Cognitive Theory of Development

Jean Piaget

Jean Piaget

▪ Born August 9, 1896 in Neuchatel, Switzerland

▪ Died on September 16, 1980

▪ First psychologist to make a systematic study of cognitive

development

▪ High School at age 11

▪ Brilliant scientific career

▪ Albino Sparrow

▪ After High school

▪ Studied natural sciences at the University of Neuchatel

▪ University of Zurich

▪ Interested in psychoanalysis

Piaget’s Continued Education

▪ Moved to France

▪ Ecole de la rue la Grange-aux-Belles a boys’

▪ Alfed Binet

▪ Tests to measure intelligence

▪ Piaget developed French versions of questions on English intelligence tests

▪ First experimental studies of the growing mind

▪ Intrigued by wrong answers

▪ Logical reasoning

▪ Difference in learning between adults and children▪ Less competent

▪ Children think in different ways

Piaget’s Research

▪ 1923 married Valentine Chatenay

▪ 3 kids

▪ Jacqueline

▪ Lucienne

▪ Laurent

▪ Studied their development from infancy to adolescence

▪ Began to research developmental psychology and

genetic epistemology

▪ Epistemology

▪ The origins of thinking: basics of categorizing

Piaget’s Theory

3 Components of Piaget’s Theory

▪ Schemas

▪ Adaptation processes that enable

transitions▪ Assimilation

▪ Accommodation

▪ Equilibrium

▪ Force that drives learning

▪ 4 Stages of Development

4 Stages of Development

▪Sensorimotor

▪Preoperational

▪Concrete Operational

▪Formal Operational

Four Stages of the Cognitive Development Theory

Stage 1

Sensorimotor Stage

Birth-2 years

Key Feature:

Object Permanence

▪Object still exist even when hidden▪ Ball and blanket study: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue8y-JVhjS0

Four Stages of the Cognitive Development Theory

Stage 2

Preoperational Stage

2-7 years

Key Feature:

▪Egocentrism (about themselves)

▪ Child assumes: others see, hear and feel

▪ Three Mountains:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OinqFgsIbh0

Four Stages of the Cognitive Developmental Theory

Stage 3

Concrete Operational Stage

7-11 years

Key Feature:

Conservation

▪ The understanding that something stays the same in quantity, even though its appearance changes

Four Stages of Piaget’s Cognitive Development Theory

Stage 4Formal Operational Stage

11 yrs+

Key Feature:

• Manipulate ideas (abstract thinking)

• Without using concrete manipulation

• Mathematical calculations

• Think creatively

• Use abstract reasoning

• Imagine the outcome of certain actions

• Deductive reasoning:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjJdcXA1KH8

Interesting Facts and Opinions

• Piaget’s believes:

• Individual learning

• Flexibility in the curriculum

• Play is important in learning

• Learning by discovery

• Use of the environment

• Evaluation of children’s progress

Something to remember:

Just because it’s not measureable does

not mean that it is not valuable.

• Piaget did not purposely

relate his studies and

research to education

• Future researchers

applied his theory to

teaching and learning

Criticisms

Cognitive Development Theory • Vygotsky and Bruner

• Development is continuous

• Vygotsky: Ability to communicate was more important in reasoning than

interaction with the environment

• Social settings and cultures were not taken into consideration

• Observations and clinical interviews were conducted alone

• Compare research

• Data is biased

• Piaget’s tests were confusing

• Formal operational stage is not guaranteed

• 40-60% of college students fail to be in the formal operational stage. (1979)

• 1/3 of adults – (1994)

Piaget in our classroom today-

• Facilitate learning, but not through direct instruction

• Focus on the process, rather than the result of the learning

• Use interactive approaches so children rediscover and reconstruct truths

• Collaborations and individual learning • Learn from each other

• Propose real-life situations to solve problems

• Evaluate of the child’s level of development • Teach according to the child

• Every child learns at their own pace

• Piaget’s theory has changed:• How we view a child’s world• Methods of studying children • Methods of teaching children • Better understanding cognitive development

*See Handout

Refernces

• McLeod, S. A. (2015). Jean Piaget. Retrieved from www.simplypsychology.org/piaget.html

• http://ehlt.flinders.edu.au/education/DLiT/2000/Piaget/tests.htm

• http://aptitudetest.tripod.com/1.pdf

• www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjJdcXA1KH8

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OinqFgsIbh0

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue8y-JVhjS0

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue8y-JVhjS0

• http://www.edpsycinteractive.org/topics/cogsys/piagtuse.html