Cognitive

Development
(Piagets Theory)
By: Sheila Wong, Shereen Lim, Tang Tsiao Ming
Piagets Theory:
ThePiagetstagesofdevelopmentisablueprintthatdescribesthe
stagesofnormal intellectual development,frominfancythrough
adulthood.Thisincludesthought,judgment,andknowledge.
Piaget's four stages of
intellectual (or cognitive)
development are:
Sensorimotor Stage : Birth-2yearsold
Preoperational Stage :Toddlerhood(2yearsold)-early
childhood(7yearsold)
Concrete operational Stage :7to12yearsold
Formal operational Stage : Adolescencethroughadulthood
(12yearsoldandabove)
Sensorimotor stage:Infantsareexploring
theworldaroundthemthroughsenses
(touch,hear,see,smell,taste)
Sensorimotor Stage
Sensorimotor Substages
1.Reflexiveschemes(Birth-1month)
2.Primarycircularreactions(1-4months)
3.Secondarycircularreactions(4-8months)
4.Coordinationofsecondarycircularreactions(8-12
months)
5.Tertiarycircularreactions(12-18reactions)
6.Mentalrepresentation(18months-2years)
Typical Adaptive Behaviour
Newborn reflexes:Eyeblink,sucking,swimming,
steppingandetc.)
Simple motor habits:Theyopentheirmouths
differentlyforanipplethanaspoon.
Limited anticipation of events:Ahungry3-month-old
willstopcryingashismomenterstheroom-asignal
thatfeedingtimeisnear.
Infantsrepeat interesting events inthesurrounding
environmentthatarecausedbytheirownactions.
Abilitytofindahiddenobjectinthefirstlocationin
whichitishidden(object permanence)?StillmakeA-
not-Bsearcherror;improvedanticipationofevents
Abilitytosearchinseverallocationsforahidden
object(accurateA-Bsearch),betterproblemsolvers,
imitatemanymorebehaviors(makingfunnyfaces)
Abilitytofindanobjectthathasbeenmovedwhile
outofsight(invisibledisplacement),deffered
imitation andmake-believe play
Preoperational Stage
Abilitytothinksymbolicallybuttheirthinkingisstillnot completely
logical,cannot manipulate information
Unabletotakethepointofviewofotherpeople,whichiscalled
egocentrism/self-centered
Theycannotyetgraspmorecomplexconceptssuchascauseand
effect,time,andcomparison.
Engageinmake-believe play-increasinglyadept at using symbols,as
evidencedbytheincreaseinplayingandpretending.
Animism:thebeliefthatinanimateobjectshavelifelikequalities
Inability to conserve (Conservationreferstotheideathatcertain
physicalcharacteristicsofobjectsremainthesame,evenwhentheir
outwardappearancechanges.)
Concrete operational Stage
Abilitytoconserve
Abilitytodoclassification/comparison
Seriation (Abilitytorankinordersuchaslengthandweight
Notegocentric
Reversibilitywhichreferstotheabilitytorecognizethat
numbersorobjectscanbechangedandreturnedtotheir
originalcondition.
Spatial reasoning:Theabilitytounderstandandtoreason
(todrawconclusions)usingcuesintheenvironmentthat
conveyinformationaboutdistance or direction.
Formal operational Stage
Hypothetico-Deductive Reasoning:Makinghypothesis,
prediction,inferences,solvesophisticatedabstractproblems
Logicalthinking
Abstract concepts:Thinkaboutoutcomesandconsequences
Problem-Solving
Decision making
Idealism and Criticism
Schema
What is Schema?

Piaget(1952)definedaschemaas:
Acohesive,repeatableactionsequence
possessingcomponentactionsthatare
tightlyinterconnectedandgovernedbya
coremeaning.
In more simpler terms

Schemaisthebasicbuilding
blockofintelligentbehaviour-a
wayoforganizingknowledge.
Two processes underlie an
individuals construction of the
world:
(a)Organization
(b)Adaptation
(i)Assimilation
(ii)Accommodation
 Assimilation-
-Ithappenswhenchildrenisusinganexisting
schematodealwithaNEWobjectorsituation.
Accommodation-
-Ithappenswhentheexistingschemadoesnot
work,andneedstobechangedtodealwithanew
objectorsituation.
 Equilibrium
- WhenachildsschemaCANdealwithmostnew
informationthroughassimilation.However,disequilibrium
occurswhennewinformationcannotbefittedinto
existingschemas(assimilation).
- Thisistheforcethatdrivesthelearningprocess/cognitive
development.
Milestone
Some Cognitive Attainments of Infancy and Toddlerhood
Approximate Age Cognitive Attainments
Birth-1month Primarycircularreactions(limitedmotorskills)
Exp:suckingnipple,accesstosightsandsounds
1-4months Awarnessofmanyphysicalproperties-objectpermanence,objectsolidityandobject
support.
Deferredimitationofanadultsfacialexpressionafterashortdelay(1day)
Categorizationofobjectsperceptually
4-8months Improvedphysicalknowledgeandbasicnumericalknowledge
Deferredimitationofadultsnovelactionsovershortdelay(1-3days)
Categorizationofobjectsonthebasicsubtlesetsoffeatures(evenperceptualcontrast
minimal)
8-12months Abilitytosearchhiddenobjectwhencoveredbyacloth
Abilitytosolvesimpleproblemsbyanalogytoapreviousproblem
12-18months Abilitytosearchinseverallocationsforahiddenobject
Awarenessthatobjectscontinuetoexistintheirhiddenlocationsevenwhenthetoddler
hasleftthelocation
Deferredimitationofanadultsfacialexpressionafterlongdelaysandacrossachange
12-18months Rationalimitation,inferringthemodelsintentions
Flexiblecategorizationofobjects(firstononebasisthenanother)
Displacedreferenceofwords

18months-2years Abilitytofindanobjectmovedwhileoutofsight(invisibledisplacement)
Deferredimitationofactionsanadulttryingtoproduce(evenifthesearenot
fullyrealizad)
Deferredimitationofeverydaybehaviorsinmake-believeplay
Beginningawarenessofpicturesandvideoassymbolsofreality.
Some Cognitive Attainments of Early Childhood

Approximate Age Cognitive Attainments

2-4years Showsdramaticincreaseinrepresentationalactivity
-reflectedinlanguage,make-believeplay,drawing,understandingof
symbol-real-worldrelationsandcategorization
Takesperspectiveofothersinsimplified,familiarsituationsandin
everyday,face-to-facecommunication.
Distinguishesanimatebeingsfrominanimateobjects;deniesthat
magiccanaltereverydayexperiences
Graspsconservation,noticestransformation,reversesthinking,and
understandsmanycauseandeffectrelationshipsinfamiliarcontexts
Categorizesobjectsonthebasicofcommonfunction,behaviorand
naturalkind.(notonlyperceptualfeatures)
4-7years Becomesincreasinglyawarethatmake-believe(andotherthought
processes)arerepresentationalactivities.
Replacesbeliefsinmagicalcreaturesandeventswithplausible
explanations
Milestone
Some Cognitive Attainments of Middle Childhood and Adolescence

Approximate Age Cognitive Attainments

MiddleChildhood Thinksinmoreorganized,logicalfashionaboutconcreteinformation
7-11years Displaysmoreeffectivespatialreasoningabilitytoconstructwell-organized
cognitivemapsandgiveclearinformation.
Adolescence Reasonsabstractlyinsituationsthatoffermanyopportunitiesforhypothetico-
11-18years deductivereasoningandpropositionalthought
Graspsthelogicalnecessityofpropositionalthought,permittingreasoning
aboutpremisesthatcontradictreality
Displaysimaginaryaudienceandpersonalfable,whichgraduallydecline
Improvesindecision-makingstrategies
Educational Implications of Piagets
Theory
1.Afocusontheprocessofchildrensthinking,notjustitsproducts.
-checkingthecorrectnessofchildrensanswer,understandthe
processeschildrenusetogettheanswer
2.Recognitionofthecrucialroleofchildrensself-initiated,active
involvementinlearningactivities.
-childrenareencouragetodiscoverforthemselvesthroughspontaneous
interactionwiththeenvironment.
-teachersprovidearichvarietyofactivitiesthatpermitchildrentoact
directlyonthephysicalworld