PSYC 100 Chapter Notes - Chapter 15: Cognitive Development

• School: Queen's University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSYC 100
• Professor: Jordan Poppenk

Document Summary

The ability to recognize one"s self as being distinct is deceptively complex. The development of self continues as language skills increase. Children begin at age of two years by referring to themselves by name or pronoun. Children at 3-4 y/o can describe personal characteristics verbally. Around 8 y/o, children can use knowledge about themselves to evaluate and modify behavior. Autobiographical memory: memory for the specific experiences that make up a person"s life story. Social comparisons: evaluating one"s abilities and opinions by comparing oneself with others. In early adolescence, children become concerned with how they are perceived by others. This later dies down as their sense of self strengthens. Imaginary audience: belief that they are constantly on a stage and everyone is watching them and their behaviors. Theory of mind: expectations concerning how experience affects mental states. It is a reasoning process that attempts to predict how others might think or behave based on their motives, needs, and goals.