Psychology: Cognitive development

• 1) what is a schema?

  mental framework of beliefs +

  expectations which influence an individual's cognitive (mental)

  processes + behaviour.
• 2) How do schemas develop?

  We are born w a few innate schema, but most develop + are refined by experience.
• 3) what do we use schemas for?

  enable us to interpret incoming Info from our environment + then respond to it
• 4) why can schemas be helpful?

  process lots of info quickly + respond appropriately
• 5) why can schemas be unhelpful?

  can lead us to make perceptual errors
• 6) what did Piaget believe? (Piaget theory of cognitive development - CD)


  for a child's schema to develop, beyond the few innate schema (sucking/grasping) they are born with,
• 7) they must?


  they must be active in their learning
• 8) what does the child's schema become?

  more detailed + complex as they have more life experiences + learn via discovery.
• 9) what is discovery learning?

  inquiry-based form of learning, where child is not provided w an answer
• 10) what are they given instead?

  materials in order to find answer themselves (w minimal input from others.)
• 11) what does this result in?


  Each child develops their own individuals set of schemas about the world
• 12) what happens to these schemas?

  Grow + change throughout life, but this growth is most apparent in the 1st 15 yrs of life
• 13) this change occurs due to the processes of?

  assimilation, accommodation, disequilibrium + equilibration.
• 14) what is assimilation?


  process of fitting/adding new experiences into existing schemas

  without needing to make any changes.
• 15) what does assimilation equal to?

  aSSimilation = Same Schema
• 16) what is an eg of assimilation?


  A child developed schema for dogs based on their pet dog
• 17) it contained the following info:

  Tail, 4 legs, soft + fluffy (this is their existing schema)
• 18) what happened next?

  Child goes to park + sees new animals for 1st time (new learning experience)
• 19) how does the child then interpret new learning?

  Child uses their existing dog schema (from pet dog) to interpret new animals + say to their parent
• 20) say what to their parent?

  Look doggies! Their parents tell them they are correct, they are dogs
• 22) what happens next?


  This results in the child being in a state of equilibrium
• 22) what is equilibrium?

  Where the individual experiences a balance between existing + new experiences
• 23) and so?


  The individual does not experience the unpleasant feelings associated with disequilibrium
• 24) what happens now?


  new info can be added to (assimilated into) the child's existing dog schema + schema becomes more complex
• 25) what is an eg of more complex?

  To add to dog has tail, 4 legs, soft, fluffy - it can be big or small + diff colours (added detail to existing schema)
• 26) what is accommodation?


  process of significantly changing existing schemas or creating new schemas
• 27) bc of?


  Bc of new conflicting info that has caused disequilibrium.
• 28) what does accommodation equal to?

  aCCommodation = Change/Create
• 29) what is an eg of accommodation?


  A child developed schema for dogs based on their pet dog
• 30) it contains the following info:

  Tail, 4 legs, soft + fluffy (this is their existing schema)
• 31) what happens next?

  The child goes to visit their aunt + uncle to meet their new pet (new learning)
• 32) how does the child then interpret new learning?

  Uses their existing schema + says "look doggie" but their parents say "no these are cats"
• 33) what does this then result in?

  The child being in a state of disequilibrium
• 34) what is disequilibrium?


  person experiences unpleasant feelings bc there's Imbalance between their existing + new experience
• 35) what does this feeling then do?

  Motivate the individual to accommodate the new info by changing or creating a new schema
• 36) in order to?


  return to a state of equilibration (in this eg the child will create a new cat schema)
• 37) Caroline is 3 years old. She has a bird schema, which she has developed through looking at pictures in books, and her family has a pet parrot. When she visits the zoo, she realises all the exotic

  birds she sees fit into the bird schema she has. Identify an example of assimilation, explain your answer (2marks)

  An eg of assimilation is when Caroline.... This is assimilation bc....
• 38) One morning Caroline goes outside to play and sees a

  drone flying over the garden. This is the first time she has ever seen a drone. It is flying and has wings.

  She shouts 'A bird' but her father explains that it is not alive. So, she now develops a 'drone schema'.

  identify an example of accommodation and explain your answer (2m)

  An eg of accommodation is when Caroline sees a drone + shouts bird + is told by her father that it is not a bird as it is not alive.
• 39) what would you say for the 2nd mark?

  This is accommodation bc new info conflicts w her bird schema, causing disequilibrium, resulting in her creating new schema for drones
• 40) explain how (name) learns, w reference to the concept of equilibration?

  Use fc 19 - 25 or 32 - 36 depending on your scenario + make sure link to scenario not the fc eg names