preview

Comparing Piaget, Information Processing, And Vygotsky

Good Essays

Theories of Cognitive Development:
An insight to the theories of Piaget, Information-processing and Vygotsky

How do we learn? How do we grow? Over the years, psychologists have studied to great lengths the processes that humans go through as they progress from infancy to adulthood. Several theories have emerged over time with three prominent ones. Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky produced two important and distinct theories. Another important theory, the information-processing theory, presents a completely different point of view. Each theory has is differences from the other and gives insight into the developing human mind. Jean Piaget believed that all children are curious and act as scientists in their never-ending quest to build …show more content…

This mental hardware is the “wiring” of the brain. It is the structure and pathways built in that allow the brain to function. The software is in reference to “programs” that allow people to perform specific tasks. Supporters of this theory believe that children’s mental software continues to grow and develop thorough life, becoming more complex.
Part of the Information Processing Theory is attention, which is a process that determines what sensory information receives extra cognitive processing. Over time, children learn to focus attention between orienting responses, which grab the attention, and tasks at hand. As development continues, attention span is developed and children become able to focus their attention on things for longer periods of time.
Learning is another important part of the Information-processing. Learning occurs through the process classical conditioning, among others. In classical conditioning, one response is elicited be providing a stimulus that is produced by another stimulus. The ever-popular example would be Pavlov’s dog. In this experiment, dogs were trained to recognize that food, which caused salivation, would be given to them after a bell was rung. Eventually the dogs learned that the bell meant food was coming and began to salivate upon hearing the bell. “Young babies remember events for

Get Access