Theory of Cognitive Development Jean Piaget

Born in Neuchatel, Switzerland Was the eldest child, and as such was precocious (bright for his age) Strong interest in seashells, initially

Piaget was interested in philosophy, psychology & religion He worked with Simon, of the Simon-Binet intelligence testing, but Piaget was more concerned with how children learn, rather than distinguishing right/wrong His academic work forms the basis for our current educational system

He married Valentine Chatenay in 1923 and together they had 2 daughters followed by 1 son After a lifetime of efforts he was known as ‘one of the most significant psychologists of the 20 th century’

1. Sensorimotor Period Lasts from birth to 2 years of age The child: uses his senses and his increasing motor skills to explore the environment begins to use to use language to imitate and represent the environment

Seriation is… The placing or grouping of like objects together

Object Permanence or Person Permanence is when The child learns that an object or person continues to exist even when not in sight

Egocentric The child is aware only of himself and his own likes, dislikes, and wants He cannot see other people’s perspectives

Assimilation means… To incorporate new ideas into an existing schema (or concept) i.e. – a ball

Accommodation means… To adapt old schema (concept) and develop new schema for interacting with it when a child adapts his/her existing ideas to fit new understandings For example…

According to Piaget: Assimilation + Accommodation = Learning

2. Pre-operational Period Lasts from 2 – 7 years of age The child can speak and print words His memory and imagination develops His thinking is often not logical Much ego-centric thinking occurs He learns that symbols represent something else; for example…

A Stop sign means to STOP!

3. Concrete Operations Period Lasts from 7-11 years of age The child has the ability to do simple math and measurement, with manipulatives He begins to understand cause & effect He can think about real, concrete things in systematic ways, but cannot understand abstract concepts He is no longer egocentric (he can now understand other people’s points of view)

A number line is useful for math

Conservation means… The amount, weight, volume & number of things stays the same even when the outward appearance of objects or groups is changed

A short glass of water is the same amount as a tall glass half full of water

Reversability means… An action can be undone or reverted to its previous state

A ball of clay…

Can be made into a clay bowl

But it can be reformed into a ball of clay

4. Formal Operations Period Lasts from about 11 – 15 years of age A child is able to think and reason in purely abstract terms (in his head, without having concrete items in front of him) He is able to use logic and abstract thinking He questions previously accepted thoughts, ideas and values

Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development