Piaget’s Cognitive
Stages of Development
SECTIONS 1 AND 2, HDFS 129
CODY GRIMM
How did Piaget Study?

Piaget Studied his own children, and
developed his Cognitive
Developmental approach from
these observations.

We build our own version of the
world
Processes of Development

Schemes
 Organization
 Assimilation
& Accommodation
 Disequilibrium
Schemes

First step to building your own view in the world
Your Newborn Brain=
Organization

Refers to the organization of thought and
behaviors into an overall category.
DRIVING
Assimilation

The use of your existing schemes to
classify information.
+
=
Accommodation

The adjustment of schemes to
make room for new information.
+
=
Disequilibrium

Is an imbalance of what’s understood and what’s encountered.
Cognitive Development Stages

Sensorimotor Stage
6

Substages
Preoperational Stage
2
Substages

Concrete Operational Stage

Formal Operational Stage
Sensorimotor Stage

Lasts from birth to 2 years of life

Infants begin to understand the world through
use of movement and their senses
Substage 1: Simple Reflexes

First month after birth

Coordination comes from reflexive behaviors
 Rooting
 Sucking

Actively structuring experiences
Substage 2: First Habits and Primary
Circular Reactions

Develops between 1 and 4 months

Coordinates by two schemes:

Habit
 Circular
Reaction
Substage 3: Secondary Circular
Reactions

Develops between 4 to 8 months

More object oriented

Repetition due to consequences
Substage 4: Coordination of
Secondary Circular Reactions

Develops between 8 and 12 months

Infants coordinate vision and touch, hand and
eyes

Coordination of schemes
Substage 5: Tertiary Circular
Reactions, Novelty, and Curiosity

Develops between 12 and 18 months

Intrigued by actions they can make happen

Schemes develop further
Substage 6: Internalization of
Schemes

Develops between 18 to 24 months

Infants are able to use primitive symbols

Expression of events in simple ways
Sensorimotor: Errors

Object Permanence

The A-Not-B Error
Object Permanence

The understanding that objects continue to exist
even when they cannot be seen, heard, or
touched.

Infants most important accomplishment!
A-Not-B Error
Preoperational Stage

Lasts from approximately 2 to 7 years of age

Children begin to represent the world with
words, images, and drawings—begin to form
stable concepts and reasoning
Substage 1: Symbolic Function

Occurs between 2 and 4

Ability to mentally represent objects that are not
present

Two activities within this stage:
 Egocentrism
 Animism
Substage 2: Intuitive Thought

From about 4 to 7 years old

Children begin to use primitive reasoning, and
want to know the answers to A LOT of questions
Preoperational: Errors

Centration
 Conservation
Number
Matter
Length
Centration

Is the key focus on one characteristics at the
exclusion of all others

Key concept for preoperational errors

Conservation
The awareness that altering a items basic
appearance does not change the basic
properties
Conservation: Number
Conservation: Matter
Conservation: Length
Concrete Operational Stage

Lasts approximately from 7 to 11 years of age

Children can operate concretely, and reason
logically, as long as it can be applied to
something specific.
Concrete Operational Continued

Activities associated:
 Seriation
 Transitivity
A
B
C
Formal Operational Stage
Final Piagetian Stage

Lasts approximately from 11 to 15 years of age

Individuals move beyond concrete thought to
more abstract and logical thinking.
Abstract, Idealistic, and Logical
Thinking

Quality of abstract thinking: “I began thinking
about why I was thinking about what I was. Then
I began thinking about why I was thinking about
what I was thinking about what I was.”

Extended thoughts about their own desires and
what ideal characteristics they strive for

Use of hypothetical-deductive reasoning
Adolescent Egocentrism

Heightened self-consciousness, and the hope
that others accept you simply by who you are.

Adolescent Egocentrism falls into two categories
 Imaginary
 Personal
Audience
Fable
Imaginary Audience

The feeling that one is the center of the stage

Very present in early adolescents
Personal Fable

Sense of personal uniqueness and invincibility

Uniqueness
No one truly understands them

Invincibility
Engagement in risky behavior
Summary