MCAT Piaget's Stages of Cognitive Development

four stages of cognitive development

differences between how kids and adults think

• sensorimotor

• preoperational

• concrete operational

• formal operational

piaget on learning

infants learn thru instinctual interaction and schema

schema

a concept, behavior, or sequence of events that inform behavioral patterns

adaptation

how new info is processed

• via assimilation or accomodation

assimiliation

process of classifying new info into existing schemata

accomodation

the process by which existing schemata are modified to encompass this new info

sensorimotor stage

first stage; birth - 2 year olds

• manipulate the environment

• circular reactions (repetition)

• ends with object permanence

primary circular raections

rep of a body movement that originally occurred by chance, then is repeated for soothing

• ex - thumb sucking

secondary circular reactions

when manipulation is focused on someting outside the body

• ex - throwing toys

object permanence

objects existing even tho you cant see them

• marks the start of representational thought

preoperational stage

second stage; ages 2-7

• symbolic thinking, egocentricism, and centration

symbolic thinking

pretend and imagination

egocentricism

inability to imagine what another person may think or feel

centration

tendency to focus on only one aspect of a phenomenon

• inability to understand conservation

• ex - focusing on number of slices vs quantity

concrete operational stage

third stage; ages 7 - 11

• consider the perspectives of others

• logical though when working with concrete info and objects

• no abstract thinking

formal operational stage

final stage; starts at 11

• think about abstract ideas