AP Psychology Flashcards: Cognitive Development Across the Lifespan
Written by AP Content Team, Verified for 2026 AP Exams, Last updated: May 2026
Review key ideas with interactive flashcards. This set includes 19 cards to help you master important concepts.
What is fluid intelligence?
Fluid intelligence is our ability to reason speedily and abstractly, which tends to decline during adulthood.
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What is fluid intelligence?
Fluid intelligence is our ability to reason speedily and abstractly, which tends to decline during adulthood.
What is the primary application of theories of cognitive development?
Theories of cognitive development are applied to explain how behavior and mental processes change across the lifespan.
How does intelligence change in adulthood?
In adulthood, crystallized intelligence (accumulated facts) remains stable, while fluid intelligence (the ability to reason quickly) tends to decline.
A child learns the word 'dog' for the family pet. When he sees a cat, he also calls it 'dog.' Which of Piaget's processes is he using?
The child is using assimilation by trying to fit the new animal into his existing schema for 'dog'.
Define assimilation in the context of Piaget's theory.
Assimilation is the process by which a child incorporates new information into their pre-existing schemas.
What is object permanence?
Object permanence is the understanding that objects continue to exist even when they cannot be seen, a key development of the sensorimotor stage.
According to Vygotsky, how do children learn and develop cognitively?
Vygotsky proposed that children are social learners who develop cognitively through interaction with more knowledgeable others.
What is a key limitation of the concrete operational stage?
A key limitation of the concrete operational stage is the struggle with abstract and hypothetical thought.
What is Piaget's sensorimotor stage?
The sensorimotor stage, occurring in infancy, is the period when children learn about the world through their senses and motor actions.
What is scaffolding in the context of Vygotsky's theory?
Scaffolding is the supportive assistance provided by a more knowledgeable person to a learner within their zone of proximal development.
An elderly person may struggle to solve a novel logic puzzle quickly but excel at a crossword puzzle. Which types of intelligence does this demonstrate?
This demonstrates a decline in fluid intelligence (the logic puzzle) and stable crystallized intelligence (the crossword puzzle).
According to Piaget, what is a schema?
A schema is a mental framework that a child develops to organize and interpret information from their environment.
What are the main characteristics of Piaget's preoperational stage?
Occurring in early childhood, the preoperational stage is marked by the use of symbolic thought, but also an inability to perform mental operations like conservation.
What is crystallized intelligence?
Crystallized intelligence refers to our accumulated knowledge and verbal skills, which tends to remain stable in adulthood.
What is Vygotsky's zone of proximal development (ZPD)?
The zone of proximal development is the range between what a child can achieve independently and what they can achieve with guidance and encouragement from a skilled partner.
What is the key cognitive advancement in the formal operational stage?
The formal operational stage (adolescence-adulthood) is characterized by the development of abstract and hypothetical thinking.
What cognitive ability develops during the concrete operational stage?
During the concrete operational stage (late childhood), children develop the ability to think logically about concrete events.
Define accommodation in the context of Piaget's theory.
Accommodation is the process by which a child adapts their existing schemas to incorporate new information that doesn't fit.
A child believes a row of five quarters spread far apart has more money than a row of five quarters placed close together. What Piagetian concept does this illustrate?
This illustrates an inability to perform the task of conservation, a hallmark of the preoperational stage.