Piaget’s 4 Stage Theory on Cognitive Development

CHILDREN’S ACCOMPLISHMENTS...

Key principles of Piaget’s theory

• Information is organised into schemas (groups of inter-related ideas)

• Based on principles of – assimilation (process of taking in new

information and fitting it into and making it part of an existing mental idea about objects or the world)

– accommodation (refers to changing an existing mental idea in order to fit new information)

Sucking on her rattle (assimilation), she will eventually develop an understanding that rattles only make noise (accommodation)

1.Object permanence

• Object permanence is the understanding that objects still exist even if they cannot be see or touched.

Eg. When a toy is hidden an infant believes that it does not exist anymore

1.Goal directed behaviour

• Behaviour which is carried out with a particular purpose in mind (working out various ways to obtain things they want)

Eg. Reaching up with the intention to get a specific lolly jar

• Children are only capable of seeing the world from their point of view and therefore have trouble in seeing things from another person’s point of view

Eg. When told to hide they cover their eyes, because they cant see themselves they think others cant see them either

2.Egocentrism

• Understanding that something can change from one stat to another

Eg. The child cannot explain the melting process despite being able to identify the ice-blocks (solid) and the melted ice blocks (liquid)

2.Transformation

2.Animism

• Animism is the belief that everything that exists has some kind of consciousness or awareness. – Eg: the toy that can feel tired or sad.

2.Reversibility • Is the ability to follow a line

of reasoning back to its original starting point

Eg. a child might be able to recognize that his or her dog is a Labrador, that a Labrador is a dog, and that a dog is an animal.

• Refers to the idea that an object does not change its weight, mass, volume or area when the object changes its shape or appearance

3.Conservation

3.Classification

• Classification is the ability to organise information into categories based on common features.– Eg: a banana can belong to a group of yellow objects as

well as belong to the group of fruit.

4.Abstract thinking

• Abstract thinking refers to thinking without needing to see or visualise things in order to understand concepts. – Eg: understanding concepts such as justice, honesty,

respect

4.Logical thinking

• Logical thinking refers to the ability to think in a systematic way and develop a plan to solve problems.– Eg: doing algebra