Cognitive & Psychosocial Development: Piaget, Vygotsky, Erikson

Piaget

accommodation, assimilation, and equilibration

Piaget stages

sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, formal operational

Sensorimotor (Age 0-2)

• Act on the environment, learn object permanence (Senses)

• Learn through reflexes, senses, movement

Preoperational (Age 2-7)

Develop language, think logically in one direction

Concrete Operational (Age 7-11)

Organizes into categories, series; can reverse operations

Formal Operational (Age 11- +)

• Adolescence to adulthood

• Think hypothetically, deductively, abstractly

• Can consider multiple perspectives (WEEK 1, LEC 2 SLIDES)

Accommodation

Alter existing schemas or create new ones in response to new information(WEEK 1, LEC 2 SLIDES)

Assimilation

Fit new information into existing schemas; occurs when a child recognizes new things/experiences in terms of fitting into pre existing schemas(WEEK 1, LEC 2 SLIDES)

Equillibration

Overall act of searching for mental balance between cognitive schemas and information from environment; explains how children are capable of progressing from one period of thought into the next (WEEK 1, LEC 2 SLIDES)

Erik Erikson

Known for his 9-stage theory of Psychosocial Development

Hope

Trust vs. Mistrust

Will

Autonomy vs. Shame/ Doubt

Purpose

Initiative vs. Guilt

Competence

Industry vs. inferiority

Fidelity

Identity vs. Role Confusion

Love

Intimacy vs. Isolation

Care

Generativity vs. Stagnation

Wisdom

Ego Integrity vs. Despair

The Ninth Stage

A person in his/her 80s and 90s revisits all prior stages but the order of crisis within each is reversed.

Criticisms of Eriksons theory

was not relevant to other demographics- fouses on European American Males

Cognitive Development Theory

• Gradual orderly changes by which mental processes become more complex/ sophisticated

• It is not always easy or possible to induce students to experience a cognitive disequilibrium sufficient to stimulate them to seek answers.

Learning

Use imitation, instruction, and collaboration• Scaffold learning: Support learning with clues, tips

Assisted learning

Help in initial stages of learning a task

ZPD (Zone of Proximal Development)

Phase at which a child can master a task if given appropriate help and support

What is scaffolding

Model thought process for students • Use organizers, starters (who, what, why, how, what next) • Do part of the problem with students • Give hints, cues • Encourage short-term goals, small steps • Connect new learning to interests, prior knowledge • Use graphic organizers (timelines, charts, tables) • Simplify the task, clarify the purpose, give clear directions • Teach key vocabulary and provide examples

Epigenetic Principle

Idea that development progresses through a series of interrelated stages and that each stage has a critical period of development

Psychosocial Crisis

• Turning points; conflict between opposing psychological qualities

• At each Eriksonian stage, a person faces a critical developmental crisis or task.

• Crisis resolution can be either + or -

Sociocultural Theory

Emphasis on interactions between children and more knowledgeable members of society

Co-constructed processes

Social process of interacting to create understanding & solve a problem

What are the Piaget and Vygotsky views?

Piaget: Creates disequilibrium, encourages development

Vygotsky: fosters development