Jean Piaget 's Theory Of Cognitive Development

Sub-stage 5-twelve to eighteen months, this stage is characterized by a child’s ability to conceptualize the idea that an object that cannot be seen still exists. The sixth and final sub-stage of the Sensorimotor Period is eighteen to twenty-four months, this stage is characterized by a child’s ability to understand through reasoning and express themselves creatively (Lefmann & Combs-Orme, 2013). Stage 2-Pre-operational Thought (i.e., 2 - 7 years old); the Pre-operational Thought period is defined by a child's ability to create their own form of communication. Sub-stages of the Pre-operational Thought are characterized by a child’s ability to identify characteristics of photographs and their use of an intuitive thought process (Powell & Kalina, 2009). Concrete Operations (i.e., 7 – 12 years old); the Concrete Operational period is defined by a child's ability to reason logically. Formal Operations (i.e., 12 years old - Adulthood); the Formal Operational period is defined by a child's ability to use critical thinking and analytical reasoning to approach new challenges. Children initially enter into action-based (sensorimotor) and progress into a mental (operational) level as they grow older (Powell & Kalina, 2009). A comparison of the theories of Jean Piaget and Erik Erikson is important to gain a holistic point of view of a child’s developmental progress.

Jean Piaget was a field altering stage theorist born in 1896 of Swiss descent. He was a pioneer in the concept of cognitive development. Cognitive development is by definition the study of how children acquire the ability to learn, think, reason, communicate, and remember. Piaget opened up and dissected the question, “how do children construct their worlds”. Piaget was the first person to present a comprehensive account of cognitive development. In the following essay I will dissect the complex and varying differences between a 3-year-old preschooler and a 9-year-old student in terms of the theories professed by Piaget. As a stage theorist Piaget focused on children’s development involving radical reorganization of thinking at specific common points. He dissected the

Piaget, Erikson, Skinner and Vygotsky all have similarities and differences within their approaches in regards to cognitive development. Firstly, Piaget’s theory of cognitive development describes the changes in logical thinking of children and adolescents. Piaget suggested that children proceed through four stages that are based on maturation and experience. Piaget managed numerous intelligence tests to children and this led to him becoming interested in the types of faults children of different ages were most probable to make. Piaget hypothesized that cognitive development proceeds in four genetically determined stages that always follow the same sequential order (Developmental and Learning Theories, 2011). The four stages in Piaget theory are the Sensorimotor stage (infancy), the Pre-operational stage (Toddler and Early Childhood), the Concrete operational stage (Elementary and early adolescence), and the Formal operational stage (Adolescence and adulthood). Furthermore, Piaget’s theory is guided by assumptions of how learners interact with their environment and how they integrate new knowledge and information on existing knowledge. In brief, Piaget proposed that children are active learners who build knowledge from their environments and they learn through assimilation and accommodation, and complex cognitive development occurs through equilibration (Developmental and Learning Theories, 2011). Piaget also believed that the interaction with physical and social

Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development is a theory built upon stages in the development of children. Each stage in this theory pertains to specific age ranges, and involves cognitive achievements and limitations distinct to that age. The theory attempts to depict how children understand the world throughout their development. Though the theory follows an age range with certain the theory itself should not always be seen as concrete (Bibace, 2013). Piaget’s theory of cognitive development can be used in classrooms around the world to have an underlying understanding of a child’s development based on their age. Piaget’s theory can also be used to help identify developmental delay in children compared to their peers at similar ages

The way that children think, see the world and the language that is used from the information that is received is described in Piaget 's theory as 'Piaget 's Cognitive Stages '. Piaget believed that the cognitive development of a child occurs in stages from birth to adulthood. These stages are: sensorimotor; preoperational; concrete operations and formal operations. Each stage has developmental milestones that are contained within it, in terms of the scenario a child that is in Year 8 would have already moved out of both the sensorimotor and preoperational stages. Concrete and formal operations would be observed with children in Year 8 as the stages recommend that children within the ages of 7-12 & 12+ will experience specific developmental milestones.

Jean Piaget is considered to be very influential in the field of developmental psychology. Piaget had many influences in his life which ultimately led him to create the Theory of Cognitive Development. His theory has multiple stages and components. The research done in the early 1900’s is still used today in many schools and homes. People from various cultures use his theory when it comes to child development. Although there are criticisms and alternatives to his theory, it is still largely used today around the world.

When we are born we have a different mindset then when we are at adult age. We view

In this essay I want to analyse Jean Piaget’s (1936) stage theory of cognitive development and Erik Erikson’s (1959) theory on stage development. Piaget’s theory focuses on cognitive development where Erikson’s applies a more psychosocial lens. I will be analysing the key concepts of each theory and comparing them to see the similarities and differences in the theorists thinking.

Cognitive development is much more than addition of new facts and ideas to an existing store of information. According to Piaget, our thinking processes change radically, though slowly, from birth to maturity because we constantly strive to make sense of our world. He also believed that all people pass through the same four stages (sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational) in the exact same order. These four stages are required for one to gain understanding of his or her world.

There have been many people that have made huge contributions to the school of psychology. Perhaps one of the most influential theorists was Jean Piaget. Piaget was a philosopher, biologist, educationalist, and psychologists. He decided to study the many ways in which children develop knowledge. He made many contributions to his theories on the cognitive development stages. Cognitive development is the process of acquiring intelligence an increasingly advance thought and problem-solving ability from infancy to adulthood (Oakley 2004). It was Piaget who first noted that children learned difficulty than adults do in the ways in which they thought about and interpreted the world (Oakley 2004). He’s ideas were that adults did not simply know more than children, but that their knowledge of the world was structured differently. Piaget suggested that children at different stages of their development thought about and interpreted their world in many different ways (Oakley 2004). There are three main principals of Piaget’s theory along with the four stage of cognitive development that will be discussed in the paper below. Thanks to Piaget, the theory of cognitive development has made a significant impact in the way that teachers teach in the classroom today.

In this stage, children learn the abstract concepts such as quantity, space and time. Children can also apply these concepts in real life situations, but at the same time, they face problems in thinking independently. According to Piaget, children's ideas about space and time are inconsistent sometimes, but they have basic knowledge of logic that they use for the cognitive operations. At this stage, children can learn rules very easily but face complications in having the thorough understanding of the logical implications of the rules that are changed in the unusual situations. The fourth and last stage of the cognitive development is the formal operation stage that started at the age around 12 and lasts until later life. In this stage, children become more able to have more hypothetical and theoretical reasoning. Rules can be applied to the various situations with the most effective use of ‘if' reasoning. In this stage, individuals accept the valid reasoning (Modgil, Modgil, & Brown, 2013).

Jean Piaget’s theory of cognitive development was divided into schemas, adaptation processes, and stages of development. Schemas can be described as the building blocks of knowledge which allow us to development mental models of our environment. The adaptation processes are divided into equilibrium, assimilation, and accommodation. His stages of development were further split into four components of its own; sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational. Before Piaget, many assumed in a society that children were on equal grounds with adults in terms of reasoning and even to some extent, logical thinking. Piaget introduced his theory which essentially describes the active development of a child’s understanding of the world which disproved previous assumptions. The general understanding of this theory is that as their bodies grew their minds did as well.

Numerous papers have been written on Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development Theory. Most fall short of helping others understand what exactly Jean Piaget means when it comes to the three basic components to Piaget’s Cognitive Theory. These two articles I have chosen to use in this paper, give the best explanation on his theory. This paper will go into detail on the key concepts of Piaget’s Cognitive Theory and hopefully help others understand in its simplest form.

All children are unique as they learn, progress, develop at different rates and in a variety of ways. Nearly all theorists agree on the principles of children’s learning expansion in general and play a vital fragment of early childhood development. They all accept that cognitive learning is relatively systematic and takes place gradually at a variety of rates. Learning only occurs when experience causes a permanent change in an individual’s knowledge or behaviour (Weatherby-Fell, N. 2013). I am reviewing Burrus Federic Skinner’s behavioural theory and Jean Piaget cognitive development theory. This report style essay will provide an overview of the two theorists, a comparison between the two in relation to the image of the child, teaching, learning and development, and an analysis of how these two approaches align with the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF). Subsequently, details of both theories will be discussed and explained to illuminate the differences and connections to how children learn. These two extremely well-known theorists’ approaches are stimulating, cause reflection upon learning methods and ensures thought provoking teaching.

Jean Piaget, a cognitivist, believed children progressed through a series of four key stages of cognitive development. These four major stages, sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational, are marked by shifts in how people understand the world. Although the stages correspond with an approximate age, Piaget’s stages are flexible in that if the child is ready they can reach a stage. Jean Piaget developed the Piagetian cognitive development theory. Piaget’s theory of cognitive development proposes that a child’s intellect, or cognitive ability, progresses through four distinct stages. The emergence of new abilities and ways of processing information characterize each stage. Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development suggests that children move through four different stages of mental development. His theory focuses not only on understanding how children acquire knowledge, but also on understanding the nature of intelligence.