Criticisms of Piaget’s Theory. The habituation-dishabituation paradigm.

Habituation – формирование привыкания

dishabituation - снятие эффекта привыкания

underestimate [ˌʌnd(ə)r'estɪmeɪt] / недооценивать, преуменьшать

challenge - ставить под сомнение, оспаривать

require [rɪ'kwaɪə] нуждаться (в чём-л.); требовать (чего-л.)

continue [kən'tɪnjuː] продолжать

lack - не иметь, испытывать недостаток

reach [riːʧ] дотягиваться, тянуться (к чему-л.)

Generally, scientific research has supported Piaget’s most fundamental idea: that infants, young children, and older children use different cognitive abilities to construct their understanding of the world. However, other aspects of Piaget’s theory have been challenged.

Piaget underestimated the cognitive abilities of infants and young children. To test for object permanence, Piaget would show the infant an object, cover it with a cloth, and then observe whether the infant tried to reach under the cloth for the object. Obviously ['ɔbvɪəslɪ], such a response requires the infant to have a certain level of motor skill development. Piaget found that it wasn’t until an infant was about 9 months old that she behaved as if she understood that an object continued to exist after it was hidden. Even at this age an infant’s understanding of object permanence was immature and would not be fully developed for another year or so.

But what if the infant “knew” that the object was under the cloth but simply lacked the physical coordination to reach for it? How could you test this hypothesis?

Rather than - вместо того, чтобы

manual ['mænjuəl] физический, требующий совершения физических усилий

premise ['premɪs] исходное условие; предположение, допущение; предпосылка

contradict [ˌkɔntrə'dɪkt] противоречить \ be surprised удивляться

expected ожидаемый; предполагаемый \ unexpected [ˌʌnɪk'spektɪd] неожиданный, непредсказуемый

violate ['vaɪəleɪt] нарушать, противоречить \ assessment [ə'sesmənt] оценка, оценивание

habituate [hə'bɪʧueɪt] приучать к (чему-л.) \to habituate to a stimulus — приучать реагировать на стимул

increased увеличенный; повышенный \ alter ['ɔːltə] изменять; менять

Rather than using manual tasks, psychologist Renée Baillargeon has used visual tasks. Baillargeon’s research is based on the premise that infants, like adults, will look longer at “surprising” events that appear to contradict their understanding of the world.

In this research the infant first watches an expected event. Then, the infant is shown an unexpected event. If the unexpected event violates the infant’s understanding of physical principles, he should be surprised and look longer at the unexpected event than the expected event.

Baillargeon’s task and procedure were dramatically different from the more complex method of assessment used by Piaget. Infants are shown a stimulus ['stɪmjələs] until they are used to it (habituated), and then they are shown an altered stimulus. If they show increased attention to the new stimulus (dishabituation), they may have noticed the difference.

suggest [sə'ʤest] – предполагать

occur [ə'kɜː] происходить, случаться, совершаться

decline [dɪ'klaɪn] уменьшаться

cause [kɔːz] послужить причиной, поводом (для чего-л.);

rate [reɪt] уровень; величина (в расчёте на единицу чего-л.); показатель, коэффициент

the strength of a response – острота реагирования

reduction [rɪ'dʌkʃ(ə)n] снижение, понижение, уменьшение, спад

differentiate [ˌdɪf(ə)'ren(t)ʃɪeɪt] различать, проводить различие

There has been a lot of research suggesting that infants have an understanding of many complex concepts.

Many studies have made use of the habituation-dishabituation paradigm.

Habituation is a gradual reduction in the strength of a response when a stimulus event is presented repeatedly (привыкание – постепенное снижение остроты реагирования, возникающее при многократном представлении стимула, затухание реакции). If you show infants the same event over and over (such as an object dropping onto a platform), they habituate to it—their heart and respiration rates decline and they spend less time looking at the stimulus. Dishabituation¹ occurs if a new stimulus causes an increase in the strength of an habituated response.Patterns of dishabituation can give researchers insights into what types of events infants can differentiate, which events surprise or interest them, and which events violate their expectations.

^{1 ДЕГАБИТУАЦИЯ (dishabituation) – восстановление силы реакции в ответ на изменение стимула, по отношению к которому ранее была создана габитуация. Указывает на способность к различению старого и нового стимулов.}

distinct [dɪ'stɪŋkt] отдельный; особый, индивидуальный;

entity ['entɪtɪ] сущность, объект

continuous [kən'tɪnjuəs] непрерывный;

Working with the habituation-dishabituation paradigm and similar methods, researchers have discovered that infants understand basic properties of objects (Baillargeon, 2002, 2004). At 3 to 4 months of age, infants understand that objects are distinct entities with boundaries, that objects move in continuous paths, that one solid object cannot pass through another, that an object cannot pass through an opening that is smaller than the object, and that objects on slopes (наклонная поверхность, склон) roll down rather than up (катятся вниз, а не вверх).

QUESTIONS

1. Which of Piaget’s assumptions do most researchers support? What are Piaget’s research contributions to our understanding of cognitive development?

2. Which of Piaget’s assumptions have been challenged?

3. Did Piaget design his experiments carefully enough to exclude alternative explanations?

4. What is an alternative explanation of an infant’s inability to search for a hidden object?

5. What method does Renée Baillargeon use to assess infants’ cognitive abilities?

6. What is habituation?

7. What is dishabituation?

8. What discovery in infants’ cognition was made through the use of the habituation-dishabituation paradigm?

EX.31 Read and translate the text.

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