Psychology

Cognitive Psychology was seen by the earliest researchers in the field as a process of forming internal representations of the external world. One school of thought focused on the schemata, the processes of assimilation and accommodation, and abstract reasoning. Another school of thought focused on the role of language in the development of problem-solving skills, decision-making, and formulating plans. Yet another method of approaching Cognitive Psychology is to view cognitive development in terms of information processing, which involves the storage, encoding, and retrieval of information. In fact, two developmental models of information processing have emerged in recent years.

According to Wilhelm Case, cognitive development is a matter of a child becoming more efficient in using mental strategies. The very heart of Case s model is known as mental space (M-Space). M-Space is a hypothetical construct similar to short-term or working memory, whose chief function is the processing of information from the external world. Expansion of M-Space, or increases in a child s information-processing capacity, is caused by a combination of three variables
First, as the brain matures, so does its capacity to process greater amounts of information. Maturation of the brain, also enhances more efficient processing of information.

Second, as children become more practiced at using schemata, less demand is placed on cognitive resources, which can now be devoted to other, more complex cognitive tasks.

Third, schemata for different objects and events become integrated so that children now think in novel ways about these objects and events.