Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development<\/h3>\r\n
Jean Piaget's (1896\u20131980) theory of cognitive development holds that our cognitive abilities develop through specific stages, which exemplifies the discontinuity approach to development. As we progress to a new stage, there is a distinct shift in how we think and reason.<\/p>\r\n
Piaget said that children develop schemata to help them understand the world.<\/p>\r\n By the time children have reached adulthood, they have created schemas for almost everything. When children learn new information, they adjust their schema through two processes: assimilation and accommodation.<\/p>\r\n Assimilation<\/strong> is incorporating new information into existing schemas. This occurs when new information aligns with what we already know. Accommodation<\/strong> is modifying existing schemas to fit new information that does not align with our current understanding.<\/p>\r\n<\/section>\r\n This process continues as children interact with their environment.<\/p>\r\n Two-year-old Blake learned the schema for dogs because his family has a Labrador retriever. When Blake sees other dogs in picture books, he says, \"Look mommy, dog!\" He has assimilated these new dogs into his existing schema.<\/p>\r\n One day, Blake sees a sheep for the first time and says, \"Look mommy, dog!\" His current schema categorizes all furry, four-legged creatures as dogs. When Blake's mom tells him the animal is a sheep, not a dog, Blake must accommodate his schema. He now understands that his schema for \"dog\" was too broad. He modifies his dog schema to be more specific and creates a new schema for sheep.<\/p>\r\n This process continues throughout development as children interact with their environment.<\/p>\r\n<\/section>\r\n Like Freud and Erikson, Piaget thought development unfolds in a series of stages approximately associated with age ranges. He proposed a theory of cognitive development that unfolds in four stages: sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational.<\/p>\r\n Just as there are physical <\/em>milestones that we expect children to reach, there are also cognitive <\/em>milestones. It is helpful to be aware of these milestones as children gain new abilities to think, problem-solve, and communicate. For example, infants shake their head \u201cno\u201d around 6\u20139 months, and they respond to verbal requests to do things like \u201cwave bye-bye\u201d or \u201cblow a kiss\u201d around 9\u201312 months.<\/p>\n Jean Piaget’s (1896\u20131980) theory of cognitive development holds that our cognitive abilities develop through specific stages, which exemplifies the discontinuity approach to development. As we progress to a new stage, there is a distinct shift in how we think and reason.<\/p>\n Piaget said that children develop schemata to help them understand the world.<\/p>\n By the time children have reached adulthood, they have created schemas for almost everything. When children learn new information, they adjust their schema through two processes: assimilation and accommodation.<\/p>\n Assimilation<\/strong> is incorporating new information into existing schemas. This occurs when new information aligns with what we already know.<\/p>\n Accommodation<\/strong> is modifying existing schemas to fit new information that does not align with our current understanding.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n This process continues as children interact with their environment.<\/p>\n Two-year-old Blake learned the schema for dogs because his family has a Labrador retriever. When Blake sees other dogs in picture books, he says, “Look mommy, dog!” He has assimilated these new dogs into his existing schema.<\/p>\n One day, Blake sees a sheep for the first time and says, “Look mommy, dog!” His current schema categorizes all furry, four-legged creatures as dogs. When Blake’s mom tells him the animal is a sheep, not a dog, Blake must accommodate his schema. He now understands that his schema for “dog” was too broad. He modifies his dog schema to be more specific and creates a new schema for sheep.<\/p>\n This process continues throughout development as children interact with their environment.<\/p>\n<\/section>\nassimilation and accommodation<\/h3>\r\n
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\r\n<\/p>\r\nAccommodating Schemas<\/h3>\r\n
Piaget's Stages of Cognitive Development<\/h3>\r\n
\r\n
\r\n \r\nAge (years)<\/th>\r\n Stage<\/th>\r\n Description<\/th>\r\n Developmental issues<\/th>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/thead>\r\n \r\n 0\u20132<\/td>\r\n Sensorimotor<\/td>\r\n The world is experienced through senses and actions<\/td>\r\n Object permanence
\r\nStranger anxiety<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n\r\n 2\u20137<\/td>\r\n Preoperational<\/td>\r\n Use words and images to represent things, but lack logical reasoning<\/td>\r\n Pretend play
\r\nEgocentrism
\r\nLanguage development<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n\r\n 7\u201311<\/td>\r\n Concrete operational<\/td>\r\n Understand concrete events and analogies logically; perform arithmetical operations<\/td>\r\n Conservation
\r\nMathematical transformations<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n\r\n 11\u2013<\/td>\r\n Formal operational<\/td>\r\n Formal operations
\r\nUtilize abstract reasoning<\/td>\r\nAbstract logic
\r\nMoral reasoning<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n\u00a0<\/h3>\r\n<\/section>\r\n<\/section>","rendered":"
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Cognitive Development<\/h2>\n
Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development<\/h3>\n
assimilation and accommodation<\/h3>\n
Accommodating Schemas<\/h3>\n