7.2 Piaget: Cognitive / Constructivist Theory

Piaget: Cognitive / Constructivist Theory

Piaget's focus?

Cognitive development as the basis for language.

Relationship between thought & language (Piaget)?

Thought develops before language; language expresses existing cognitive structures.

What are schemas?

Mental structures used to interpret and organise knowledge.

What is assimilation?

Integrating new information into existing schemas without changing them.

What is accommodation?

Altering schemas in response to new information.

What is equilibration?

Balancing assimilation & accommodation to resolve cognitive conflict.

What drives cognitive development?

Active exploration of the environment.

Piaget's 4 Stages of Cognitive Development

• Sensorimotor (0–2 years)

• Preoperational stage (2–7 years)

• Concrete operational stage (7–11 years)

• Formal operational stage (11+)

Sensorimotor (0–2 years): main achievement?

Object permanence.

Why is object permanence important for language? Sensorimotor

It requires forming mental representations — essential for naming.

Preoperational stage (2–7 years): main features?

• Symbolic thinking, egocentrism, use of words to represent ideas.

• Egocentric speech

• Socialized speech

Egocentric speech?

Speech focused on oneself, not communicative.

Socialized speech

Speech used intentionally to communicate with others.

Concrete operational stage (7–11 years)?

Logical thinking, conservation, less egocentric.

Formal operational stage (11+)

Abstract reasoning, hypothesis testing.

iaget’s claim about language?

Language reflects cognitive development; it does not create it.

Role of cognitive prerequisites?

Imitation, symbolic play, object permanence are needed for language.