Studying Cognitive Development

• The behaviorist approach studies the basic mechanics of learning. Behaviorists are concerned with how behavior changes in response to experience.
• The psychometric approach measures quantitative differences in abilities that make up intelligence by using tests that indicate or predict these abilities.
• The Piagetian approach looks at changes, or stages, in the quality of cognitive functioning. It is concerned with how the mind structures its activities and adapts to the environment.
• The information-processing approach focuses on perception, learning, memory, and problem solving. It aims to discover how children process information from the time they encounter it until they use it.
• The cognitive neuroscience approach seeks to identify what brain structures are involved in specific aspects of cognition.
• The social-contextual approach examines the effects of environmental aspects of the learning process, particularly the role of parents and other caregivers.
• The behaviorist approach to learning emphasizes observable behaviors and environmental influences. It highlights how individuals learn through interactions with their surroundings, shaping their behavior. Behaviorists assert that all behaviors are learned and can be altered through conditioning.
• The psychometric approach is a way of studying mental abilities and psychological characteristics by measuring them. It emphasizes using reliable and objective tests to assess these traits.
• Intelligent behavior


  Behavior that is goal oriented and adaptive to circumstances and conditions of life.
• IQ (intelligence quotient) tests


  Psychometric tests that seek to measure intelligence by comparing a test taker’s performance with standardized norms
• Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development - Standardized test of infants’ and toddlers’ mental and motor development.
• Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment (HOME)


  Instrument to measure the influence of the home environment on children’s cognitive growth.
• Early intervention


  Systematic process of providing services to help families meet young children’s developmental needs.