Cognitive Development Theory
Jean Piaget
• A Swiss psychologist who conducted the first thorough investigation on children's
comprehension development
According to his theory, children go through four distinct stages of intellectual
development, each of which reflects the growing complexity of their thinking.
Process of Cognitive Growth
Schema- a way of organizing knowledge
For example: A child may form a schema for a cat while they are young. They
are aware that a dog has a tail, is furry, and can walk on four legs.
Disequilibrium- when new information is received that does not fit into any preexisting
schema
For example: A tiger at the zoo, has a tail, is furry, and can walk on four legs but
it is not a dog
Assimilation- new information is included into the existing schema.
For example: When a child first encounters a tiger at the zoo, they could initially
believe it to be a dog as well because it has a tail, is furry, and can walk on four
legs.
Accommodation- The preexisting schema is modified to accommodate the additional
information.
For example: A child discovers that cats and tigers are not the same thing.
Stages of Cognitive Development
Sensorimotor stage (0- 2 years old)
Infants acquire fundamental motor abilities as well as the ability to detect and
engage with their surroundings through body coordination and physical
sensations.
Association between sensory process and reaction
Object Permanence - By the time they are eight months old, the baby will
realize that things are permanent and will continue to exist even if they are
hidden from view. They will also start looking for them when they go missing.
Preoperational stage (2-7 years old)
Young children are able to think symbolically at this age. This is the capacity to
elevate a single item, such a phrase or an object, above itself.
The child is egocentric and believes that other people experience the world the
same way he does.
Toddlers frequently use props that represent actual objects to act out roles they
do not have, such as superheroes or police officers. Youngsters might also
create a fictional playmate.
Concrete operational stage (7- 11 years old)
Children start thinking logically about tangible events throughout this time.
Children start to grasp the idea of conservation, realizing that while things may
vary in appearance, some characteristics never change.
Formal operational stage (11 years old and above)
Formal operations are performed on concepts, while concrete operations
are performed on tangible objects. Physical and perceptual limitations are
completely removed from formal operational cognition.
Adolescents are able to handle abstract concepts at this point; for example,
they no longer need to visualize cutting cakes or sharing candy in order to
comprehend fractions and division.
They don't need to think in terms of concrete instances in order to follow
the structure of an argument.
Teenagers are capable of handling hypothetical issues with a wide range
of potential fixes. As an illustration, supposing someone were to ask,
"What would happen if money were abolished in one hour?"They may
conjecture about a wide range of potential outcomes.
Reflective abstraction, according to Piaget, is the process through which
people become conscious of and consider their own cognitive processes.
