human lifespan.

Piaget's Cognitive Development Theory

Proposes four stages of cognitive development, each marked by distinct understanding of the world:
- Sensorimotor Stage: Birth to 2 years; knowledge primarily gained through sensory experiences and motor activities.
- Preoperational Stage: Ages 2 to 7; characterized by language use without grasping concrete logic, often leading to irrational thinking.
- Concrete Operational Stage: Ages 6 or 7 to 11; children gain logical thinking about concrete events.
- Formal Operational Stage: Starting around age 11; individuals begin to think logically about abstract concepts.

Cognitive Processes and Concepts

Schema: A mental framework that helps in organizing and interpreting information.
Adaptation: Inherited behaviors or characteristics enhancing survival and reproduction.
Assimilation: Integrating new experiences into existing cognitive structures.
Accommodation: Modifying existing cognitive structures to incorporate new experiences.

Developmental Milestones

Object Permanence: Understanding that objects continue to exist even when not visible; a significant cognitive milestone.
Egocentrism: Difficulty in a preoperational child recognizing other people's perspectives.
Centration: Tendency of young children to focus on a single aspect of an object, ignoring other dimensions.
Conservation: Awareness that altering an object's appearance does not change its fundamental properties.
Classification Limitation: Challenges faced by preoperational children in grouping similar items together.

Learning Theories and Mechanisms

Constructivism: Perspective that emphasizes learners actively constructing knowledge from their experiences.
Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD): Vygotsky's concept of the range where a child can solve problems independently with some difficulty and with help from others.
Scaffolding: Vygotskian technique where initial assistance in learning is gradually withdrawn as a child becomes more independent.

Vygotsky's Sociocultural Learning Theory

Highlights the role of social interactions and cultural context in cognitive development.
Stresses the value of guided learning through questioning and support provided by skilled individuals.

Types of Speech in Cognitive Development

Pre-Intellectual Social Speech: Early speech not used for thought construction, aimed solely at social interaction.
Egocentric Speech: Speech that helps children manage their activities aloud, often during play.
Inner Speech: Internalized speech used for self-guided thinking and external communication.

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Test your knowledge with these flashcards on key terms in Developmental Psychology. Learn definitions for important concepts like maturation and Piaget's Cognitive Development Theory. Perfect for students studying this fascinating branch of psychology.