Schemes
In Piaget's theory, actions or mental representations that organize knowledge.
assimilation
Piagetian concept of using existing schemes to deal with new information or experiences
accommodation
Piagetian concept of adjusting schemes to fit new information and experiences
organization
Piaget's concept of grouping isolated behaviors and thoughts into a higher-order, more smoothly functioning cognitive system
Equilibrium
a mechanism that Piaget proposed to explain how children shift from one stage to the next
sensorimotor stage
The first of Piaget's four stages of cognitive development (covering roughly the first 2 years of life), during which the child develops some motoer coordination skills and a memory for past events
simple reflex
Piaget's first sensorimotor substage, which corresponds to the first month after birth. In this substage, sensation and action are primarily through reflexive behaviors.
first habits and primary circular reactions
Piaget's second sensorimotor substage, which develops between 1 and 4 months of age. In this substage, the infant coordinates sensation and two types of schemes: habits and primary circular reactions.
primary circular reactions
a scheme based on the attempt to reproduce an event that initially occurred by chance
secondary circular reactions
Piaget's third sensorimotor substage, which develops between 4 and 8 months of age. In this substage, the infant becomes more object-oriented, moving beyond preoccupation with the self.
coordination of secondary circular reactions
Piaget's fourth sensorimotor substage, which develops between 8 and 12 months of age. Actions become more outwardly directed, and infants coordinate schemes and act with intentionality.
tertiary circular reactions, novelty, and curiosity
Piaget's fifth sensorimotor substage, which develops between 12 and 18 months of age. In this substage, infants become intrigued by the many things that they can make happen to objects
internalization of schemes
Piaget's sixth and final sensorimotor substage, which develops between 18 and 24 months of age. In this substage, the infant develops the ability to use primitive symbols.
object permanence
The Piagetian term for understanding that objects and events continue to exist, even when they cannot directly be seen, heard, or touched.
A-not-B error
Error that occurs when infants make the mistake of selecting the familiar hiding place (A) rather than the new hiding place (B) of an object as they progress into substage 4 in Piaget's sensorimotor stage.
core knowledge approach
Theory that infants are born with domain-specific innate knowledge systems.
attention
The focusing of mental resources on select information.
joint attention
process that occurs when individuals focus on the same object and are able to track another's behavior, one individual directs another's attention, and reciprocal interaction takes place
memory
A central feature of cognitive development, pertaining to all situations in which an individual retains information over time.
implicit memory
memory without conscious recollection; involves skills and routine procedures that are automatically performed
explicit memory
memory of facts and experiences that individuals consciously know and can state
deferred imitation
imitation that occurs after a delay of hours or days
concepts
cognitive groupings of similar objects, events, people, or ideas
language
a form of communication, whether spoken, written or signed, that is based on a system of symbols
infinite generativity
the ability to produce an endless number of meaningful sentences using a finite set of words and rules
phonology
the sound system of the language, including the sounds that are used and how they may be combined
morphology
units of meaning involved in word formation
syntax
the ways words are combined to form acceptable phrases and sentences.
sematics
Meaning of words and sentences
pragmatics
the appropriate use of language in different contexts
telegraphic speech
the use of short and precise words without grammatical markers such as articles, auxiliary verbs, and other connectives
Broca's area
an area of the frontal lobe, usually in the left hemisphere, that directs the muscle movements involved in speech
Wernicke's area
an area of the left hemisphere where the temporal and parietal lobes meet, involved in speech comprehension
aphasia
loss or impairment of the ability to understand or express language
language acquisition device (LAD)
Chomsky's term for a hypothesized mental structure that enables humans to learn language, including the basic aspects of grammar, vocabulary, and intonation.
child-directed speech
language spoken in a higher pitch than normal with simple words and sentences