Theories of Cognitive Development
- Piaget
- Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory
- Dynamic Systems Theory
- Neuroconstructivism
- Developmental Cascades
- Core Knoweledge
Core Knowledge
- Active participants
- Innate knowledge (nativism)
- Generalized mechanisms
- Specialized mechanisms
GMs - Adaptive processes that allow children to learn froma variety of environment inputs and experiences
SMs - Abilities tailored to specific types of info
- Learning faces / language / discerning cause and effect
- Can’t be used for other things
Language Acquisition Device (LAD)
- Innate mechanism in brain, helping decoding of grammatical structures
- Championed by Noam Chomsky
- “children learn language quickly despite not hearing all possible language”
Core Knowledge Systems
- Extension of LAD, infants born with several core knowledge systems
- Spatial relationships, object mechanics (inanimate objects and animate ‘agents’), number sense
- Elizabeth Spelke
core number system: 6 months infants discriminating 8 and 16 dots, showing perception of ‘numbers’ (habituation paradigm)
- unlearned, no experience
Theories of generic and non-generic noun phrases:
- generic, refer to category “dogs are red”
- non-generic, refer to instances “my dog is friendly”