 | Term | Definition |
| |
development |
orderly, adaptive changes we go through from conception to death |
| |
physical development |
changes in body structure and function over time |
| |
personal development |
changes in personality that take place as one grows |
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social development |
changes over time in the ways we relate to others |
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cognitive development |
gradual orderly changes by which mental processes become more complex and sophisticated |
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maturation |
genetically programmed, naturally occurring changes over time |
| |
lateralization |
the specialization of the two hemispheres of the cerebral cortex |
| |
synapses |
the tiny space between neurons - chemical messages are sent across these gaps |
| |
myelination |
the process by which neural fibers are coated with a fatty sheath called myelin that makes message transfer more efficient |
| |
organization |
ongoing process of arranging information and experience into mental systems or categories |
| |
adaptation |
adjustment to the environment |
| |
schemes |
mental systems or categories of perception and experience |
| |
assimilation |
fitting new information into existing schemes |
| |
accommodation |
altering existing schemes or creating new ones in response to new information |
| |
equilibration |
search for mental balance between cognitive schemes and information from the environment |
| |
disequilibrium |
in Piaget's theory, the "out-of-balance" state that occurs when a person realizes that his or her current ways of thinking are not working to solve a problem or understand a situation |
| |
sensorimotor |
involving the senses and motor activity |
| |
object permanence |
the understanding that objects have a separate, permanent existence |
| |
goal-directed actions |
deliberate actions toward a goal |
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operations |
actions a person carries out by thinking them through instead of literally performing the actions |
| |
preoperational |
the stages before a child masters logical mental operations |
| |
semiotic function |
the ability to use symbols - language, pictures, signs, or gestures - to represent actions or objects mentally |
| |
reversible thinking |
thinking backward, from the end to the beginning |
| |
conservation |
prinicple that some characteristics of an object remain the same despite changes in appearance |
| |
decentering |
focusing on more than one aspect at a time |
| |
egocentric |
assuming that others experience the world the way you do |
| |
collective monologue |
form of speech in which children in a group talk but do not really interact or communicate |
| |
concrete operations |
mental tasks tied to concrete objects and situations |
| |
identity |
principle that a person or object remains the same over time |
| |
compensation |
the principle that changes in one dimension can be offset by changes in another |
| |
reversibility |
a characteristic of Piagetian logical operations - the ability to think through a series of steps, then mentally reverse the steps and return to the starting point |
| |
classification |
grouping objects into categories |
| |
seriation |
arranging objects in sequential order according to one aspect, such as size, weight, or volume |
| |
formal operations |
mental tasks involving abstract thinking and coordination of a number of variables |
| |
hypotetico-deductive reasoning |
a formal-operations problem-solving strategy in which an individual begins by identifying all the factors that might affect a problem and then deduces and systematically evlauates specific solutions |
| |
adolescent egocentrism |
assumption that everyone else shares one's thoughts, feelings, and concerns |
| |
Neo-Piagetian theories |
More recent theories that integrate findings about attention, memory, and startegy use with Piaget's insights about children's thinking and the construction of knowledge |
| |
Sociocultural theory |
Emphasizes role in development of cooperative dialogues between children and more knowledgeable memners of society. Children learn the culture of their community (way of thinking and behaving) through these interactions |
| |
Co-constructed process |
A social process in which people interact and negotiate (usually verbally) to create an underatnding or to solve a problem. The final product is shaped by all participants. |
| |
cultural tools |
the real tools (computers, scales, etc) and symbol systems (numbers, language, graphs) that allow people in a society to communicate, think, solve problems, and create knowledge |
| |
private speech |
children's self-talk which guides their thinking and action. Eventually these verbalizations are internalized as silent inner speech. |
| |
scaffolding |
support for learning and problem solving, such as clues, reminders, encouragement, breaking the problem down, providing an example, anything to help the student grow as an independent learner |
| |
assisted learning |
providing strategic help in the inital stages of learning, gradually diminishing as students gain independence |
| |
zone of proximal development |
phase at which a child can master a task if given appropriate help and support |
| |
syntax |
the order of words in phrases or sentences |
| |
pragmatics |
the rules for when and how to use language to be an effective communicator in a particular culture |
| |
metalinguistic awareness |
understanding about aone's own use of language |
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