Development of Cognition and Language: Introduction to Piaget

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Development of Cognition and Language
Introduction to Piagets Theory of Cognitive
Development

• EDU 330 Educational Psychology
• Daniel Moos

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Intellectual Development (I)
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Assumptions of Piagets Theory

• Stage theory
• Role of adults and children
• Schemes
• Intrinsic Activity Constantly searching for
  equilibrium based on prior experience/knowledge

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Assumptions of Piagets Theory

• Intrinsic Activity Constantly searching for
  equilibriumexample
• Rocky slowly got up from the mat, planning his
  escape. He hesitated and thought. Things were not
  going well. What bothered him most was being
  held, especially since the charge against him had
  been weak. He considered his present situation.
  The lock that held him was strong but he thought
  he could break it. He knew, however, that his
  timing would have to be perfect. Rocky was aware
  that it was because of his early roughness that
  he been penalized so severely-much too severely
  from his point of view. The situation was
  becoming frustrating the pressure had been
  grinding on him too long. Rocky was getting angry
  now. He felt he was ready to make his move. He
  knew his success or failure would depend on what
  he did in the next few seconds.
• Summarize in two or three sentences.

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Learning a result of disequilibrium Assimilation A
ccommodation
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Practice Mechanisms/processes in Piagets Theory

• equilibrium disequilibrium accommodation
  assimilation
• You have learned to drive a car with an
  automatic transmission, and youre very
  comfortable driving a variety of cars.
• Then, you are asked to help a friend move, and
  your friend asks you to drive her car to her new
  location as she drives a moving truck. However,
  the car has a stick shift, and youre very
  uncomfortable trying to drive it. Your friend
  helps you get started, and finally youre able to
  manage and youre now able to drive vehicles with
  both automatic transmissions and with stick
  shifts.
• Sometime later, you help another friend move,
  and he has a pickup truck with a stick shift.
  Now, youre able to comfortably drive the pickup
  truck.

How might this process translate to learning in
the classroom?
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Sensorimotor Stage ( birth - 2)

• 1. Sensorimotor Period (birth 2)
• Motor reflexes
• Cognition progresses from the exercise of
  reflexes
• Child coordinates them into increasingly long
  chains of behavior
• ? By the end of this period, the child
  understands that objects continue to exist even
  when they are not seen

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Preoperational Stage (2 -7)

• 2. Preoperational Period (2 - 7)
• Begin to interact symbolically
• Vocabulary increases substantially
• Grammatical and sentence construction moves to
  sentences
• Limitations to this period
• (1) Egocentricity
• (2) Perceptual Centration
• (3) Inability to conserve
• (4) Video Examples
• (1) Youtube
• (2) Casey

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Concrete Operations (7 -11)

• Achievements in Period
• - Conservation understood
• Empathy possible (Theory of Mind)
• Example from Casey (Video)
• - More likely to obey logical rules.
• For example, Jane is taller than Kim and Kim is
  taller than Sue. Who is tallest? (transitivity)

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Formal Operations Period (11- onward)

• Achievements in Period
• Change in Reasoning (Scientific reasoning)
• Hypothetico-deductive reasoning (not restricted
  to previously acquired facts)
• 3x 11 22
• Thinking like a scientist (Inductive reasoning)
• Children 11 and onward can generate hypotheses
  and systematically test them using experiments
• Thinking about thinking
• Reflective abstraction Acquire new information
  as a result of internal reflection

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Formal Operations Thinking Example

• What is my rule???

Trial 1 M Does this meet my rule No
Trial 2 D Does this meet my rule Yes
Trial 3 O Does this meet my rule Yes
Trial 4 F Does this meet my rule No
Trial 5 Z Does this meet my rule No
Trial 6 B Does this meet my rule Yes
Trial 7 I Does this meet my rule No
Trial 8 X Does this meet my rule No
Trial 9 R Does this meet my rule Yes
Trial 10 P Does this meet my rule Yes
Trial 11 C Does this meet my rule Yes
Trial 12 A Does this meet my rule No
Trial 13 K Does this meet my rule No
Trial 14 S Does this meet my rule Yes
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Piaget Summary
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Piaget Cognitive Development

• Criticisms of Piagets Theory
• ? Underestimating Childrens Capabilities
• ? Overestimating Adolescents Capabilities
• ? Vague Explanations for Cognitive Growth
• ? Cultural Differences