Piaget Flashcards
COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT THEORY OF PIAGET
Cognition can be described as the mental processes of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experiences and senses. Some of the cognition processes are logical reasoning, decision making, remembering, problem solving etc. Piaget proposed that intelligence grows and develops through a series of stages. Piaget believed that children take an active role in the learning process, acting much like little scientists as they perform experiments, make observations, and learn about the world. He suggested that early cognitive development involves action and later progresses to changes in the mental operations.
Name the stages
- SENSORIMOTOR STAGE
- PREOPERATIONAL STAGE
- CONCRETE OPERATIONAL STAGE
- FORMAL OPERATIONAL STAGE
SENSORIMOTOR STAGE
During this initial phase of development, children utilise skills and abilities they were born with (such as looking, sucking, grasping, and listening) to learn more about the environment. In other words, infants and young children experience the world and gain knowledge through their senses and motor movements.
Name the stages under SENSORIMOTOR STAGE
- Simple reflexes
- Primary circular reactions
- Secondary circular reactions
- Coordination of reactions
- Tertiary circular reactions
- Early representational thought
Simple reflexes
The understanding in this stage occurs through involuntary reflexes that the child is born with such as sucking, looking, closing fist etc
Primary circular reaction
Involves coordinating sensation to new schemas. Sucking the thumb by accident and later intentionally. They do a lot of things, the things that cause a reaction or are pleasurable are repeated again. Crying to get something or smiling more when encouraged.
Secondary circular reactions
During this substage, the child becomes more focused on the world and begins to intentionally repeat an action in order to trigger a response in the environment. For example, a child will purposefully pick up a toy in order to put it in his or her mouth. Out of sight out of mind. Object Permanence.
Coordination of reactions
Coordination of the primary circular reactions and secondary circular reactions. The child starts to link the senses to particular schemas and then taps into these schemas to act intentionally to achieve the desired effect. For example, a child might realise that a rattle will make a sound when shaken. Then intentionally shake it for their pleasure. Understanding of consequences. Children begin exploring the environment around them and will often imitate the observed behaviour of others. Understands rejection and acceptance.
Tertiary Circular Reaction
Children begin a period of trial-and-error experimentation during the fifth substage. For example, a child may try out different sounds or actions as a way of getting attention from a caregiver.
Early representational thought
Children begin to develop symbols to represent events or objects in the world in the final sensorimotor substage. During this time, children begin to move towards understanding the world through mental operations rather than purely through actions. Start understanding object permanence. Basic problem solving, memory starts to build up, stranger anxiety, primary caretaker gone anxiety.
PREOPERATIONAL STAGE
Language development
strong imagination, they indulge in pretend play, role play.
Symbolic function - they make up mental representations.
Intuitive thought -
Egocentric, The three mountain tasks.
Conservation water and tin and flat glass
Rolled out or flattened clay
More mental processes hence asking questions
CONCRETE OPERATIONAL STAGE
More logical thinking
Understanding conservation
Less egocentric more socio centric
Struggle with abstract hypothetical concepts
Understand other people’s perspective
