Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development - Intro and Sensorimotor Stage

Vocabulary flashcards covering the core concepts of Piaget's cognitive development theory, including schemas, assimilation, accommodation, and the sensorimotor stage.

John Piaget

A major theorist in lifespan development who worked in the second half of the 1900s and created a comprehensive four-stage model of cognitive development in children.

Baby scientists

Piaget's description of children as inquisitive individuals who explore the world and absorb knowledge at an incredible rate, thinking qualitatively differently than adults.

Schema

A basic understanding or mental structure about how the world works that allows the brain to sort and interpret environment information efficiently.

Assimilation

The process of adding new, non-conflicting information seamlessly into an existing schema to complement a previous understanding.

Accommodation

The process of fundamentally changing or restructuring a schema when new information conflicts with a person's previous understanding.

Sensory motor stage

Piaget's first stage of development, occurring roughly from age $0$ to $2$, where children use senses and motor skills to explore and learn about their environment.

Circular reaction

A repetitive action performed by a child, such as knocking a toy off a high chair, used to learn the concepts of cause and effect.

Mental representation

A mental image of a person, object, or place that exists even when the thing is not directly in front of the individual.

Object permanence

The knowledge that objects continue to exist even if they cannot be seen, a skill Piaget believed develops between $9$ and $12$ months of age.