5. What Is It Like to Be a Baby: The Development of Thought

Introduction to Psychology (PSYC 110)

This lecture explores issues and ideas related to the branch of psychology known as cognitive development. It begins with an introduction of Piaget who, interested in the emergence of knowledge in general, studied children and the way they learn about the world in order to formulate his theories of cognitive development. This is followed by an introduction to the modern science of infant cognition. Finally, the question of the relationship between and the existence of different kinds of development is addressed.

00:00 - Chapter 1. Jean Piaget, Stage Theory and Its Limits
12:50 - Chapter 2. The Modern Science of Infant Cognition
25:12 - Chapter 3. Babies in the Social World
31:26 - Chapter 4. Question and Answer on Learning and Development
33:53 - Chapter 5. Review of Studies Presented in Class; Autism
40:38 - Chapter 6. Question and Answer on Autism

Complete course materials are available at the Yale Online website: online.yale.edu

This course was recorded in Spring 2007.