Behavioral Sciences I: Lesson 7: Cognitive Development

Discuss the behaviors associated with the Formal Operational Stage of Cognitive Development.

-11 + years of age -Logically think about abstract ideas -Problem Solve

Discuss the behaviors associated with the Pre-operational Stage of Cognitive Development.

-2-7 years of age -Symbolic Thinking (pretend, make believe) -Egocentrism -Centration

Discuss the behaviors associated with the Concrete Operational Stage of Cognitive Development.

-7-11 years of age -Conservation -Understand Feelings of others -Logical Thought

Two friends accept internships with a city council member even though they do not agree with many of the council member's policies. Which is most likely to happen if they are in a state of dissonance? The students will: (A) Adapt their attitudes to be more in line with the city council member. (B) Quit their internships after a period of time. (C) Continue in their internships but retain their original beliefs. (D) Do as little work as possible as not to advance the council member's agenda.

(A) Adapt their attitudes to be more in line with the city council member. People tend to change their attitudes to match their behaviors, instead of changing their behaviors.

The brain disorder that results in the inability to name things is called what type of aphasia? (A) Anomia (B) Awritia (C) Agraphia (D) Apenia

(A) Anomia. A type of aphasia that results in the inability to name things.

A friend of yours had a bad motorcycle accident and sustained a brain injury. You notice when talking to him that he has difficulty speaking and his speech is broken with slurring. What area of the brain most likely experienced the injury? (A) Broca's Area (B) Wernicke's Area (C) Cerebellum (D) Pons

(A) Broca's Area. An injury in this area of the brain will result in slurred speech and this is known as Broca's Aphasia because this area of the brain deals with speech and producing words. Aphasia is any type of disorder that affects language.

The theory that states that language is dependent on some innate capacity, credited to Noam Chomsky, is termed what? (A) Nativist (Biological) Theory (B) Learning (Behaviorist) Theory (C) Social (Interactionist) Theory

(A) Nativist (Biological) Theory. States that we are technically born with the capacity for language, its instinctive.

The phrases, I brushed my teeth today and today I brushed my teeth, are just a change in word order that result in the same meaning of the phrase. What is this called? (A) Transformational Grammar (B) Language Acquisition Device (LAD) (C) Critical Period (D) Sensitive Period

(A) Transformational Grammar. A change in word order that results in the same meaning of the phrase.

The theoretical pathway in the brain that allows infants to process and absorb language rules is called what? (A) Transformational Grammar (B) Language Acquisition Device (LAD) (C) Critical Period (D) Sensitive Period

(B) Language Acquisition Device (LAD). The theoretical pathway in the brain that allows infants to process and absorb language rules.

The theory that states that children show a strong preference to the language their parents speak, proposed by B.F. Skinner, is termed what? (A) Nativist (Biological) Theory (B) Learning (Behaviorist) Theory (C) Social (Interactionist) Theory

(B) Learning Theory. Infants are able to distinguish between phonemes between many different languages but by the age of 6 months, show a strong preference to the language their parent speaks because they have learned that language because the parents continue to repeat information and sounds.

A friend of yours had a bad motorcycle accident and sustained a brain injury. You notice when talking to him that words seem to just ramble out of his mouth and the sentences he is saying doesn't make sense. What area of the brain most likely experienced the injury? (A) Broca's Area (B) Wernicke's Area (C) Cerebellum (D) Pons

(B) Wernicke's Area. An injury in this area of the brain would result in jumbled words or confusing sentences and would be called Wernicke's Aphasia. The person will have no issue talking but they will likely not know what they are saying. Aphasia is any type of disorder that affects language.

The brain disorder that results in the inability to write is called what type of aphasia? (A) Anomia (B) Awritia (C) Agraphia (D) Apenia

(C) Agraphia. A type of aphasia the results in the inability to write.

As a teacher you ask the class to repeat the definition of studying back to you. However, Sam is having difficulty repeating the new information he just learned, even though he understands the information and is even able to talk. What type of aphasia is being described? (A) Broca's Aphasia (B) Wernicke's Aphasia (C) Conduction Aphasia

(C) Conduction Aphasia. Because Sam is still able to talk (produce speech, AKA Broca's Area) and understand what you said (language comprehension, AKA Wernicke's Area) then he must have a disorder where the arcuate fasciculus is affected because he cannot repeat what you said due to the connection lost between both regions.

A child that was subject to abuse was prevented from exposure to other individuals from the age of 2 until 13. The child was unable to master many grammatical rules due to the lack of communication during that period. What period of language acquisition did the child not experience due to the segregation at an early age? (A) Transformational Grammar (B) Language Acquisition Device (LAD) (C) Critical Period (D) Sensitive Period

(C) Critical Period & (D) Sensitive Period. Critical period is the language acquisition from birth to age 2. A Sensitive Period when environmental input has maximal effect on the development of an ability.

The theory that states that interactions with other infants and caretakers helps language development due to biological and social processes, is termed what? (A) Nativist (Biological) Theory (B) Learning (Behaviorist) Theory (C) Social (Interactionist) Theory

(C) Social (Interactionist) Theory. As children are exposed to others and other forms of languages and sounds through social interactions, the brain groups sounds and meanings together.

Discuss the behaviors associated with the Sensorimotor Stage of Cognitive Development.

- 0-2 years of age -Primary Circular Reactions -Secondary Circular Reactions -Object Permanence ENDS the Sensorimotor Stage.

The two areas of the brain associated with speech production and language comprehension are called what? Where are they located?

Broca's Area deals with speech production and is located in the inferior frontal gyrus of the frontal lobe. Wernicke's Area deals with language comprehension and is located in the superior temporal gyrus of the temporal lobe. Broca's and Wernicke's Areas are connected by the arcuate fasciculus, a bundle of axons that allows the association between language comprehension and speech production.

What is cognitive dissonance?

Cognitive dissonance is where an individual believes something but their actions are contradictory to that belief.

Describe the 4 stages of sleep and the characteristics associated with them, including brain waves.

NREM: -N1: Theta waves (4-7 Hz), hallucinations, hypnic jerks (falling). -N2: Theta waves, sleep spindles, K-complexes. -N3 & 4: Delta waves (0.5-2 Hz), sleep walking and talking, slow waves, associated with cognitive recovery and memory consolidation. REM: Paradoxical (active mind/paralyzed body) -Beta waves occur when we are alert and awake. -Alpha waves occur when we are awake but our eyes are closed and we are relaxing.

The hypothesis that states that our perception of reality is determined by the content of language or that language effects the way we think was proposed by who? What is this hypothesis termed?

The hypothesis is called the Whorfian Hypothesis (Linguistic Relativity Hypothesis) and was proposed by Benjamin Whorf.

Describe the relationship between phonemes and morphenes when discussing the word speech.

The word speech is broken into 4 phonemes (s, p, ee, ch) which then produces 1 morphene (speech).

What are the 5 components of language?

-Phonology: refers to the actual sound of language. (phonemes) -Morphology: refers to the structure of the words (suffixes and prefixes) -Semantics: refers to the association of meaning with word -Syntax: refers to how words are put together to form sentences. -Pragmatics: refers to the dependence of language on certain situations.