Developmental Psychology Chapter 9

Piaget's Cognitive Development Stages

• Sensorimotor

• Concrete Operational

• Preoperational

• Formal Operational

Piaget's Classical Theory

• Cognitive structures acquired through interaction with the environment

• Schemata: mental representations that define a category/behavior

• Concepts: rules that describe properties of environmental events

• Processes to adapt to the environment: assimilation and accommodation

Piaget's Four Stages of Cognitive Development

• Sensorimotor period (birth - 2 years)

• Pre-operational period (2-7 years)

• Concrete operational period (7-11 years)

• Formal operational period (11+ years)

Stage 1: Sensorimotor (0-2 years)

• Object permanence: understanding that objects still exist even when out of sight

• Deferred imitation: forming mental representations of actions that are recalled later

• Rudimentary symbolic thinking: using words to represent objects

• Search and investigate to understand the world through trial and error

Stage 2: Pre-operational (2-7 years)

• Rapid development of language ability

• Increased ability to think symbolically and logically

• Difficulties with mastering conservation problems

• Development of theory of mind and loss of egocentrism

Stage 3: Concrete Operational Period (7-11 years)

• Development of organized and rational thinking

• Logical analyses applied to physical objects or specific things

• Inductive reasoning and understanding complex cause and effect relations

• Classification of objects and empathy with others

• Mastery of conservation problems

Stage 4: Formal Operational Period (11+ years)

• Abstract reasoning and ability to hypothesize, test, and re-evaluate hypotheses

• Logical thinking and ability to work through abstract problems

• Inferential reasoning and thinking in a formal systematic way

Vygotsky's Sociocultural Theory of Cognitive Development

• Social interactions and language within a cultural context influence cognitive development

• Language drives cognitive development by internalizing social interactions

• Zone of proximal development: range of tasks/skills a child can perform with assistance

• Scaffolding: appropriate assistance given by a teacher to expand knowledge gradually

• Course/content of intellectual growth is a product of culture

Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development

• The range of tasks/skills a learner can