Cognitive Development
Outline of the Course:
The course is aimed at providing an overview of the
area of human cognitive development. No prior background will be
assumed for the course.
The topics covered will be:
1. Introduction: Themes, issues, methods
2. Piagetian studies: overview
3. Infant cognition and development
a. Piagetian characterization of sensori-motor stage and substages
b. Development of adaptive intelligence, object permanence, semiotic function
c. Post-Piagetian developments in infant cognition: object perception and physical reasoning
4. Cognitive development during early childhood: overview
5. Cognitive development during middle childhood
a. Overview
b. Piagetian description of operational thought: conservation tasks and the structures of operational thought
6. The development of perception and memory
7. Domain-specific cognitive development
a. Language
b. Categorization
c. Numerical cognition
d. Naive biology
e. Social cognition
8. Formal reasoning and problem-solving: Piagetian and information-processing accounts
9. Mechanisms of Cognitive Development
a. Traditional theories of Learning
b. Surprise, uncertainty, equilibriation
c. Re-representation
d. Theory change
The
course will be based on the book 'Cognitive Development' by J.H.
Flavell and additional articles/ chapters from other books which will
be specified against each topic.
Evaluation will be based on (weightage in brackets):
1. Classroom discussion: 10
2.
Presentation of a single article + write-up ( 10 + 10): This will
involve a close reading of an important article and critical analysis
of the article. Students will make a brief oral presentation. The
presentation must be written up in the form of an essay and submitted
(draft first, final after incorporating feedback).
3. Experiment
presentation + write-up (15 + 15): Students will replicate an important
experiment (small sample size) and report findings in the form of a
seminar. A written report of the experiment must also be submitted.
4. End of the term open book exam: 40.
