Chapter 7 - Piaget
I. Piaget’s Theory
4 stages
• Cognitive development
• Same order in all kids
Principles - development proceeds via:
Adaptation
• respond to environment
• Assimilation - incorporating new info into
current understanding
• Accommodation - changing existing
understanding based on new information
Structures - organization
• Behavioral scheme
- organized pattern of behavior
• Symbolic scheme
- representing events mentally
• Operational scheme
- mental problem-solving
• Stages = different types of logic &
cognition
• Impetus to advance = inability of old logic
to handle new information
II. Stages
A. Sensorimotor Period (Birth - 2)
- using reflexes for beginning problem
solving
Substage 1 (Birth - 1 month)
- refine reflexes
• Substage 2 (2-4 months)
- primary circular reaction
- chance event occurs re stimulating own
body
- infant finds event pleasing
- infant repeats
=> beginning of intentional behavior
• Substage 3 (4-8 months)
- secondary circular reaction
- learn by chance to make things happen to
external objects
• Substage 4 (8-12 months)
- coordination of secondary schemes
- combining 2+ secondary reactions to
achieve goal
- 1st truly intentional behavior
• Substage 5 (12-18 months)
- tertiary circular reactions
- systematically experiment with objects
- try new methods to solve problems
- emergence of curiosity
• Substage 6 (18-24 months)
Symbolic problem-solving
- carry out experiments mentally
- insight and planning
- deferred imitation
Object permanence
- know objects still exist even when hidden
• Summary of Sensorimotor
- from reflexive, immobile infants to planful
thinkers
- form simple concepts/solve problems
• Deficiency: no symbolic thought
B.
Preoperational Period (2-7 years)
- beginning use of mental symbols
“Preoperational”
- not yet thinking logically
- magical thinking
- focus on deficiencies
Ability: Symbolic function
• Beginning ability to make one thing
represent another
• Language
• Pretend play
5 Deficiencies - perceive things only 1 way at
a time
• Egocentrism
- no perspective taking
• Animism
- attribute lifelike qualities to inanimate
objects
• Phenomenism
- think appearance = reality
• Centration
- consider only one aspect when need to
consider 2+
• No conservation
- cannot understand that basic properties of
object do not change when appearance
changes
C.
Concrete Operational Period (7-11)
• Ability = Mental Operations
- think logically
- about real objects & experiences
Additional mental operations:
• Reversibility
- ability to mentally reverse an action
• Seriation
- ability to mentally arrange objects along a
dimension
• Deficiency - cannot think abstractly
(concrete = bound to existing objects)
Piaget & Education
•
•
•
•
Construct own knowledge
Best = challenging but within ability range
Use real objects
Active learning (not listening)
vs. Doman’s Better Baby Institute
D. Formal Operational Period (12+)
• Ability = Abstract thought
- mental actions performed on ideas &
propositions
- reason logically
- not necessarily based on reality
Hypothetical-Deductive Reasoning
• all factors that could affect an outcome
• generate hypotheses
• test the hypotheses in orderly fashion
Personal & social implications
Positive
• Apply problem-solving to life choices
• Consider possibilities
• Form stable identity
• Take others’ perspectives
Problematic
• Anger at world’s illogicality
• Frustration with those in charge
-> all-or-none thinking
• Greater self-consciousness:
Egocentrism vs. Social perspective-taking
We don’t all reach formal operations
• Intellectual abilities
• Formal schooling
Maybe we have reached but don’t
demonstrate ability
III. Criticisms of Theory
• Competence vs. performance
1. Tasks may be too difficult
2. Low motivation to perform
3. Poor memory
• Following social conventions
Socially appropriate responses vs.
understanding
• Training Piagetian Concepts
Necessity of maturation
vs. Research on teaching concepts (Gelman)
• Lack of Consistency within Stages
Children perform at different levels
• Timing of Stages/Skills
Piaget’s ages not always appropriate
But sequence of abilities is supported
IV. Neo-Piagetians
1.Qualitative changes in thinking
- At 2, 7, 11
- Retain the 4 basic stages & their sequence
- Still no good explanation of how/why
children advance
2.Performance varies by task