Piaget's theory of cognitive development

• Did Piaget think children know less than adults?

  No. He thought that children do not know less than adults, children go through stages & develop skills/knowledge differently.
• Schemas

  -mental packages of information

  -children are born with some schemas (mostly about themselves)

  -as children develop, schemas get more sophisticated

  -develop via experience
• what motivates children to learn?

  Disequilibrium and equilibration (equilibrium).
• Disequilibrium

  -state of cognitive imbalance

  -happens when experiences/objects can't be assimilated into existing schemas

  -motivates children to learn and reach cognitive balance through equilibration
• Equilibration

  -go through this process with assimilation & accommodation

  -assimilation: fitting new information into an existing schema

  -accommodation: need to make a new schema for the information (for drastically new information)
• AO3

  Strength(s):

  -supporting research: Howe et al (1992). Tested 9-12 year olds (groups of 4), watched the motion of the same object going down a slope. All ppts reported different info. Increases the validity of Piaget's theory as all ppts had different original schemas & had to assimilate & accommodate.

  -Practical application: learning seen as an active process, made classrooms more active (discovery learning) e.g., science practicals. Has use & fulfils psych aim. D: economic implications: pay for resources & training. But, overall, the theory has use.

  
  

  Weakness(es):

  -Ethnocentric sample: white, middle-class, well educated families. People from poorer families have had less education opportunities so have less interest & haven't gone through as much equilibration. Theory can't be generalised as the sample lacked representation.

  -alternative explanation: Vygotsky said learning was a social process - children learn through interactions. Put an emphasis on language. Piaget's theory is reductionist.