Cognitive structure stage two (about 2 to 4 Months onward.)

Aggregation of conjectures.

The second stage in Greenspan and Shanker's theory, as explained in their book "The First Idea", concerns the gradual gathering together of the separated islands of conjecture enabling them to coalesce into vaguely linked clumps. As explained previously, associations are formed on the basis of ideas of circumstances, events, actions, and outcomes that co-occur with some regularity, either at the same time or within a relatively short interval. Regularity of co-occurrence is of course determined by the apparent similarity of these events actions etc. In this process the determination of what is similar and what is dissimilar is the essential ingredient and it too is determined by association. Of most importance in determining the idea of similarity is the dual coding of the event action etc. with the emotional experience it provides.

Automatic self generating groupings. 

To understand the formation of conjectures, and how they could automatically form themselves into self generated groups, a close look at how associations work is necessary. As explained in the section on the first stage of development the initial conjectures are mostly concerning the dual coding of external sensory information with internally generated emotional reactions to the eternal sensory information. These are the first conjectures the sensory information A is (always accompanied by or followed by) emotion B. The initial sensory information appears very changeable and thus amorphous and unclear. But gradually small sensory elements are discerned by the infant as associations are formed with the repeated inclusion of these specific sensory elements. These specific elements over time find themselves repeated in groups with other specific sensory elements in such a way that gradually these sensory elements are always grouped together to form initial concepts.    

Conjecture modification. 

These first conjectures do not need to be true or correct. Indeed the main function of the brain is to improve, modulate or correct existing conjecture. These first rigid conjectures have to be subsequently modified to make them more consistent with the child's continuing experience of the world. These initial conjectures, are over time found to have exceptions, or to have sensory elements included that should not be included, or are missing some sensory elements. Thus they force their own modification to a better form, which more closely matches the child's continuing experience. This takes place by making conjectures more complex by including exceptions, by adding new elements, and subtracting others.

Types of groupings. 

Gradually a differentiation enables conceptual conjectures to be grouped together, and purely abstract conjectures to be grouped together. Each group is identified by the child as having similar elements associated together in each group. Thus we have the beginning of conjectures that are concepts, and the beginning of conjectures that concern how concepts interact with one another. Eventually in a similar way conjectures that are objects are separated from from conjectures that are more abstract concepts. Although it could be said that from there the child has to differentiate other conjectures from those just described that are increasingly more and more specific, this would not be correct. Even the explanation given above does not really match the child's experience in differentiating conjecture out of the chaos of sensory information. 

The world of infant experience. 

In reality what the child experiences is not in any way determined by the way adult humans structure conjectures as categories that fit neatly one inside another. What happens, with infants in constructing conjectures that are concepts etc., happens simultaneously and spontaneously. Thus they are more likely to form a conjecture that is initially more specific rather than general. For instance the concept of a primary caregiver probably is differentiated out of the confused muddle before the concept of people or moving objects or even the more inclusive concept of a physical object. The reason this is the case is that, what tends to be differentiated out of the chaos of sensory data, tends to be those elements that most often occur and are thus associated with various other elements. In the early life of an infant no sensory elements are more likely to occur than those elements that make up a primary caregiver.               

Greenspan and Shanker stress the importance of the child building a relationship with caregivers at this second stage and the role of caregivers in determining that this development proceeds well:

"The second stage involves helping a baby use her emotional interest in the world to form a relationship and become engaged in it. With warm nurturing the baby now becomes progressively more invested and interested in certain people. No longer will just any face or smell do. It has to be the mother's face or smell. From day one the baby begins distinguishing primary caregivers from others; from two to five months, this ability reaches a crescendo though joyful smiles and coos and a deep sense of pleasure and intimacy."

One of the criticisms of Piaget has been that he pays insufficient attention to the factor of learning, and more particularly of how children learn, as opposed to what they learn. Learning is not just one thing. Children not only learn but they also learn certain specific skills along the way that make learning easier (they learn how to learn). Greenspan and Shanker's approach by contrast is more concerned with the process the infant uses in learning than any specific thing learned. 

Primary caregivers. 

Certain sensory elements that appear to be recurring for infants are the images, sounds and smells of primary caregivers, usually mothers. These sensory elements build in two ways. They build into a conjectural concept of an entity separate from the rest of external reality. Secondly they are associated with mostly pleasurable emotions that the infant experiences when they are present. These in turn are associated with ideas of circumstances, events, actions, and outcomes to become conjectures that can thus be grouped together as similar or differentiated as different from other conjectures.

Greenspan and Shanker suggest that these relationship conjectures are necessary precursors for higher learning abilities to develop and thus for intelligence to develop. They continue: 

"In addition, higher levels of learning and intelligence depend on sustained relationships that build trust and intimacy. This progress involves more than simply fulfilling concrete needs. The concrete person that just wants 'things' never becomes a fully reflective thinker in life's most important areas. For example if we look at other people just as things we will not understand how they think and feel. Understanding others and feeling empathy for them comes from investing other human beings with one's own feelings. This ability, however, begins with first relationships. It depends on nurturing care that creates a sense of intimacy. When a baby becomes interested in her primary caregiver as a special person who brings her joy and pleasure, as well as a little annoyance and unhappiness, it is not only emotional interactions that begin flowering. A new level of intelligence is also reached. She is now learning to discriminate the joys and pleasures of the human world from her interests of the inanimate world."

Further convergence.

The interrelatedness of these early conjectures proceeds as infant conjectures lead from one type of understanding to a different type of understanding. Conjectures provide skills that enable new conjectures. For instance the pleasure provided by caregivers initiates infant motivation to understand caregivers. Greenspan and Shanker explain:

"Her joy and pleasure in her caregivers enable her to decipher patterns in their voices. She begins to discriminate their emotional interests, such as joy and indifference, and annoyance. She begins to figure out facial expressions as well. Thus begins the long journey of learning to recognize patterns and organize perceptions into meaningful categories."

Socialization. 

By learning to guess how caregivers are feeling and moderating their own behavior to influence adult emotions, infants at this stage are starting to become socialized. Or more correctly they are beginning to socialize themselves. Greenspan and Shanker continue:

"In forming a deeper, more intimate relationship, the baby is also learning her first lessons in becoming a social being, the cornerstone of being part of a family, group or community, as well as eventually, a culture and a society."

A shared world. 

Although at this stage there is on separate defined self there is nevertheless some progress toward a conjecture of personal uniqueness as Greenspan and Shanker portray: 

Also a baby's sense of self and consciousness is moving forward. Now that she is discriminating the human and inanimate worlds, the infant goes from feeling a part of a global world of sensations to a sense of 'shared humanity.' There is no separate, defined sense of 'self' yet, but from shared intimacy with caregivers, a growing sense of special human feelings is emerging."

Convergence. 

Certain events tend to repeat in the world, and a child, who has become interested in the world, begins to notice this. With this comes speculation of continuance on the part of the infant. The child suspects that certain things continue. Each experience the child has with mommy coalesces into a group of experiences the child experiences as mommy experiences. At the same time all the experiences the child has also coalesces into experiences that happen to me and simultaneously experiences that happened to others. Eventually these grouped snapshots of experience will become concepts. They will become mommy me and others. At this stage they are not yet concepts they are still too vague. They are conjectures but amorphous ones, and still somewhat temporary.  

These converging, but still mostly unformed ideas, provide further anticipation of the world and with that disappointment and confirmation of conjectures about reality. Each confirmation of these anticipations or expectations renders it just a bit more real and a bit more likely to be grouped with similar anticipations and expectations.

Needs Interest Method Reality Keys How to Help Creative Genius Future What is Wrong Theories Plus
George Kelly Cognitive Structure Meaningfulness Iteration Thought Codes
Myths Adult Development Conjecture Reality Patterns Correlations
Symbolism Reality Tests Multi Causes Gray Area Standardization Adult Development

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