theories of cognitive development jean piaget. jean piaget (1896-1980)
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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