Jean Piaget’s Cognitive Theory

The cognitive development theory was proposed by Swiss developmental psychologist Jean Piaget. Piaget developed a new science called “Genetic Epistemology.” It is the study of the development of knowledge. And, it is an experimental study based on evidence. Jean Piaget’s cognitive theory plays an important to understanding children’s cognitive abilities.

Jean Piaget began studies with his own three children as infants. Later he studied a larger scale of samples as a clinical method. In cognitive theory, Jean Piaget explained the many aspects related to cognitive theory. They are:- cognitive equilibrium, constructivism, schema( Assimilation and Accommodation)

• Cognitive Equilibrium     According to Jean Piaget’s cognitive theory, Intelligence is a form of cognitive equilibrium. Cognitive equilibrium is a balanced or harmonious relationship between children’s thought processes and environmental conditions.

  Cognitive Equilibrium

   

  In this example, a child’s speech on “Woman Empowerment” at the annual function. And, Teachers and parents support to child-related with reinforcement and motivation.

   

  Example of Cognitive Equilibrium

   

• Constructivism    According to Jean Piaget’s cognitive theory, Children’s constructions of reality depend on the availability of knowledge. Constructivism is that knowledge is not a stable process but it is changed step by step and according to environmental conditions. This example shows that knowledge is not fixed and knowledge will be changed according to stages. Because preoperational children are not able to seriation and concrete operational children are able to seriation. So this process is called constructivism.

  Example of Constructivism

•  Schema   In Jean Piaget’s cognitive theory, the schema is an unobservable mental process in the cognitive-developmental theory. Children understand the world with the help of schema because the schema is a thought process and is dependent on the mental level. Schema is the structuring of acquired knowledge with the help of previous experiences.

  Example of Schema

  In this example, a child used previous experience and called a cat is a dog based on some physical characteristics of a dog.

   

  Concept of Schema 

  The two concepts of schema. They are- assimilation and accommodation.

  •  Assimilation   The assimilation is an attempt to fit new experiences into existing schemes.

    Assimilation

    Example of Assimilation:-

    Example of Assimilation

     

  • Accommodation   The accommodation is modifying existing schemes in response to new experiences.

    Example of Accommodation

    In this example, the child has changed the previous knowledge because the cat has miyou not bark. So this process is called accommodation.

    Stages of  Jean Piaget’s Cognitive Theory

    According to Jean Piaget’s cognitive theory, the stages of cognitive development have not been skipped. Because each next stage is interconnected to the previous stage. Cognitive development theory has 4 stages. They are-

    Piaget’s Cognitive Development Theory

  • Sensory Motor Stage (0-2 years)    Sensory-motor stage occurs between 0 to 2 years. This is the first stage of cognitive development theory. In this stage, infants have coordinated sensory inputs and motor capacities. And infants’ reflexive creatures have limited capacity and knowledge. According to Jean Piaget’s cognitive theory, the sensory-motor stage is divided into six stages. They are:-

    Sub-Stages of Sensory Motor Stage

    • Reflex Activity( 0-1 Month)

    An infant exercises innate reflexes, assimilating new responses, and accommodating reflexes.

    Pleasure activity= Exercising of innate reflexes

    • Primary Circular Reaction( 1-4 months)

    In this sub-stage, the first non-reflexive schemes emerge. Infants can emit and control (sucking thumb, making cooing sound) and repeating. These repetitive acts called primary circular reactions. These reactions are centered on the infant’s body. In this sub-stage, all processes of the infant are related to the internal process.

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    Pleasure activity= Sucking thumb and making a cooing sound

    • Secondary Circular Reaction( 4 -8 months)

    In this sub-stage, the infant’s interest beyond their bodies such as making a rubber duck quack by squeezing it.

    Pleasure activity= Interest in an external object

    • Coordination of Secondary Schemes(8-12 months)

    In this sub-stage, the first truly planned response appears. Infants begin to coordinate two or more actions. This behavior is a goal-directed behavior and true problem-solving behavior also.

    Pleasure activity = Truly goal-directed behavior

    • Tertiary Circular Reactions(12-18 months)

    In this sub-stage, infants begin to actively experiment with objects and try a new method for problem-solving. An infant is actively involved in objects with curiosity.

    Pleasure activity= Try to new method with curiosity

    • The invention of new means (18-24 months)

    In this sub-stage, infants can experiment mentally and insight. The infant’s concept of an object is complete and goal-oriented.

    Pleasure activity= Inner experimentation (solve a simple problem)

    In this sub-stage, infants solve simple problems without trial and error.

    Example of Sensory-Motor Stage

     

  • Pre Operational Stage (2-7 years)  In this stage, a child begins to think symbolically with imagination. And the child not understand concrete logic. This stage plays an important role in the development of language.                                                                                                Features of pre-operational children                                                                                  They are- Symbolism Thinking, Dual Representation, Animism, Egocentrism

    Features of Pre Operational Stage

     

  • Symbolism Thinking   Preoperational children use symbolism thinking. Children use imagination power such as pretending a toy is a big car.                                                               Example-1

    Symbolism Thinking

    Example 2:- Role playing

    • Child role play as a doctor
    • Child role play as a teacher
    • Child role play as a mother
    • Child role play as a father
    • Child role play as a policeman

     

  • Dual Representation     Preoperational children use dual representation. It is the ability to think of objects in two different ways at the same time.

• • Animism   In this stage, the child believes that inanimate objects ( such as star, moon) have human feelings. According to the preoperational child, the star is smiling because a star has human feelings like a smile.                                           Example:– Baby Doll Girl- The child believes that a baby doll is a living person like a human being and the baby doll is eating, dancing, and sleeping. This example is related to animism.
  • Egocentrism    In Jean Piaget’s cognitive theory, the egocentric child is not able to identify the feelings and choices of other people. Egocentrism child views the world according to own perspective and ignores other person’s choices.                             Example:- John was asked to select a gift for his sister out of two gifts (one gift is Doll and the second gift is Truck) and john selects the truck according to his own choice and likeness, not his sister’s choice. This example shows that children are egocentric. Piaget’s three mountain task experiment shows that children have egocentric.

• Concrete Operational Stage( 7-11 years)  In this period, the concrete operational child makes logical thinking and not an abstract thinker. According to Jean Piaget’s cognitive theory, concrete children are good at inductive reasoning. And children have decreased the level of egocentrism. The concrete operational stage occurs between middle childhood to pre-adolescence. Horizontal decalage generally occurs during the concrete operational stage. And children do not capacity to immediately apply the learned functions to all problems.                                        Features of concrete operational children      They are:- conservation, seriation, classification, reversibility, decentering, transitivity,

  Features of Concrete Operational Stage

   

   

   

  • Seriation (Relational Logic)  Seriation is also called relational logic because the next serial stage is dependent on the next stage in a logical way. Seriation is a mentally arranged item in quantitative dimensions such as height, weight. Children put the object in an orderly way ( thin to big, short to tall, small to large). The ability of seriation develops during a concrete operational stage in a logical way.

    Example of Seriation

    This process is done by concrete operational children.

  • Transitivity   This is the ability to recognize relations among elements in serial order (logical order). Transitivity develops during the concrete operational stage.   Example 1:-

    Transitivity

    Example 2:-

    Total Money=    100

    John get        =    30

    Michael get  =     50

    Merry            =     ?

     

    Transitivity process, Merry get= 20

     

  • Conservation Task  Conservation understands that objects can change in size, volume, or appearance but remain the same object related to size, volume, and appearance. Conservation leads to logical thinking and this ability to develop during the concrete operational stage (7-11).

    Types of Conservation Task

     

     

    • Volume

      Volume

       

    • Number

      Conservation Task Number

       

    • Length

      Conversation task- Length

       

    • Matter

      Matter

      Concrete operational children are able to solve conservation tasks logically way.

    • Classification   The classification refers to identifying the properties of categories based on color, shape, size, amount, and similarities. In classification, a grouping of object is dependent on according to shape, size, and color.       Examples:-

      Classification

      Example of Classification

      Concrete operational children solve all problems related to classification.

    • Reversibility   The reversibility is that a change object can be returned to the original state. And with the help of reversibility cognitive process is increased.   Example-1

      Reversibility

      Example-2

      Reversibility

      All examples are understood by concrete operational children with the help of reversibility.

    • Decentration    The decentration is the ability to pay attention to multiple attributes of an object or situation compare to one attribute.

      Example of Decentration

      In this example, concrete operational children are able to define multiple attributes of objects (Ball). These attributes are a tennis ball, two colors, and zigzag lines.

• Formal Operational Stage (11 to 12 and beyond)               The formal operational stage is the last stage of cognitive development theory. In Jean Piaget’s cognitive theory, formal operational children are able to hypothetic deductive reasoning and thinking.

  Features of Formal Operational Stage

  Features of Formal Operational Stage

  Features of Formal Operational Stage

  • Hypothetic Deductive Reasoning                                                                       Piaget’s experiment related to hypothetic deductive reasoning. And specific instruction provided by Piaget for children. Suppose you could choose to place this eye anywhere on your body.
    They are- hypothetic deductive reasoning, Imaginary audience.                            Example of Hypothetic Deductive Reasoning

    Example of Hypothetic Deductive Reasoning

    Children are provided the different-different answer according to abstracts and used deductive reasoning with the systematic phenomena.

  • Imaginary Audience    In this stage, children develop a sense of an imaginary audience. An imaginary audience is a result of egocentrism. Egocentrism children believed that everyone is interested in their feelings and behaviors.
    

    Criticism of Jean Piaget’s Cognitive Theory

     

  • Piaget has little emphasis on social and cultural influences.
  • According to Piaget’s cognitive theory, cognitive development is a universal phenomenon but geographical, environmental conditions, nutrition, eco-friendly conditions play an important role in cognition development.
  • Largest duration of periods between each stage.
  • What cognitive development really occurs in stages?
  • Piaget has very little emphasis on social interaction and motivation. But social interaction and motivation play important role in development.

See Also

Freud’s Personality Theory

Development in Adolescence