PIAGET’S THEORY OF COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT

Jean Piaget (1896-1980)

introduced concepts of cognitive development or the way children learn and think that have roots similar to those of both Freud and Erickson

Sensorimotor

Infant (Birth to 2 years)

• Reflex-based learning (0-1 month)

• Primary Circular Reactions (1-4 months)

• Secondary Circular Reactions (4-8 months)

• Object Permanence (8-12 months)

• Separation Awareness (Around 8 months)

• Goal-Directed Behavior (12 months)

Infant (Sensorimotor - Birth to 2 years)

Reflex-based learning (0-1 month)

Infants respond automatically (e.g., sucking, grasping).

Primary Circular Reactions (1-4 months)

Babies accidentally discover enjoyable actions and repeat them.

Secondary Circular Reactions (4-8 months)

Infants interact with objects and repeat actions that cause effects

Object Permanence (8-12 months)

Babies learn that objects and people exist even when out of sight.

Separation Awareness (Around 8 months)

Infants realize they are separate from others, leading to "eighth-month anxiety" (crying when a parent leaves)

Goal-Directed Behavior (12 months)

Babies start problem-solving and experimenting

Sensorimotor - continued

(Toddler - - 2 to 7 years)

• Tertiary Circular Reactions (Trial-and-Error Learning)

• Problem-Solving (Invention of New Means)

• Symbolic Thinking Begins

• Egocentric & Prelogical Thinking

Toddler (Sensorimotor - continued; Preoperational - 2 to 7 years)

Tertiary Circular Reactions (Trial-and-Error Learning)

Toddlers experiment with objects (e.g., dropping toys from a high chair repeatedly to see what happens)

Problem-Solving (Invention of New Means)

They begin to mentally plan actions (e.g., figuring out how to open a box or predicting where a ball will roll under a table).

Symbolic Thinking Begins

They start using symbols to represent objects but may struggle with understanding differences

Egocentric & Prelogical Thinking

They make conclusions based only on what they see

Egocentric & Prelogical Thinking

This can lead children to wrong conclusions and faulty judgement.

Preoperational - continued

Preschooler

• Intuitive Thought

• Lack of Conservation & Reversibility

• Magical Thinking & Role Fantasy

• Egocentrism (Self-Focused Thinking)

Preschooler (Preoperational - continued)

Intuitive Thought

Focusing on one object (Centering):

Intuitive Thought

They only notice one characteristic of an object (e.g., a banana is yellow but don’t realize it’s also long).

Lack of Conservation & Reversibility

Cannot understand that quantity stays the same despite changes in shape or appearance.

Magical Thinking & Role Fantasy

They believe their wishes and imagination can affect reality

Magical Thinking & Role Fantasy

They think objects and animals have thoughts and feelings (animism).

Egocentrism (Self-Focused Thinking)

They struggle to see things from others' perspectives.

Egocentrism (Self-Focused Thinking)

They define objects based on personal use.

Concrete Operations

School-Age Child (7 to 11 years)

• Logical Thinking Develops

• Conservation Skills Improve

• Inductive Reasoning

School-Age Child (Concrete Operations - 7 to 11 years)

Inductive Reasoning:

They make general conclusions from specific observations

Conservation Skills Improve

They learn that changing an object’s shape doesn’t change its amount.

Logical Thinking Develops

They understand cause-and-effect relationships (e.g., studying leads to good grades).

Formal Operations

Adolescent (12 to 19 years)

• Abstract Thinking

• Deductive Reasoning

• Scientific Thinking

Adolescent (Formal Operations - 12 to 19 years)

Abstract Thinking

They can think beyond what exists and consider possibilities

Deductive Reasoning

They can apply general rules to specific situations

Scientific Thinking

They analyze situations logically and test hypotheses