Ch. 5 Cognitive Development

logical processes that allow for flexible thought

the first stage of cognitive development, according to Piaget, lasting from birth to about age 2

the second stage of cognitive development, according to Piaget, lasting from age 2 to 7

proceeding from particular to particular in thought, without making generalizations

gathering individual items of information and putting them together to form hypotheses or conclusions

beginning with a hypothesis or premise and breaking it down to see if it is true

the act of trying to link ideas

the preoperational belief that inanimate objects have humanlike properties and emotions

the tendency of children to focus attention on one detail and their inability to shift attention to other aspects of the situation

the third stage of cognitive development, according to Piaget, lasting from ages 7 to 11 or 12

the ability to divide objects into nested series of categories

understanding that objects can be fit into different levels of hierarchies

the ability to solve problems such as "Tom is taller than Fred, and Fred is taller than Marty. Is Tom taller than Marty?"

the act of lining things up in order from large to small or small to large

tests used by Piaget to determine whether children had mastered concrete operations, such as understanding that changing an object's appearance does not alter its fundamental properties

the fourth stage of cognitive development, according to Piaget, during which people develop abstract thought independent of concrete objects

a way to solve problems using the scientific method; only one factor at a time is varied while all else is held constant

insisting upon high standards of behavior

discrepancy between what people say and do

the tendency to approach problems at much too complex a level and to fail, not because the tasks are difficult, but because they're too simple. Adolescents appear stupid when they are, in fact, bright but not yet experienced

the inability to take the perspective of another or to imagine the other person's point of view

adolescents' belief that others are constantly paying attention to them

adolescents' belief that they are invulnerable and that their feelings are special and unique

thinking about one's thoughts and feelings

an advanced form of reasoning that allows one to create new and better insights by integrating conflicting data

an approach to studying cognition that focuses on the perception, attention, retrieval, and manipulation of information

the process by which information is received and transduced by the senses, usually in a fraction of a second

the process by which information is still in the conscious mind, being rehearsed and focused on (also called primary memory)

the process by which information is perceived and processed deeply so it passes into the layers of memory below the conscious level (also called secondary memory)

the pace at which the brain perceives and manipulates information

to develop new thoughts from old information

the conscious, deliberate manipulation of information

a strategy used to disprove

a strategy used to confirm?

looking for evidence that disproves a hypothesis

looking for examples that match a hypothesis

looking at the world in a way that favors one's own opinion

logical, constrained, useful thinking

abstract, theoretical guidelines

the ability to think about one's own thought processes

the ability to monitor and direct one's thought processes

rules of thumb, general strategies or principles

a theory of decision making that says that adolescents can logically and analytically make choices,  but that they often rely upon intuition and short-term benefits instead

one's beliefs about knowledge

believing that there are absolute, universal truths; creates difficulty in distinguishing fact from opinion

believing that there are absolute truths but people are biased; differentiates between opinion and fact

those who cling rigidly to one belief

those who reject rationality

the belief that truth is constructed but that some beliefs are more valid than others

the largest part of the human brain

a fibrous band of tissue that connects the two cerebral hemispheres of the brain

the cerebral lobe that is the center for solving problems involving spatial relationships

the cerebral lobe that is the center for higher-order thought processes, such as planing and impulse control

the cerebral lobe that is the center for producing and understanding language

the part of the brain involved with learning, memory, and motivation

the part of the brain that creates primitive emotional responses to the environment

an approach to cognitive development that focuses on the measurement of knowledge and thinking ability

calculated by dividing the mental age (MA) by the chronological age (CA) and multiplying by 100

tests designed to assess mastery of specific subject matter or skills

the ability to identify plants and animals