Human Growth Final - Piaget Terms

Object Permanence

• Definition: Understanding that objects continue to exist even when out of sight.

• Example: A baby searches for a toy hidden under a blanket, showing object permanence.

Assimilation

• Definition: Fitting new information into existing schemas.

• Example: A child sees a zebra and calls it a horse—using their existing schema for four-legged animals.

Accommodation

• Definition: Changing existing schemas to incorporate new information.

• Example: The child learns that zebras are different from horses and creates a new category.

Egocentrism

• Definition: Inability to see a situation from another’s point of view (common in preoperational stage).

• Example: A child assumes everyone sees what they see, like in Piaget’s "Three Mountains" task.

Conservation

• Definition: Understanding that quantity doesn’t change despite changes in shape or appearance.

• Example: Knowing that pouring water from a short, wide cup into a tall, narrow one doesn't change the amount.

Centration

• Definition: Focusing on one aspect of a situation and ignoring others.

• Example: A child focuses only on the height of a glass and not the width when judging amount of liquid.

Symbolic Function

• Definition: The ability to use symbols (such as words, images, or objects) to represent something that is not physically present.

• Example: A child uses a stick as a "sword" or pretends a banana is a phone. They understand that one thing can stand for another.

Intuitive Thought

• Definition: The beginning stage of reasoning in young children, based on intuition rather than logic; they can ask questions and form conclusions but can't yet reason through them.

• Example: A child believes the moon follows them because they see it wherever they go—not based on logic, but intuition.