Piaget's theory of cognitive development

• Jean Piaget


  • Realised that the way children think changes as they get older.
• Schema


  As children develop, they construct detailed mental frameworks of the world. This contains information we have of something.
• Cognitive development


  • The way a person's knowledge, thinking and intelligence changes as they get older.
• Assimilation


  • Takes place when we add new information to an existing schema.
• Accommodation


  • Takes place when we acquire new information which changes our understanding to an extent where a new schema is formed.
• Piaget's stages

  • Sensorimotor stage
  • Pre-operational stage
  • Concrete operational stage
  • Formal operational stage
• Conservation


  Knowing that the amount of something stays the same even though it's appearance changes

  
  

  • Children struggle to realise glasses contain the same amount of water even though one is taller
• Egocentrism


  Not being able to see things from another person's point of view

  • When asked to describe what somebody else's view of a mountain would be, children struggle
• Object permanence


  Knowing that objects still exist, even when they are not in sight.

  • A child would think an object has disappeared if you take it away from their sight
• Sensorimotor stage


  • 0-2 years
  • Children learn about the world through senses
  • Develop object permanence
• Pre-operational stage 


  • 2-7 years
  • Children are more mobile but don't think logically
  • Children are egocentric.
  • Only view world from their own perspective
• Concrete operational stage 


  • 7-11 years
  • Perform better on tests for egocentrism (understand perspectives)
  • Develop the ability to conserve
  • Struggle with object permanence still.
• Formal operational stage 


  • 11+ years
  • Children can focus on the form of an argument.
  • Can solve problems in systematic ways.