PSY 2105 Chapter Notes - Chapter 1: Genetic Epistemology, Sociobiology, Habituation
Document Summary
Genetic epistemology: piaget"s term for the study of children"s knowledge and how it changes with development. Clinical method: piaget"s principal research method, which involved a semi-structured interview with questions designed to probe children"s understanding of various concepts. Schemes: piaget"s term for the cognitive structures of infancy. A scheme consists of a set of skilled, flexible action patterns through which the child understands the world. Organization: the tendency to integrate knowledge into interrelated cognitive structures. Adaptation: the tendency to fit with the environment in ways that promote survival. One of the two biologically based functions stressed in piaget"s theory. Assimilation: interpreting new experiences in terms of existing cognitive structures. Accommodation: changing existing cognitive structures to fit with new experiences. One of the two components of adaptation in piaget"s theory. Constructivism: piaget"s belief that children actively create knowledge, rather than passively receive it from the environment. Learning: a relatively permanent change in behaviour that results from practice or experience.