Lecture 1: Basic Concepts in Cognitive Development

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Lecture 1 Basic Concepts in Cognitive
Development

• Dr. Neil H. Schwartz
• Department of Psychology
• Psy 112 Spring Semester 2005

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Preliminary Assumptions

• Experience is essential in the development of
  thinking
• It takes nearly 20 years to develop an adult
  nervous system
• Cognition develops quantitatively and
  qualitatively during the life-span. That is,

• You dont just know more but think quite
  differently over time.

• The changes take place by virtue of

The developmental function- the form cognition
takes over time
Individual differences -variations among people
at any given developmental period.
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Cognition A Conceptual Description

• It is what laypersons call thinking.
• It is not directly observable, but implied from
  behavior.
• It is real and it exists.
• Cognition includes conscious and deliberate acts
  and non-deliberate processes.
• It is comprised of different types of activity.

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Those activities consist of

• acquiring, comprehending and modifying
  information.
• developing, executing and evaluating plans.
  (macro-mechanism)
• giving meaning to things we perceive. (micro)
• forming concepts and classifying stimuli.
  (micro)

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Cognition Its Development over Time

• Cognition has structure and function.
• Cognition changes in both structure and function
  over time.
• Change is perpetual.
• Developmental progression is an interaction of
  biology and experience.
• Developmental progression moves from simple to
  complex, and incomplete to complete.
• Development is an active process.

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• Structure

Refers to the framework of knowledge that
underlies behavior-- knowledge comprised of how
to put one leg in front of another to walk and
knowledge of how to solve a calculus problem, Or
how to program a VCR or set the table for
dinner. Cognition organizes this knowledge. It
is probably a neural network, and network of
networks.
Function
Refers to what we do with the cognitive system.
Perception, memory, reasoning, judgment, problem
solving.
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Cognition Its Development over Time

• Structure and function of cognition during
  development is bi-directional.
• Aspects of development are inter-related and
  integrated.
• Development is sequential but not continuous. It
  is discontinuous.
• Children will use a developmental accomplishment
  over and over once it is acquired.

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• Children will give cues to their environment they
  they are ready to move to the next developmental
  level.
• Children will seek out stimulation in order to
  develop.