Developmental Psychology Terms From Chapter 8 Of Child Development

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cognition

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Processes involved in thinking and metnal activity, such as attention, memory, and problem solving

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sensorimotor stage

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In Piagetian theory, the first stage of cognitive development, from birth to approximately two years of age, in which thought is based primarily on action

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means-ends behavior

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Deliberate behavior employed to attain a goal

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object concept

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Realization that objects exist even when they are not within view. Also called object permanence

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preoperational stage

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In Piagetitan theory, the second stage of development, from approximately two to seven years of age, in which thought becomes symbolic in form.

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egocentrism

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Preoperational child's inability to separate his or her own perspective from those of others

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conservation tasks

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Problems that require the child to make judgments about the equivalence of two displays; used to assess stage of cognitive development

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centration

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In Piagetian theory, the ability to mentally reverse or negate an action or a transformation

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focus on states

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Preoperational child's tendency to treat two or more connected events as unrelated

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concrete operational stage

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In Piagetian theory, the third stage of development, from approximately seven to eleven years of age, in which thought is logical when stimulu are physically present.

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operation

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In Piagetian theory, a mental action such as reversibility

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formal operational stage

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In Piagetian theory, the last stage of development, from approximately eleven to fifteen years of age, inn which thought in abstract and hypothetical

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hypothetical reasoning

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Ability to systematically generate and evaluate potential solutions to a problem

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imaginary audience

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Individual's belief that others are examining and evaluating him or her

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personal fable

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Belief that one is unique and perhaps even invulnerable

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concept

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Definition of a set of information ont he basis of some general or abstract principle

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core knowledge hypothesis

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The idea that infants possess innate knowledge of certain properties of objects

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animism

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Attribution of lifelike qualities to inanimate objects

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artificialism

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Belief that naturally occuring events are caused by people

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natural domains

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Concepts or categories that children acquire especially rapidly and effortlessly

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one-to-one correspondence

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Understanding that two sets are equivalent in number if each element in one set can be mapped onto a unique element in the second set with none left over

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cardinality

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Principle that the last number in a set of counted numbers refers to the number of items in that set

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ordinality

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Principle that a number refers to an item's order within a set

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landmark

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Distinctive location or cue that the child uses to negotiate or represent a spatial environment

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perspective taking

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Ability to take the role of another person and understand what that person is thinking, is feeling, or knows.

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theory of mind

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Awareness of the concept of mental states, both one's own and those of others

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realism

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Inability to distinguish between mental and physical entities

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scaffolding

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Temporary aid provided by one person to encourage, support, and assist a lesser-skilled person in carrying out a task or completing a problem. The model provides knowledge and skills that are learned and gradually transferred to the learner.

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zone of proximal development

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Range of various kinds of support and assistance provided by an expert (usually an adult) who helps children to carry out activities they currently cannot complete but will later be able to accomplish independently.

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intersubjectivity

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Mutual attention and shared communication that take place between child and caregiver or learner and expert