Transcript Thinking & Cognitive Development

Thinking &
Cognitive
Development
Chapter 8
Thinking
• Definition—changing and
reorganizing the
information stored in
memory to create new
information
Units of Thought
• Image—a visual mental
representation of an event or
object
• Symbol—an abstract unit of
thought that represents an object
or quality
• Concept—a label for a class of
objects or events that have at least
one attribute in common
• Prototype—a representative
example of a concept
• Rule—a statement of relation
between concepts
Kinds of Thinking
• Convergent Thinking—a
systematic and logical attempt
to reach a specific goal
• Divergent Thinking—a free flow
of thoughts with no particular
plan and depends on images
• Metacognition—the awareness
of one’s own cognitive
processes.
ProblemSolving
Strategies
• Algorithms—a step-by-step
procedure for solving a
problem
• Heuristics—a rule-of-thumb
problem-solving strategy
Obstacles to Problem
Solving
• Mental set—a habitual
strategy or pattern of
problem solving
• Functional Fixedness—the
inability to imagine new
functions for familiar objects
• Making Wrong Assumptions
Creativity
• Creativity—the capacity to use
information and/or abilities in a
new or original way.
• Flexibility—the ability to
overcome rigidity
• Recombination—rearranging
the elements of a problem to
arrive at the original solution
• Insight—the apparent sudden
realization of the solution to a
problem.
Piaget’s
Cognitive
Theory
Jean Piaget
• Piaget—one of the most
influential psychologists in the
area of developmental
psychology
• Two major aspects to his theory:
– The process
of coming to
know
– The stages we
move through as
we gradually
acquire this ability.
Adaptation
• Infants are born with
reflexes
• They use these reflexes to
adapt to the environment
• These reflexes are then
replaced with constructed
organized patterns of
thought
Two processes to
Adapt:
• Assimilation—process of using
or transforming the environment
so that it can be placed in
preexisting cognitive structures
• Accommodation—process of
changing cognitive structures in
order to accept something from
the environment
• Both are used simultaneously
throughout life!
Stages of Cognitive
Development
• Sensorimotor (Infancy)
• Pre-Operational (Toddler)
• Concrete-Operational
(Elementary & Early
Adolescence)
• Formal-Operational
(Adolescence and
Adulthood)
Sensorimotor
• In this period intelligence is
demonstrated through motor activity
without the use of symbols.
• Knowledge of the world is limited
because its based on physical
interactions/experiences.
• Children acquire object permanence
at about 7 months of age (memory).
• Physical development (mobility)
allows the child to begin developing
new intellectual abilities.
• Some symbolic (language) abilities
are developed at the end of this
stage.
Pre-Operational Stage
• In this period intelligence is
demonstrated through the use
of symbols, language use
matures, and memory and
imagination are developed.
• However, thinking is done in a
non-logical, non-reversible
manner.
• Egocentric thinking
predominates
Concrete-Operational
• In this stage intelligence is
demonstrated through logical
and systematic manipulation of
symbols related to concrete
objects.
• Operational thinking develops
(mental actions that are
reversible).
• Egocentric thought diminishes.
Formal-Operational
• In this stage, intelligence is
demonstrated through the
logical use of symbols related to
abstract concepts.
• Early in the period there is a
return to egocentric thought.
• Only 35% of high school
graduates in industrialized
countries obtain formal
operations; many people do not
think formally during adulthood.
Chart of FormalOperational Thinking
Overall Stages