preview

Discuss The Aspects Of Jean Piaget's Theory Of Cognitive Development

Decent Essays

Which aspects of Jean Piaget’s theory of cognitive development have been empirically supported or refuted? Jean Piaget proposed his theory of cognitive development in his book ‘The Origins of Intelligence in Children’ (1952). In this theory, he divided cognitive development into a series of stages and periods based on the fundamental assumption that children are mentally active from the moment of birth, a controversial concept at the time since it was previously believed that until a child could communicate that they were not mentally active. His theory can be described as constructivist, meaning that children construct knowledge themselves in response to their experiences. He based his theory primarily on interactions with his own children and additional interviews with other children yet has stood the test of time, remaining the most well known cognitive developmental theory, encompassing a diverse range of topics within children’s development from the first days of infancy through to adolescence. Piaget argued that cognitive development involves both continuities and discontinuities. The three main sources of continuity are vital in driving development and work together from birth. The first process, assimilation, occurs when children integrate new information into their current knowledge (Santrock and Yussen, 1978). Secondly, accommodation is when children ‘adjust to new information’ and enhance their current knowledge in response to new experiences, as defined by

Get Access