Transcript Document

Cognitive Development - Piaget
• Piaget
Constructivism
• The belief that children actively create
knowledge rather than passively receiving it
from the environment.
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Knowledge is constructed from experience
Born with ability and desire to learn.
Must be active to learn.
Thinking/learning is internalization of physical
knowledge.
Adaptation
• Fundamental process by which schemes are
altered through experience.
• Comprised of two complementary
processes.
Mechanisms of Change
• Assimilation:
information that fits
into existing cognitive
structure
– schemas
Mechanisms of Change
• Accommodation:
changing beliefs to
fit new conceptual
information
Equilibration
• Equilibration: regulatory process that
maintains a functional balance between
assimilation and accommodation
Process of Equilibration
• Children are satisfied with mode of thought
(equilibrium)
• Become aware of shortcomings in existing
knowledge (disequilibrium)
• Adopt a more sophisticated mode of
thought (return to equilibrium)
Figure - Equilibration
Characteristics of Stages of
Cognitive Development
• Each stage represents a qualitative change
in thinking
• Culturally Invariant
• Includes structures and abilities of previous
stages
Stages of Cognitive Development
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Sensorimotor
Preoperational
Concrete Operational
Formal Operational
Sensorimotor Stage
• Birth to 2 years of age
• Use senses, motor skills to gain knowledge
Piaget – Object Permanence
Preoperational Stage
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2 to 6/7 years
Representational skills
Egocentric thought
Magical thought
– Animism
Concrete Operational
• 6/7 to 11/12 years
• Understand concrete problems
• Decentration
Conservation
Formal Operations
• 11/12 years through adulthood
• Logical and abstract thought
• Adolescent egocentrism: Elkind
– Imaginary Audience
– Personal Fable
EVALUATION OF PIAGET’S THEORY:
Strengths
• Children do move from being more
egocentric to less egocentric
• Also move from being less systematic and
able to use logic to being better able to think
in these ways
• Children do pass through stages in same
order
• Constructivistic view of development
Criticisms of Piaget’s Theory
• Findings may only work with Piaget’s tasks
• Can have skills characteristic of two stages
at one time period
Criticisms cont.
• Not all reach formal operational stage
Postformal thought
• Characterized by recognition that:
– 1) truth may vary from situation to situation
– 2) solutions must be realistic in order to be
reasonable
– 3) ambiguity and contradiction are the rule
rather than the exception
– 4) emotion and subjective factors usually play a
role in thinking
Themes
• Continuity vs. Discontinuity
• Nature vs. Nurture
Schaie’s Perspective on Adult
Cognitive Changes
• Achieving stage (early adulthood)
• Responsibility stage (early to middle
adulthood)
• Executive stage (middle adulthood)
• Reintegrative stage (late adulthood)
William Perry
• Adolescents: dualistic thinking
• Young adults
– Multiple thinking
– Relative subordinate thinking
– Full relativism