Developmental PsychologyCognitive Development in Early ChildhoodAgenda Early Childhood:Cognitive DevelopmentPiaget 4 stagesPreoperational ThoughtPreoperational StageMagical/animistic thinkingPiaget: Preoperational ThoughtPre-operationalPre-operational Stage:Slide 12EgocentrismPre-operational Stage:Slide 15Conservation and logicConservation TaskOverview: Procedures to Test ConservationTransformational ReasoningLack of reversibilityLack of conservation: constructs appliedTransductive thinkingSlide 23Theory of mindChildren’s TheoriesTesting Children’s Theory of MindTheory of mindBrain and ContextInstant vs Delayed GratificationHave a great weekend!Dr. van WidenfeltPSYC 307-100Fall 2015Cognitive Development in Early ChildhoodAgenda Early Childhood:Today: Cognitive DevelopmentTopics for next week: Language DevelopmentEarly Education /ChildcareMaltreatmentGender developmentON WEDNESDAY AND FRIDAY GUEST LECTURER EVAN LOEHLE-CONGERCognitive DevelopmentChildren think and organize the world meaningfully but differently than adults (kid logic)Piaget 4 stages1. Sensorimotor 0-22. Preoperational 2-73. Concrete operations 7-11/124. Formal operationsPreoperational ThoughtStage 2 of cognitive development symbolic thought now possiblePreoperational StageWords can now refer to things not seenpreschooler uses language and mental imagery to explore and represent the worldMagical/animistic thinkinginanimate objects have lifelike qualities and can perform actionsPiaget: Preoperational ThoughtAnimismInvolves belief that natural objects and phenomena are aliveEg might think doll can feel pain and have feelingsPre-operationalimaginative playAt this age kids love stories with animals and objects talkingPre-operational Stage:Characterized by seeing world entirely from their own perspective and a focus on what is right in front of themLogic is difficult for child until about age 6Piaget: Preoperational ThoughtCentration•-a young child focuses (centers) on one idea, excluding all othersFocus on appearance•-young child ignores all attributes that are not apparentEgocentrismcannot differentiate one’s own point of view from that of others’ (and everything is mine!)Can’t take point of view of othersPre-operational Stage:Centration – Focuses on perceptually striking feature of an object or event (and ignore other features)Don’t see the whole Scale errorhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtngSHtz-cc3 minutesPiaget: Preoperational ThoughtStatic reasoning•-a young child thinks that nothing changes. Whatever is now has always been and always will be.Irreversibility•-a young child thinks that nothing can be undone. •A thing cannot be restored to the way it was before a change occurred.Conservation and logic–Principle that the amount of a substance remains the same (i.e., is conserved) when its appearance changes.Conservation Taskhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnArvcWaH6I4 minutes, row of quarters, 4 year oldhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXSI-D75r48 2 min, same tasks and also playdo taskhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9ioMR8C9GI3 min, 7 year old, conservation milkOverview: Procedures to Test ConservationTransformational ReasoningDifficulty understanding how one element transitions into anotherEg might not understand that you are their mother but also the child of their grandmotherLack of reversibilitycannot mentally undo an action or event, or trace a line of reasoning back to its beginninghttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmN2G6TWB_E7 year oldhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkGy7Uua3Pc9 year oldLack of conservation: constructs appliedcannot understand that merely changing the appearance of objects does not change their key propertiesfail to understand conservation of liquids because they focus (center) on what they see (appearance) noticing only the immediate (static) condition.It does not occur to them that they could reverse the process and re-create the liquid’s level of a moment earlier (irreversibility).Transductive thinking See similarities between two things though actually there is no relationshipwhen objects share properties, it’s as if they are the same thingExamples “I haven’t had my nap, so it can’t be afternoon!”My ball is round, the moon is round, the moon must be a ballPre-operationalStart becoming more intuitive by age 4-thinking is dominated by what children feel or sense to be true, but they cannot explain the principles behind it (the “why” stage)Theory of mind (begins to emerge between ages 4 and 5)Theory of mind A child’s understanding of what others might be thinkingan organized understanding of how the mind works and influences behavior.Gradually develop understanding that each person has their own mental states (beliefs, desires, intentions) that these states can be different from one's self, are based on people’s knowledge, can differ from reality, and that people’s behavior can be predicted by their mental statesChildren’s TheoriesTheory of mindInvolves person's theory of what other people might be thinkingIs slow to develop but typically beginning in most children at about age 4Before age 4 don’t realize others think other thoughts than they doTesting Children’s Theory of MindThe Smarties task tests preschoolers’ understanding of false beliefs.Most 3-year-olds answer in a way that suggests a lack of understanding that people’s actions are based on their own beliefs, even when those beliefs deviate from what the child knows to be true.Theory of mindhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJkB6nrk1CAJuiceboxBarbie walking in flourMean Monkey and stickers --8 minhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjkTQtggLH4Sally Anne Test, 2 minBrain and ContextWhat strengthens theory of mind in young children?Child's ability to develop theories correlates with the maturity of the prefrontal cortex and with advances in executive processing.Context and experience are relevant.Context and culture matter.Instant vs Delayed Gratificationhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yo4WF3cSd9Q5 minutes, marshmallow experimentTED Talk – for your own interesthttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=voF8B-Jr0mA14 minutes, more on delayed gratification in adultsHave a great