Theories of Theories of Cognitive Cognitive Development Development Jean Piaget Jean Piaget
Jan 01, 2016
Theories of Cognitive Theories of Cognitive DevelopmentDevelopment
Theories of Cognitive Theories of Cognitive DevelopmentDevelopment
Jean PiagetJean Piaget
Jean Piaget (1896-1980)
Overview of Piaget’s Theories
• Sequence of stages• Schema: mental structure which
helps to organize knowledge
• Assimilation – placing new info in a pre-existing schemai.e. Classifying a zebra as a horse (similar traits)
• Accommodation – modifying schema to fit new infoi.e. Forming a new schema for zebra
(different than a horse)
A horse is a horse, of course…
Sensorimotor Stage (birth-2 years)
• Senses & actions• Reflexes• Basics of language• Object Permanence: objects
removed from sight still exist
Sensorimotor Stage • Primary circular reactions
– Experiment with own bodies (move arms, make noises w/mouth)
• Secondary circular reactions– Respond to other people/objects
• Tertiary circular reactions– Explore outside world
• Egocentrism: one-dimensional thinking (everyone thinks/sees like me)– Animism: attribute life to
physical, non-living objects– Artificialism: natural
phenomena are created by people
Preoperational Stage (ages 2-7)
• Lacks conservation (has centration) – does not recognize that basic properties of substances such as weight & mass remain the same when other features change (i.e. shape)
•
• Theory of Mind – children’s ideas about their own and others’ mental states (thoughts, feelings) and the behaviors they predict
• Symbolic representation
• Objective responsibility – assignment of blame according to the amount of damage done rather than the motives of the actor
Concrete Operational Stage (ages 7-12 years)
• Logic – tangible objects rather than abstract ideas
• Capable of decentration – they can center on two dimensions at one time (achieve
conservation)
• Subjective judgments of responsibility
• Concept of reversibility – recognition that processes can be undone, that things can be returned to their previous condition
Formal Operational Stage (12 years +)
• Cognitive maturity• Abstract thought• Hypothetical situations• Reasoning & analyzing
Evaluation of Piaget
• Accurate timing of stages?• Does development occur in
stages?• Do we all go through same
stages, same order, same time?
Lev Vygotsky
• Emphasized intellectual growth based on social environment
• Scaffolding• Zone of proximal development