Piaget’s Theory Of Cognitive Development Flashcards
What are the two types of learning suggested by Piaget ?
Accommodation and assimilation.
What is meant by accommodation ?
Accommodation is when a child is exposed to new information which radically changes their existing knowledge and so to deal with this information, they accommodate it by forming new schemas.
What is meant by assimilation ?
Assimilation is when we incorporate new information into existing schemas as it does not radically change our existing knowledge.
What is a schema ?
A mental framework of ideas and beliefs which is built through experiences.
Where does the motivation to learn originate from ?
The unpleasant emotions associated with disequilibrium
What is meant by disequilibrium ?
-When an individual encounters an unfamiliar situation and assimilation isn’t enough to understand it.
-Instability is one’s cognitive state.
What does disequilibrium lead to ?
One exploring their environment to improve their understanding of a situation and develop their schema leading to equilibrium.
What is meant by equilibration ?
-Stability in one’s cognitive state.
-The desired mental state which occurs when new or existing schemas are complete.
What are two strengths of Piaget’s theory of cognitive development ?
- Research support
-Howe et al found that children aged 9-12 all developed different understandings of an object moving down a slope - they all reported different details.
-Supports theory - children formed individual mental representations of how the object moved down the slope. - Real life application in education
theory has revolutionised classroom teaching - children now actively engage e.g pre reading, classroom discussion.
children gain their own understanding of the curriculum thus allowing them to perform better.
What is one limitation of Piaget’s theory of cognition and development ?
- Opposing theory
Vygotsky (emphasises role of others in learning)
Piaget underestimates the role of others in learning