OxfordAQA International A Level Psychology
OxfordAQA International A Level Psychology 3.2.2 Cognitive Development Exam Questions
Free OxfordAQA International A Level Psychology revision for 3.2.2 Cognitive Development: what you need to know, common mistakes and exam-style questions with answers. Covers piaget's theory and stages, baillargeon's research, vygotsky's zone of proximal development, scaffolding, theory of mind and mirror neurons.
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About OxfordAQA International A Level Psychology 3.2.2 Cognitive Development
Cognitive development is the second section of Unit 2 on the OxfordAQA International AS Psychology course. It covers how children's thinking changes. You study Piaget's theory, including schemas, assimilation, accommodation, equilibration and his four stages, with key concepts such as object permanence, conservation, egocentrism and class inclusion. You compare this with Baillargeon's violation of expectation research on infants and Vygotsky's social theory, with the zone of proximal development and scaffolding. Finally you study social cognition: theory of mind, the Sally-Anne false belief studies and the possible role of the mirror neuron system. Examiners ask you to describe and evaluate theories and to apply them to classroom or family scenarios.
What you need to know
- Piaget's processes Schemas are mental structures of knowledge. Assimilation fits new information into existing schemas; accommodation changes schemas when new information does not fit. Equilibration is the drive to resolve disequilibrium.
- Piaget's stages Sensorimotor (about 0 to 2 years, developing object permanence), pre-operational (about 2 to 7, egocentric and unable to conserve), concrete operational (about 7 to 11, logical reasoning about real objects) and formal operational (about 11 onwards, abstract thinking).
- Testing Piaget Piaget's three mountains task suggested pre-operational children are egocentric. McGarrigle and Donaldson's 'naughty teddy' study found more young children could conserve when the change seemed accidental, suggesting Piaget underestimated children.
- Baillargeon Violation of expectation studies measure looking time. Baillargeon and DeVos (1991) found infants of about 3.5 months looked longer at an impossible event, suggesting they understood object permanence much earlier than Piaget claimed.
- Vygotsky Cognitive development is social. The zone of proximal development is the gap between what a child can do alone and with help from a more knowledgeable other. Scaffolding (Wood, Bruner and Ross, 1976) is support that is reduced as the child becomes competent.
- Theory of mind and mirror neurons Theory of mind is understanding that others have their own beliefs and intentions. Baron-Cohen et al. (1985) found most typically developing children and children with Down's syndrome passed the Sally-Anne false belief task, but only about 20% of autistic children did. Mirror neurons, first found in macaques by Rizzolatti and colleagues, fire both when acting and when watching others act and may support understanding of others.
Common mistakes in 3.2.2 Cognitive Development
- Mixing up assimilation and accommodation. Assimilation adds to an existing schema; accommodation changes the schema.
- Giving stage ages as fixed. Piaget's ages are approximate and the order matters more than the exact age.
- Describing Vygotsky's theory as stages. His theory focuses on social interaction, the ZPD and language, not fixed stages.
- Claiming Baillargeon proved infants have full object permanence. Looking time shows surprise, which may not equal understanding.
- Treating mirror neuron evidence in humans as conclusive. Much of the direct evidence comes from monkeys and interpretation is debated.
Try three 3.2.2 Cognitive Development exam-style questions
1. Explain the difference between assimilation and accommodation, using an example. (4 marks)
Show the mark scheme answer
Assimilation is when new information is incorporated into an existing schema without changing it; e.g. a child calls a new breed of dog a dog; accommodation is when an existing schema has to change or a new one is formed because information does not fit; e.g. the child learns that a cat is not a dog and forms a new schema.
2. A teacher helps a student with a maths problem by giving hints, then gradually withdraws support. Use Vygotsky's theory to explain the teacher's approach. (4 marks)
Show the mark scheme answer
The task lies in the student's zone of proximal development: they cannot do it alone but can with help; the teacher acts as a more knowledgeable other; the hints are scaffolding; support is reduced as the student becomes competent so they eventually solve problems independently.
3. Evaluate Piaget's theory of cognitive development. (8 marks)
Show the mark scheme answer
A strong answer would note the theory's influence on child-centred education and research support for stage changes; then evaluate with evidence that Piaget underestimated young children (McGarrigle and Donaldson, Baillargeon), the lack of emphasis on social and cultural factors compared with Vygotsky, and methodological issues with his small samples and confusing questioning.
3.2.2 Cognitive Development FAQs
What does OxfordAQA International A Level Psychology 3.2.2 Cognitive Development cover?
It covers Piaget's theory and stages, Baillargeon's violation of expectation research, Vygotsky's theory with the zone of proximal development and scaffolding, theory of mind and the mirror neuron system.
Which unit is 3.2.2 Cognitive Development examined in?
It is examined in Unit 2 (PS02), Biopsychology, development and research methods 1, as one of three compulsory sections.
Which studies should I know for 3.2.2 Cognitive Development?
Know Piaget's own tasks (three mountains, conservation, class inclusion), McGarrigle and Donaldson, Baillargeon and DeVos, Wood, Bruner and Ross on scaffolding, Baron-Cohen et al. on the Sally-Anne task, and Rizzolatti's mirror neuron research.
