Development

• naughty teddy study AMRC

  aim- see if deliberate change in the row of counters would help younger children conserve

  method- 4-6 year olds, two rows of counters, teddy messed up one and child asked if rows were the same

  result- older children did better than youngers

  conclusion-piaget's method doesnt show what children can do, this study shows there are still age-related changed
• evaluation of naught teddy study

  • sample size is small, lacks population validity
  • challenges piaget
  • change may not have been noticed if the children were distacted by the teddy
• hughes' policeman doll study ARMC

  aim- create a test that would make more sense than piaget's

  method- 3.5 to 5 year olds asked to hide a doll from 2 police officers

  result- 90% could hide the doll, 3 year old did less well with more complex task

  conclusion- children aged 4 are mostly not egocentric, piaget underestimated abilities but was right that thinking changes with age
• hughes' policeman doll evaluation

  • challenges piaget
  • researcher bias may have influenced children behaviour, lack validity
• stages of cognitive development

  sensorimotor stage: 0-2

  • object permanence develops

  preoperational stage: 2-7

  • egocentric and lack conservation (understanding that quantity stays the same even when the appearance or shape changes.)

  concrete operational: 7-11

  • logical thinking applied to physical objects only

  formal operational: 11+

  • abstract concept
  • form arguments
• evaluation of stages of cognitive development

  • applicable to real life situations, influenced modern education
  • underestimated children's abilities
  • cultural bias, only studied swiss children
• brain stem - highly developed at birth
• cerebellum - matures late