William James presumed that newborns experiences where similar to that of buzzing confusion

Research from the 1960s revealed that newborns were born preferring sights andsounds which
facilitate social responsiveness. They are more drawn into picturesthat are associated to
humans(Mondlocks study)

Habituation is the decrease in responding with repeated stimulation

Janine Spencer and Paul Quinn did a study which revealed that 4 year olds likeadults focused on
the faces of animals. (cat and dog experiment)

Alan Slater explained that in order to recognize a new stimulus as different, aninfant must
remember the initial stimulus.Brain Development

Over 23 billion neurons were produced in the child by birth

From age 3-6, the brains neural system starts to grow in the frontal lobes,enabling rational
planning

Maturation sets the basic course of development. It is the genetically designed biological growth
process.

Maturation is uninfluenced by experiences

While genetic growth tendencies are inbornMotor Development

The order in which physical coordination occurs like crawling before walking isdue to the maturing
of the nervous system and has nothing to do with imitation

Individual differences in timing occur

Genes play a role in the timing of each coordination. Identical twins would beable to walk more or
less on the same day

Biological maturation includes the rapid development of the cerebellum at the back of the brain

Experiences will not have a major effect on the childs physical skills until after age 1Maturation
and Infant Memory

Pillemers study concluded that the average age of earliest conscious memory was3.5 years of age

Starting at 4 years old, a child can start to remember their experiences

From age 3-4 , the brain cortex matures , thus enabling toddlers to increase their long-term storage

However , the childs memories during this time may not be interrupted properlylater on in life

Association can be remembered for the maximum time of a month for a 3 monthold child.

When the conscious mind does not know and cannot express in words, thenervous system may
remember through increased physiological responses likethrough skin perspirationCognitive
Development

Jean Piagets works revolved around the errors give by children by each age.

Before Piaget, people thought that children simply knew less, not differentlythan adults.

Later it was discovered that children reason in wildly illogical ways about problems whose
solutions are self-evident to adults.

A childs mind also develops through many stages

Piaget revealed that schemas develop when the brain builds concepts. Theschemas are mental
molds into which we pour our experiences.

There are two ways which we could adjust our schemas. By assimilating as wellas accommodating
them.

When we assimilate new schemas, we interpret them into our current schemas

When we accommodate our schemas, we adjust our present schemas to fit the particulars of new
experiences. You refine the category.Piagets theory and Current Thinking

Cognition refers to all the mental activities associated with thinking, knowing ,remembering and
communicating.

The sensorimotor stage is from birth to age 2. This is when the babies will take inthe world through
their sensory and motor interactions interacting with objects

Object Permanence is the awareness that objects continue to exist when not perceived

Before 8 months, the child lacks object permanence

Many argue that Piaget underestimated the intelligence of a child. He claimed thatchildren did not
have the ability to think. Todays researchers see development asmore continuous than Piaget.
However, his views were contradicted when babiesseem to have a more intuitive grasp of objects,
when it was found that toddlershad a sense of numbers (Karen Wynns study).

The preoperational stage is Piagets theory that from age 2 to about age 7, a childlearns to use
language but does not yet comprehend the mental operations of concrete logic.


Conservation is the principle that quantity remains the same despite changes inshape. (Like when
closed beakers seem to hold more volume as another open beaker with the same volume.)

Judy DeLoache revealed that if the child was prompted to find a hidden object ina room, they could
easily find it, but they could not locate the location on another map or painting. This was found for
ages 2-3

From age 3, the child could locate the hidden location in a map. Thus showingthat they could use
the symbols for the room. This went against Piagets theory of children not being able to think

Piaget found that preschool children were egocentric. They had much difficultyto perceive things
from anothers point of view. Asking wether the childs brother had a brother(which was the child
being asked) the child would reply that he didnot.

Parents often abuse their children since they do not understand their egocentricthoughts.

The theory of mind is the ability to read intentions, formed starting when a childis in pre-school.

From age 3, children start to realize the difference between false beliefs

Jennifer Jenkins and Janet Astington performed the band aid experiment in whichthey would ask
children what they thought was in the box, then recorded whattheir reaction would be if found that
the box was filled with something else. From4 years old, the children were able to respond to
theory of mind, claiming thattheir friends would probably think that the box was filled with band aids
insteadof pencils. Before they responded that they would think that the box was filledwith pencils.

First children realize that sad events can cause sad feelings and then they realizethat thought can
cause feelings. From age 5-8, children realize that spontaneousself-produced thoughts can also
create feelings.

Children with autism were found to have difficulty understanding someones stateof mind differs
from their own. They also have difficulty reflecting on their ownmental states. They are less likely to
use personal pronouns such as I and me.Deaf children also have problems with such usage.

Lev Vygotsky revealed that children no longer thought aloud from age 7. Theystart to rely on inner
speech. Talking to themselves allows children to control their behavior and emotions and master
new skills.

Concrete Operational Stage was Piagets theory of cognitive development. From6-11 years of age.
Children start to gain the mental operations what enables themto think logically about concrete
events. Children also start to comprehendmathematical transformations and conservation.

Formal Operation stage is by age 12, when reasoning expands from concreteexperiences to
abstract thinking. Children start to solve hypothetical propositionsand deduct consequences
starting from adolescence.
Reflecting on Piagets Theory

Researchers start to see development more continuous than did Piaget.

Piaget identified significant cognitive milestones and stimulated interest on howthe mind develops.

Piagets major revelation was that children construct their understandings frominteractions with the
world