Piaget’s Perspective

1. Piaget’s Perspective By: Sheila Blocher Krista Bowen Leah Doughman

2. Cognitive-Stage Theory • Jean Piaget (1896-1980) was a Swiss theoretician who applied his broad knowledge of biology, philosophy, and psychology to observations of children. • Piaget developed his cognitive learning theory to explain how children think. • Piaget believed that the core of intelligent behavior was an inborn ability to adapt to the environment.

3. Cognitive-Stage Theory • Piaget believed that cognitive growth occurs due to adaptation, a two-step process of assimilation and accommodation. • Assimilation is the process of taking in new information about the world. • Accommodation is the process of changing one’s ideas to include the new information.

4. Cognitive-Stage Theory • Piaget believed that development occurs in stages and that each stage builds the foundation for the next stage. • According to Piaget, all people go through the same stages in the same order but at different times. Therefore, the ages for each stage are approximate. • There are four stages in Piaget’s theory.

5. Sensorimotor Stage • This is the first stage of development according to Piaget. • It lasts from birth to around age two. • In this stage, infants construct an understanding of the world by coordinating sensory experiences with physical motor actions.

6. Sensorimotor Stage • Babies change from responding primarily through reflexes to becoming goal-oriented toddlers. • One important concept developed during this stage is object permanence (the realization that objects and people continue to exist even when out of sight).

7. Preoperational Stage • This is the second stage of development. • The preoperational stage is from the age of two to seven years. • The most important development at this time is language. • Children develop an internal representation of the world that allows them to describe people, events, and feelings.

8. Characteristics of the Preoperational Stage • The child is quite egocentric during this stage. The egocentric behavior improves as the child moves toward the concrete stage. • The child begins to use verbal representation. An example is: My sister is your daughter. • During this stage, the child also begins to grasp symbolism. An example may be a refrigerator box can be a pirate ship. • Child struggles with laws of conservation. For example, a child may say there is more orange juice in a tall skinny glass than a short fat glass.

9. Study Involving Preoperational Concepts • Researchers Jennifer Cooper and Roberts Schlesser researched the achievement gap in mathematics in African American and Caucasian kindergarten and first grade students. • African American students scored significantly lower than Caucasian students on subtests of math fluency and applied problems. • Students in the transitional stage scored lower than students in the preoperational and concrete stage. • Teachers should spend more time teaching concepts such as conservation and classification instead of rote memorization.

10. Concrete Operational Stage • This is the third stage of development according to Piaget. • It occurs between the ages of seven and eleven. • The individual can reason logically about concrete events and classify objects into sets.

11. Concrete Operational Stage • During this stage the child begins to develop the ability to think abstractly. • The child is also able to make rational judgments, which in the past they would need to manipulate things physically to understand. • During this stage the child is able to ask questions and explain things back to someone. (Piaget’s Cognitive Stages)

12. Concrete Operational Stage • During this stage, children are in transition in regards to moral reasoning. • They are showing features that they are in the moral reasoning stage (ages 7 to 10). • Around the age of 10, children begin to progress into the autonomous morality stage. • In this stage, children become aware that rules and law are created by people. They also begin to consider intentions as well as consequences.

13. Formal Operational Stage • This is the final stage of development according to Piaget. • It occurs between the ages of 11 and 15. • Individuals move beyond concrete experiences and are able to think more abstractly.

14. Formal Operational Stage • Individuals in this stage think more logically. • When solving problems, they form and test hypotheses. • Individuals begin to compare things to the ideal. • They can see infinite possibilities.

15. Bibliography • Acredolo,C.  (1997). Understanding piaget's new theory requires assimilation and accommodation. Human Development, 40(4), 235-237.  Retrieved from http://proquest.umi.com.ts.isil.westga.edu/pqdweb?index=7&sid=2&srchmode=2&vinst=PR OD&fmt=6&startpage=1&clientid=30336&vname=PQD&RQT=309&did=17465631&scaling =FULL&ts=1287432119&vtype=PQD&rqt=309&TS=1287432383&clientId=30336 • Cooper, J., & Schleser, R.. (2006). Closing the Achievement Gap: Examining the role of cognitive developmental level in academic achievement. Early Childhood Education Journal, 33(5), 301-306.  Retrieved from http://proquest.umi.com.ts.isil.westga.edu/pqdweb?index=0&did=2142193351&SrchMode= 2&sid=1&Fmt=6&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1287329469 &clientId=30336 • Loose Leaf Library Springhouse Corporation. (1990). Retrieved from http://honolulu.hawaii.edu/intranet/committees/FacDevCom/guidebk/teachtip/piaget.htm • Papalia, D.E., and Olds, S.W. (1993). A child’s world: infancy through adolescence. New York: McGraw-Hill. • Santrock, J.W. (2008). Essentials of life-span development. Boston: McGraw-Hill.