Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development: Physical Interactions
Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development: Physical Interactions
Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development: Physical Interactions
Introduction
Sensorimotor stage (infancy): In this period, which has six sub-stages, intelligence
is demonstrated through motor activity without the use of symbols. Knowledge of
the world is limited, but developing, because it is based on physical
interactions and experiences. Children acquire object permanence at about seven
months of age (memory). Physical development (mobility) allows the child to begin
developing new intellectual abilities. Some symbolic (language) abilities are
developed at the end of this stage.
Pre-operational stage (toddlerhood and early childhood): In this period, which has
two sub stages, intelligence is demonstrated through the use of symbols, language
use matures, and memory and imagination are developed, but thinking is done in a
non-logical, non-reversible manner. Egocentric thinking predominates.
Concrete operational stage (elementary and early adolescence): In this stage,
characterized by seven types of conservation (number, length, liquid, mass, weight,
area, and volume), intelligence is demonstrated through logical and systematic
manipulation of symbols related to concrete objects. Operational thinking develops
(mental actions that are reversible). Egocentric thought diminishes.
Formal operational stage (adolescence and adulthood): In this stage, intelligence is
demonstrated through the logical use of symbols related to abstract concepts.
Early in the period there is a return to egocentric thought. Only 35 percent of high
school graduates in industrialized countries obtain formal operations; many people
do not think formally during adulthood.
The most significant alternative to the work of Piaget has been the information-
processing approach, which uses the computer as a model to provide new insight
into how the human mind receives, stores, retrieves, and uses information.
Researchers using information-processing theory to study cognitive development
in children have focused on areas such as the gradual improvements in children's
ability to take in information and focus selectively on certain parts of it and their
increasing attention spans and capacity for memory storage. For example,
researchers have found that the superior memory skills of older children are due in
part to memorization strategies, such as repeating items in order to memorize them
or dividing them into categories.
In this stage, the child is more engaged with play, and uses preoperatory thought, which is the
process by which the child represents objects through the use of words, scribbles, drawings
and pictures. The mental reasoning of the child is developed in this stage, but he still cannot
perform operations. Egocentrism (self-centeredness) and animism (belief that inanimate
objects can move or talk) are evident. Conservation is the main task in this stage. When you
present two identical glasses, Glass A and Glass B, to a child and pour equal amounts of
water, he would say that they have indeed the same amount of water. However, when you
pour the contents of one glass to another glass, Glass C, which is thinner and taller, the child
would say that Glass A and Glass C now contains different amounts of water. Failure of this
task connotes that the child is still in preoperational stage.
so what is preeschol??
Preschool
Preschoolers, ages three to six, should be at the "preoperational" stage of Piaget's
cognitive development theory,
so what is preoperational stage??
meaning they are using their imagery and memory skills. They should be
conditioned to learning and memorizing, and their view of the world is normally
very self-centered. Preschoolers usually have also developed their social
interaction skills, such as playing and cooperating with other children their own
age. It is normal for preschoolers to test the limits of their cognitive abilities, and
they learn negative concepts and actions, such as talking back to adults, lying ,
and bullying. Other cognitive development in preschoolers are developing an
increased attention span, learning to read, and developing structured routines,
such as doing household chores.