Jean Piaget (1896–1980) “If we examine the intellectual development of the individual or of the whole of humanity, we shall find that the human spirit goes through a certain number of stages, each different from the other” (1930).
A child's cognitive development is about a child developing a mental model of the world. Imagine what it would be like if you did not have a mental model of your world. It would mean that you would not be able to make much use of information from your past experience, or plan future actions. Developmental psychologist Jean Piaget spent his life searching for the answers to questions such as, "When do we became conscious?" and "How do our minds unfold from there?". Jean Piaget was interested both in how children learned and in how they thought. A half -century spent with children convinced Piaget that a child’s mind is not a miniature model of an adult’s. Thanks to his work, we now understand that children reason differently about problems whose solutions are self -evident to adults.
Piaget believed that children aren't less intelligent than adults, they simply think differently. He proposed a number of concepts to explain how children process information. Important concepts in Piaget's stages of cognitive development include assimilation, accommodation, and equilibration. Piaget believed that children go through 4 universal stages of cognitive development. Development is therefore biologically based and changes as children mature. He believed that cognition, therefore, develops in all children in the same sequence of stages. Each child goes through the same stages in the same order. However, there are individual differences in the rate at which children progress through these set stages. Piaget did not claim that a particular stage was reached at a certain age. Piaget believed that these stages are universal and that the same sequence of development occurs in children all over the world, no matter their culture.
Piaget believed that as children construct their understandings while interacting with the world, they experience spurts of change. That change is then followed by greater stability as they move from one cognitive level to the next. He viewed these levels as forming stages. Jean Piaget's stages of cognitive development describe the intellectual development of children from infancy to early adulthood.
Piaget believed that children aren't less intelligent than adults, they simply think differently. He proposed a number of concepts to explain how children process information. Important concepts in Piaget's stages of cognitive development include assimilation, accommodation, and equilibration. Piaget believed that children go through 4 universal stages of cognitive development. Development is therefore biologically based and changes as children mature. He believed that cognition, therefore, develops in all children in the same sequence of stages. Each child goes through the same stages in the same order. However, there are individual differences in the rate at which children progress through these set stages. Piaget did not claim that a particular stage was reached at a certain age. Piaget believed that these stages are universal and that the same sequence of development occurs in children all over the world, no matter their culture.
Piaget believed that as children construct their understandings while interacting with the world, they experience spurts of change. That change is then followed by greater stability as they move from one cognitive level to the next. He viewed these levels as forming stages. Jean Piaget's stages of cognitive development describe the intellectual development of children from infancy to early adulthood.
Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development
Description of Stage
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Description of Stage•Object permanence •Stranger anxiety •Pretend play •Egocentrism •Conservation •Mathematical transformations •Abstract logic •Potential for mature |
The Pre-Operational Stage accounts for three and four year olds. During this time they are imaginative and playful. The pre-operational stage occurs roughly between the ages of two and seven years old. Language development is one of the hallmarks of this period. Piaget noted that children in this stage do not yet understand concrete logic, cannot mentally manipulate information, and are unable to take the point of view of other people. During the pre-operational stage, children also become increasingly adept at using symbols, as evidenced by the increase in playing and pretending. For example, a child is able to use an object to represent something else, such as pretending a broom is a horse. Role playing also becomes important during the pre-operational stage. Children often play the roles of "mommy," "daddy," "doctor" and many other characters.
Ways to Boost cognitive development
1. Identify Noises: Ask your child to identify noises he/she hears: a knock at the door, the dishwasher, a barking dog, a fire truck, etc.
2. Choices: Give your child the chance to select between two choices as often as you can:
"Would you like apple or orange juice?" "Do you want to wear your red shirt or your yellow one?" "Shall we read 'Goodnight Moon' or 'But Not the Hippopotamus?'"
3. Practice the Alphabet: Sing the alphabet song, and read books that highlight the ABCs
4. Count: Count everything! Count how many apples you buy at the grocery store. Count the number of books on a shelf. Count the number of butterflies on a page in a book.
5. Point Out Shapes and Colors: Talk about shapes, colors, and numbers all day long. "That's a square, blue napkin." "We have only one banana left." "Let's find your pink PJs."
6. Sing Together: Sing songs together. Listen to music in the house and when driving in the car. Select music that you like well enough to play over and over again. You child will start to sing along as they recognizes the songs, and you may even recognize what they're singing from time to time!
2. Choices: Give your child the chance to select between two choices as often as you can:
"Would you like apple or orange juice?" "Do you want to wear your red shirt or your yellow one?" "Shall we read 'Goodnight Moon' or 'But Not the Hippopotamus?'"
3. Practice the Alphabet: Sing the alphabet song, and read books that highlight the ABCs
4. Count: Count everything! Count how many apples you buy at the grocery store. Count the number of books on a shelf. Count the number of butterflies on a page in a book.
5. Point Out Shapes and Colors: Talk about shapes, colors, and numbers all day long. "That's a square, blue napkin." "We have only one banana left." "Let's find your pink PJs."
6. Sing Together: Sing songs together. Listen to music in the house and when driving in the car. Select music that you like well enough to play over and over again. You child will start to sing along as they recognizes the songs, and you may even recognize what they're singing from time to time!
APA citations
McLeod, S. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.simplypsychology.org/piaget.html McLeod, S.
(n.d.). Retrieved
from http://www.simplypsychology.org/piaget.html
LastJamie Loehr,
M. D., & Jen Meyers, J. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.parents.com/toddlers-preschoolers/development/activities-for-cognitive-development/
Cherry, K. (undefined). Piaget's Stages of Cognitive Development. In About.com . Retrieved 10/24/2013, from http://psychology.about.com/od/piagetstheory/a/keyconcepts.htm.
http://www.simplypsychology.org/piaget.html McLeod, S.
(n.d.). Retrieved
from http://www.simplypsychology.org/piaget.html
LastJamie Loehr,
M. D., & Jen Meyers, J. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.parents.com/toddlers-preschoolers/development/activities-for-cognitive-development/
Cherry, K. (undefined). Piaget's Stages of Cognitive Development. In About.com . Retrieved 10/24/2013, from http://psychology.about.com/od/piagetstheory/a/keyconcepts.htm.