Piaget

• stage 1

  • sensori-motor stage
  • 0 - 2 years
  • experience the world through senses
• stage 2

  • pre-operational stage
  • 2 - 7 years
  • object permanence
  • animism
  • egocentrism
• stage 3

  • concrete operational stage
  • 7 - 11 years
  • decentration
  • reversibility
  • conservation
• stage 4

  • formal operational stage
  • 11+ years
  • solve problems in abstract way
  • can test predictions and make inferences
• assimilation?

  put new information into an existing schema
• accommodation?

  create a new schema for new information
• object permanence?

  Understanding that objects continue to exist even when they are not visible - able to hold mental images
• animism?

  thinking inanimate objects have feelings
• egocentrism?

  only see things from their point of view
• decentration?

  able to deal with two bits of information at the same time, and can see things from other people's point of view
• reversibility?

  understand numbers and objects can be taken back to their original form
• conservation?

  understand properties of objects do not change even if object's appearance does
• Criticisms:

  • too reductionist - takes something complex like development down into age groups; some argue we should take a more holistic view and look at genetics, emotional state etc
  • too rigid and don't follow individualistic differences
  • focuses too much on logic and not enough on creativity