Cognitive Development

Jean Piaget - Theory of Cognitive Development

• Schema: cognitive rules that are used to interpret experiences
  • Children learn schemas through experience
• Assimilation: interpretation in terms of existing schema
• Accommodation: adjust existing schemas to incorporate new experience

1) Sensorimotor stage (birth - 2 years)

• Explore the world through senses
• At 6 months → object permanence

2) Pre-operational stage (2 years - 6/7 years)

• Language: ability to represent thoughts with words
• Think about things when absent
• Pretend play
• Lack true logical thought
• Egocentrism: inability to perceive things from another’s perspective
  • Persists through 3-4 years
• Lack Theory of Mind: ability to attribute feeling, beliefs, desires, etc./mental states to others
• Lack Concept of Conservation: properties of objects do not change despite change in shape

3) Concrete operational stage (6/7 years - 11/12 years)

• Conservation
• Have Theory of Mind
• Perform reverse operations in their mind
• Spatial concepts

4) Formal operational stage (12 years - adulthood)

• Abstract thinking, hypotheticals
• Metacognition
• If…then…

Lawrence Kohlberg - 3 Stages of Moral Development

1) Preconventional morality

• Before age 9
• Avoid punishment/gain reward
• How choice affects them

2) Conventional morality

• Social rules for approval
• Societal laws maintain order

3) Post-conventional morality

• Belief in basic rights
• Personally believed ethical principles

Carol Gilligan

• Kohlberg only looked at affluent white boys
• Kohlberg rated girls “lower” but girls are not slower to develop morally
• Boys have rules that apply in every context → absolute view of morality
• Girls pay more attention to the situation when making moral decisions