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Piaget 's Theory Of Cognitive Development

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Quiz 2 Question One Piaget’s Cognitive Theory Jean Piaget is best known for his theory of cognitive development. Piaget set out on an exploration to understand the developmental process on how children think and process information. Through the exploration Piaget discovered that the overall cognitive process within an individual develops through a combination of maturation of the brain and environmental experiences (Robbins, Chatterjee & Canda, 2011). Along the way Piaget coined key concepts to explain the theory. Some of the key concepts within the theory include schema, the adaptation processes, and the four stages of development. The schema is a mental process in which an individual formulates a rational picture of how the world …show more content…

The schema worked because a group of popular students in the new school were impressed and welcomed Victor into their social group. Victor in this case was using the another key term used by Piaget and that was the adaptation process. Through the adaptation process people learn to make adjustments to their thought process. When a person can use an existing schema to deal with a situation they are using the process of assimilation. Since Victor was successful in the schema he used he was displaying the assimilation process. Existing knowledge or previously learned schemas do not always work. When the existing schema does not work the person must adapt or use the accommodation process (2011). An example in the case were Victor was forced to display the accommodation process was his interactions in a new diverse school. The case shows that growing up Victor had a positive schema about how to treat others. He was very well-mannered and very respectful to those he came into contact with. The author speculates that schema was based on the respect that was shown by his family, teachers and classmates. His parents went as far as displaying respect when they chose not to worry Victor current financial issues. When Victor moved to the United States he tried to be respectful and in doing so he chose to greet a group of diverse classmates during lunch with a smile.

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