Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development

This set of flashcards covers key vocabulary and concepts related to Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development, drawing from observations and stages of childhood learning.

Jean Piaget

Psychologist known for formulating the theory of cognitive development based on observations of his three children.

Schema

Mental organization of information.

Assimilation

The process of absorbing new information into one's existing schema.

Accommodation

Altering one's schema in light of new information.

Sensorimotor Stage

The first stage of Piaget's theory, occurring from birth to 2 years, characterized by a lack of object permanence.

Object Permanence

Understanding that an object out of sight still exists.

A-Not-B Error

The mistake infants make of looking for an object where it was last found, instead of where it is currently hidden.

Preoperational Stage

Piaget's second stage, occurring from ages 2 to 7, where children cannot perform operations.

Operations

Reversible mental actions such as conservation.

Symbolic Function Substage

Substage of preoperational thinking from ages 2 to 4, where children develop the ability to use symbols to represent objects.

Intuitive Thought Substage

Substage between ages 4 to 7 characterized by intense curiosity and 'why' questions.

Categorizing

A limitation of preoperational thinkers; difficulty in organizing things into categories.

Animism

The belief that inanimate objects have lifelike qualities and can act.

Egocentrism

The inability to take another person's perspective.

Conservation

Understanding that quantity remains the same despite changes in shape or appearance.

Centration

Focusing on only one aspect of a stimulus, leading to conservation difficulties.

Concrete Operations Stage

Stage occurring from ages 7 to 11 where children can perform operations for concrete events.

Formal Operations Stage

Final stage from ages 11 to adulthood where hypothetical deductive reasoning develops.

Hypothetical Deductive Reasoning

The ability to apply general rules to specific situations.

Pendulum Task

A task to test a child's ability to understand variables that affect motion.

Critique of Piaget

Critics argue that Piaget underestimated children's cognitive abilities and the timing of object permanence.

Empirical Evidence

Research findings that challenge the timing of object permanence as stated by Piaget.

Working Memory

Memory system that is believed to affect infants' performance on object permanence tasks.

Understanding of Numbers

Research indicates children and infants have a better understanding of numbers than Piaget suggested.

Sequence of Events Test

A method to assess understanding of addition and conservation in children.

Developmental Psychology

The study of how psychological processes develop and change throughout life.

Cognitive Psychologists

Experts who study mental processes, including how children develop cognitive abilities.

Learning Theory

A framework for understanding how information is absorbed, processed, and retained.

Stage Theory

Piaget's theory that cognitive development occurs in distinct stages.

Educational Implications of Piaget's Theory

Insights into how children learn can influence teaching methods and curriculum design.