Piaget
Schemas
Definition- A set of linked representations of the world, which we use to
both understand and respond to situations. The assumption is that we store
the mental representations and apply them when needed.
Adaptation is important to cognitive development; the schema is constructed
to what fits correctly. Adaptation goes through two phases’ assimilation
& accommodation.
Assimilation-when a child applies an existing schema to the situation,
however a child may experience disequilibrium were the chosen schema is
not the correct one for the situation, the child restores the equilibrium
by a process called accommodation.
Accommodation is the modification of an existing schema so it’s more
effective in the new situation.
Piaget- Newborns have some schemas even before they have experienced
much of the world e.g. sucking
“Cognitive structures underlying innate reflexes”
Piaget was a constructivist and states that a child builds up a mental model
of the world and the processes. This understanding is acquired through
discovery. This idea is influential in early years of education, with emphasis
on active discovery learning rather than instruction.
Piaget’s stages of intellectual development
Stage theory- Universal and invariant sequence of stages through which an
individual passes through. No stage can be missed but some people may not
reach latter stages.
Cognitive development is not genetically determined. Concepts are not
inherited but biology contributes in two ways. 1. Biological structures
necessary for cognition e.g. sense organs and nervous system. 2. Innate
tendency to interact with environment to handle it both physically and
cognitively.
Methods used- observation, clinical interview & devise tests.
STAGES
Sensorimotor stage
Divided into 6 sub stages:
Stage 1-stage 3- 0-8month, child interacts with environment through
sensations and movements. No self awareness of past, future or objects
which are not present.
Stage4- stage 6- 8-24month, actions more intentional through trial
and error, pretend play, language, self-concept and object concept all
develop.
Object permanence- knowing an object exists even when not being watched,
requires mental representation of the object and ability to search for it.
Blanket test
Aim: What age a child develops object permanence.
Method: Toy hidden under a blanket, whilst child watched it. Child observed
to see if they looked for it. Piaget assumed a child would only look if they
had a mental representation.
Results: 8month on average started to search, however when it was hidden in
a different place the child continued to search in 1st place. 12months when
child started to search in most recent place.
Conclusion: object permanence is developed at around 8 month.
Criticism observation, so no real control also child may loose interest when
toy covered up.
Preoperational Stage- 2-7 years.
Split into two stages preconception and intuitive.
Preconceptual-child makes use of symbols such as words and images. Piaget
pointed out that children show several characteristics errors in thought.
Egocentrism - Inability to see a situation from another view point. According
to Piaget people see, hear & feel the same as the child.
Evidence- 3 mountains
Aim: Piaget & Inhelder (1956) what age a child becomes no longer egocentric.
Method: 3 mountains were placed on a board which were all different. 1 had
snow on, 1 had a hut and the other had a cross. The child could walk round
the mountains and then had to sit at one side, a doll was then placed at
another point. The child was then given 10 pictures of the scene, and asked
to pick out the view seen by the doll. Piaget assumed if the child picked the
correct scene it was not egocentric.
Results: 4 year olds always picked out their view, 6 year olds often chose a
different perspective but not always the correct one, 7-8 year olds chose
the correct picture consistently.
Conclusion: Children remain egocentric through most of the preoperational
stage.
Animism- child believes inanimate objects have feelings and emotions. E.g.
“The bells have woken up” referring to church bells ringing. However this
could be because it is an easy way to communicate their feelings and isn’t
actually attributing feelings to inanimate objects e.g. an adult saying “a car
battery is dead”.
Centration- Child’s tendency to deal with one aspect of a situation at a time.
A preoperational child finds it difficult to understand 2 factors. Exampleblue, red triangles and squares sorting them out.
According to Piaget a child can’t de-centre until the end of the concrete
operations stage.
The Intuitive period
Childs judgments are strongly influenced by appearance of objects.
Egocentrism and other errors begin to decline, however conservation is not
possible.
Conservation- ability to understand that redistributing material does not
affect its mass.
3 types of conservation- mass, number and volume.
Mass- clay ball to sausage
Number- 2 sets of 6 beads put into two parallel lines, 1 line they spread out,
a child will say the spread out line has more beads.
Evidence- Piaget & Szeminska- 1941
Aim: what age children conserve volume.
Method: Children presented with 2 identical beakers filled with water
Children asked whether same amount of water in each, most said yes.
Researchers then poured one beaker into another beaker of same volume but
which was taller, children asked which had most in.
Results:4-5 year olds cant conserve volume, at about 7 they start to
conserve.
Conclusion: At the end of the preoperational stage children start to
conserve.
Criticism of tests for conservation:
Experimenter bias if questions are asked differently each time.
Age related- conservation may due to intelligence not a particular acquired
skill, also child may not be linguistic.
Lack ecological validity e.g. beads, clay and beakers.
Concrete (Real & Tangible) operations- 7-11years old
An operation is a rule following transformation which we can make using
mental representations. Children start to be able to perform operations such
as:
 Reversibility- The understanding that a transformation can be undone
e.g. ball of clay can change shape.
 Compensation- Recognition that one change e.g. tin of beans
 Seriation- Putting an order to something e.g. TALL---SHORT
 Transivity- Picking out correct info from info given.
 Class inclusion- Ability to see that objects are the same even if they
are slightly different e.g. wooden bead experiment.
Piaget and Szeminska- 1941- showed children 20 wooden beads, 18 were
brown. Each child was asked the questions…
1. Are all the beads wooden?
2. Are there more brown beads or white beads?
3. Are there more brown beads or wooden beads?
Preoperational children usually answered first 2 correctly, however
answered Q3 by saying there were more brown beads. Concrete stage
children answer all 3 correctly. Q2 child has to deal with 2 situations
(CENTRATION support). In Q3 the situations overlap.
Formal Operations
During this stage adolescents begin to acquire and use abstract concepts.
These concepts refer not to real situations but to invented ones such as
hypothetical situations e.g. conservation- it can’t be seen but can be
referred to also like energy, repression and validity.
Adolescents begin to think hypothetically, meaning they can suggest what
might be the result if something were to happen.
Test for formal operations.
One the simplest was the 3rd eye experiment. Children were asked were
would they put a 3rd eye if they had one. Schaffer reported that 9 year olds
said on the forehead, but 11 year olds suggested on the hand so u can see
around corners.
Piaget also used a task were he gave participants some string and some
weights which could be attached to the string. Participants needed these to
determine which factors would influence how fast the pendulum swings.
Participants could vary length and weight. To do this participant needed to
grasp the idea of the experimental method- to vary one variable at a time.