Piaget’s Perspective

By:

Sheila Blocher

Krista Bowen

Leah Doughman

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Cognitive-Stage Theory

• Jean Piaget (1896-1980) was a Swiss theoretician who applied his broad knowledge of biology, philosophy, and psychology to observations of children.

• Piaget developed his cognitive learning theory to explain how children think.

• Piaget believed that the core of intelligent behavior was an inborn ability to adapt to the environment.

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Cognitive-Stage Theory• Piaget believed that cognitive growth

occurs due to adaptation, a two-step process of assimilation and accommodation.

• Assimilation is the process of taking in new information about the world.

• Accommodation is the process of changing one’s ideas to include the new information.

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Cognitive-Stage Theory

• Piaget believed that development occurs in stages and that each stage builds the foundation for the next stage.

• According to Piaget, all people go through the same stages in the same order but at different times. Therefore, the ages for each stage are approximate.

• There are four stages in Piaget’s theory.

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Sensorimotor Stage

• This is the first stage of development according to Piaget.

• It lasts from birth to around age two.• In this stage, infants construct an

understanding of the world by coordinating sensory experiences with physical motor actions.

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Sensorimotor Stage

• Babies change from responding primarily through reflexes to becoming goal-oriented toddlers.

• One important concept developed during this stage is object permanence (the realization that objects and people continue to exist even when out of sight).

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Preoperational Stage

• This is the second stage of development.• The preoperational stage is from the age of

two to seven years.• The most important development at this time

is language. • Children develop an internal representation

of the world that allows them to describe people, events, and feelings.

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Characteristics of the Preoperational Stage

• The child is quite egocentric during this stage. The egocentric behavior improves as the child moves toward the concrete stage.

• The child begins to use verbal representation. An example is: My sister is your daughter.

• During this stage, the child also begins to grasp symbolism. An example may be a refrigerator box can be a pirate ship.

• Child struggles with laws of conservation. For example, a child may say there is more orange juice in a tall skinny glass than a short fat glass.

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Study Involving Preoperational Concepts

• Researchers Jennifer Cooper and Roberts Schlesser researched the achievement gap in mathematics in African American and Caucasian kindergarten and first grade students.

• African American students scored significantly lower than Caucasian students on subtests of math fluency and applied problems.

• Students in the transitional stage scored lower than students in the preoperational and concrete stage.

• Teachers should spend more time teaching concepts such as conservation and classification instead of rote memorization.

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Concrete Operational Stage

• This is the third stage of development according to Piaget.

• It occurs between the ages of seven and eleven.

• The individual can reason logically about concrete events and classify objects into sets.

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Concrete Operational Stage

• During this stage the child begins to develop the ability to think abstractly.

• The child is also able to make rational judgments, which in the past they would need to manipulate things physically to understand.

• During this stage the child is able to ask questions and explain things back to someone. (Piaget’s Cognitive Stages)

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Concrete Operational Stage• During this stage, children are in transition in

regards to moral reasoning. • They are showing features that they are in the

moral reasoning stage (ages 7 to 10).• Around the age of 10, children begin to progress

into the autonomous morality stage.• In this stage, children become aware that rules

and law are created by people. They also begin to consider intentions as well as consequences.

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Formal Operational Stage

• This is the final stage of development according to Piaget.

• It occurs between the ages of 11 and 15.

• Individuals move beyond concrete experiences and are able to think more abstractly.

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Formal Operational Stage

• Individuals in this stage think more logically.

• When solving problems, they form and test hypotheses.

• Individuals begin to compare things to the ideal.

• They can see infinite possibilities.

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Bibliography• Acredolo,C.  (1997). Understanding piaget's new theory requires assimilation and

accommodation. Human Development, 40(4), 235-237.  Retrieved from http://proquest.umi.com.ts.isil.westga.edu/pqdweb?index=7&sid=2&srchmode=2&vinst=PROD&fmt=6&startpage=1&clientid=30336&vname=PQD&RQT=309&did=17465631&scaling=FULL&ts=1287432119&vtype=PQD&rqt=309&TS=1287432383&clientId=30336

• Cooper, J., & Schleser, R.. (2006). Closing the Achievement Gap: Examining the role of cognitive developmental level in academic achievement. Early Childhood Education

Journal, 33(5), 301-306.  Retrieved from http://proquest.umi.com.ts.isil.westga.edu/pqdweb?index=0&did=2142193351&SrchMode=2&sid=1&Fmt=6&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1287329469&clientId=30336

• Loose Leaf Library Springhouse Corporation. (1990). Retrieved from http://honolulu.hawaii.edu/intranet/committees/FacDevCom/guidebk/teachtip/piaget.htm

• Papalia, D.E., and Olds, S.W. (1993). A child’s world: infancy through adolescence. New York: McGraw-Hill.

• Santrock, J.W. (2008). Essentials of life-span development. Boston: McGraw-Hill.