Piaget's theory of cognitive development

What two things did Piaget suggest that were as a result of cognitive development?

1. Maturation - the effects of the biological process of ageing and how some processes become more available as we grow

2. Environment - interaction with the environment allows us to understand the world more complexly

Schema

Cognitive frameworks that we develop through experiences, that help us to represent concepts, beliefs and expectations. They help us to understand how to act/behave and what to expect in familiar and unfamiliar situations

When a child is born what two basic schemas is it believed they have?

• grasping for an object

• distinguishing the human face from other objects

Assimilation

• Refers to applying new information into an already existing schema

• There is no need to create a new schema because the new information can simply just fit into the already existing schema

• For example a child’s family owns a dog, and the child knows what a dog looks like (4 legs and fur). When the child sees a cat, they call it a dog because a cat also has 4 legs and fur, so the child adds the new information into their already existing schema of dog

Accommodation

• Refers to the creation of a new schema due to a completely new experience

• For example a child calls a horse a dog (assimilation) but creates a new schema after finding out that they are different

Disequilibrium

• Occurs when information doesn’t fit into our already existing schema. So it creates cognitive conflict

• Disequilibrium acts as motivation to learn because it’s an unpleasant sensation

Equilibrium

Occurs when all schemas have been updated and balanced. The child can make sense of new information again

AO3 Strength

• A strength of Piaget’s theory of cognitive development is that it is useful in the real world

• Piaget’s idea that children learn through active exploration has change classroom teaching

• Old fashioned classrooms where children would sit silently in rows, copying from the board has now been replaced with activity-oriented classrooms were children can engage more with class activities

• Therefore, Piaget’s theory has been effectively applied in the real world setting of the classroom. This shows how his approach may facilitate the development of an individuals mental representation of the world

AO3 Strength

• One strength of Piaget’s theory of cognitive development is that there is research support

• Howe et al found that children demonstrated an improvement in their understanding, after they were tasked with discussing the movements of an object down a slope

• Additionally, he found that each child picked up facts. This meant that each child formed their own mental representation of how the object would move on the slope

• Therefore, Piaget’s theory has increased validity because there is other evidence that supports it’s concepts

AO3 Weakness

• One weakness of Piaget’s theory of cognitive development, is that although his theory has been used to change classroom teaching, there is no firm evidence which shows that discovery learning is a better way of learning

• Lazonder and Harmsen found that input from the teachers were the most effective way to learn. This suggests that discovery learning may not be as effective as Piaget suggested

• Vygotsky has also effectively influenced education through his theory of cognitive development in terms of influence of others in learning, so this could be a better alternative explanation

• This evidence and potential alternative explanation decreases the validity of Piaget’s theory

AO3 Weakness

• There are methodological criticisms in regards to the sample Piaget based his theory of cognitive development on

• Piaget’s theory was largely based on detailed observations of a small unrepresentative sample. Also, tasks that involved conservation and egocentrism were criticised for being too practically demanding for children

• Later, researchers Rose and Blank showed that when the tasks were simplified, children performed much better. This suggests that Piaget may have underestimated children’s abilities.

• Therefore, Piaget’s theory lacks validity because the children may have failed due to misunderstanding the task, rather than lacking the cognitive ability