PSYC 335 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Michael Tomasello, Joint Attention, Flashlight
19 Jun 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
Information-Processing Theories: Explanations of Memory Development
Basic processes: Encoding
o Children do not encode all of the important information in the environment.
Processing speed
o The speed with which children execute basic processes increases greatly over the course of
childhood.
children have more of a camping light (broad) type of attention, and as they age they develope
more of a flashlight (focused)
Mental strategies
o A number of strategies emerge between ages 5 - 8.
o Rehearsal: Process of repeating information over and over to aid memory
o Selective attention: Process of intentionally focusing on information that is most relevant to
the current goal
Content knowledge
o Autobiographical Knowledge: (type of content knowledge) the knowledge of events of
one's life.
o Infantile Amnesia: most adults remember nothing that occurred before the age of
three years
o Verbal encoding, conversations with parents, and physiological maturation seem likely
to be involved in the ending of infantile amnesia.
o With age and experience, children's long-term memories of their experiences
becomes increasingly detailed and accessible.
Information-Processing Theories: Development of Problem-Solving
Children are active problem solvers.
o According to overlapping-waves theory, children use a variety of approaches to solve
problems.
o Planning
o Young children fail to plan in situations in which they would benefit from doing so.
Sociocultural Theories
Characteristics
o learning in an interpersonal context
o engaging in guded participation
o using cultural tools
Sociocultural Theories: View of Children's Nature
Vygotsky's Theory
Children viewed as social beings and social learners
Development seen as continuous, with quantitative change
Humans inclined to teach each other and to learn from each other
Thought is process in which speech is internalized ('me wait')
Sociocultural Theories: Central Developmental Issues
Michael Tomasello
Proposed that the human species has unique characteristics that are crucial to the ability to
create complex, rapidly changing cultures
Two related concepts also play prominent roles in the sociocultural analyses of change.
Intersubjectivity - Sets the stage for joint attention
o Joint Attention: social partners foucs on the same external object
Document Summary
Basic processes: encoding: children do not encode all of the important information in the environment. Content knowledge: autobiographical knowledge: (type of content knowledge) the knowledge of events of one"s life. Children are active problem solvers: according to overlapping-waves theory, children use a variety of approaches to solve problems, planning, young children fail to plan in situations in which they would benefit from doing so. Characteristics learning in an interpersonal context: engaging in guded participation, using cultural tools. Children viewed as social beings and social learners. Development seen as continuous, with quantitative change. Humans inclined to teach each other and to learn from each other. Thought is process in which speech is internalized ("me wait") Proposed that the human species has unique characteristics that are crucial to the ability to create complex, rapidly changing cultures. Two related concepts also play prominent roles in the sociocultural analyses of change. Intersubjectivity - sets the stage for joint attention.
