Piaget’s Psychological Development

Piaget ( ) Swiss Psychologist, worked for several decades on understanding children’s cognitive development Most widely known theory of cognitive development. Was intrigued by kids’ thoughts & behavior, & worked to understand their cognitive development

Piaget: Background Young Piaget was incredibly precocious –Published first paper at 10 –Wrote on mollusks, based on these writings was asked to be curator of mollusks at a museum in Geneva (he declined in order to finish secondary school) Pictures of Mollusks – –Earned his doctorate in natural sciences at 21 –Began to study psychology, applying intelligence tests to school children

Piaget: Vocabulary Constructivism Schema Assimilation and Accommodation Equilibrium and Disequilibrium Piaget’s FOUR Stages of Development: 1. Sensori-motor (birth –2 years) 2. Preoperational (~2-7) 3. Concrete operational (~7-11) 4. Formal operations (~12-15)

Constructivism Assumption that learning is an active process of construction rather than a passive assimilation of information or rote memorization. Has had a large influence on American schools What Does Constructivism Look Like in the American Classroom?

…Piaget and Constructivism Piaget suggests that individuals construct their own understanding, that learning is a constructive process –Active learning as opposed to simply absorbing info from a teacher, book, etc. –The child is seen as a ‘little scientist’ constructing understandings of the world largely alone

….Piaget & Constructivism ….Piaget & Constructivism believed all learning is constructed, whether it is something we are taught or something we learn on our own. Whether or not we are taught in a “constructivist” manner, Piaget believed we are constructing knowledge in all our learning.

What’s a Schema? FOR EXAMPLE: A child sees a dog, and mentally files the dog into his schema for dog. This process happens again, and again- each time the child adds new information to his schema for dog. This works well until the child is presented with a new animal. The child sees the new animal, and says DOG, but we say- NO, COW. The child must open a new file for COW. little picture or associations you conjure up in your mind when you hear or read a word or a sentence. You can have a schema for objects (chair, boat, and fan), an abstract idea of feeling (love, hate, hope), an action (dancing and buying), or an event (election, garage sale, and concert). A schema is like a concept but broader.

Schema:

How did Piaget explain the learning process? Assimilation Integrating new information with existing knowledge As children are faced with new learning situations, they use prior knowledge to make the new experience understandable. Prior knowledge is subsequently restructured to make a new experience fit in the newly formed schema. Accommodation The change that occurs in the mental structure of the child A Video About Assimilation and Accommodation: watch?v=WAQur-Y_BJY

Assimilation & Accommodation Assimilation Integrating new information with existing knowledge As children are faced with new learning situations, they use prior knowledge to make the new experience understandable. Prior knowledge is subsequently restructured to make a new experience fit in the newly formed schema. Accommodation The change that occurs in the mental structure of the child

How did Piaget explain learning as a result of new experiences? Piaget believed we spend our lives in two main cognitive states: Equilibrium or Disequilibrium Equilibrium is a cognitive state in which we are able to explain new experiences. Piaget suggests that we are driven or motivated to learn when we are in disequilibrium –Learning occurs when we are in disequilibrium, because we are driven to understand things

Example of Learning….

Constructivism & Education Piaget was not interested in applying his theory to school-based education, he called this “The American question”, because he thought Americans might try to TEACH the stages to speed up learning. Constructivist educators create an environment which encourages children to construct their own knowledge. –But according to Piaget, we construct our learning regardless of how it is presented.

Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development A child’s capacity to understand certain concepts is based on the child’s developmental stage

Piaget’s Four Stages Piaget believed that all children develop according to four stages based on how they see the world. –He thought the age may vary some, but that we all go through the stages in the same order. 1. Sensori-motor (birth –2 years) 2. Preoperational (~2-7) 3. Concrete operational (~7-11) 4. Formal operations (~12-15)

Piaget’s Four Stages of Development 1. Sensori-motor (birth –2 years) 2. Preoperational (~2-7) 3. Concrete operational (~7-11) 4. Formal operations (~12-15) Piagetian Tasks

… Piaget’s Development Development happens from one stage to another through interaction with the environment. Changes from stage to stage may occur abruptly and kids will differ in how long they are in each stage. Cognitive development can only happen after genetically controlled biological growth occurs.

Piaget & Education Piaget did not think it was wise, or possible to hurry along or skip stages through teaching Regardless, many American schools will try to teach to the stages in an attempt to accelerate development

Problems with Piaget’s Theory Children often grasp ideas earlier than Piaget suggested Cognitive development across domains is inconsistent (for example, a person can be better at Reading than Math) Studies have shown that development can to some degree be accelerated

Details about Piaget’s 4 Stages

Sensorimotor Stage Birth to about 2 years, rapid change is seen throughout The child will: –Explore the world through senses & motor activity –Early on, baby can’t tell difference between themselves & the environment –If they can’t see something then it doesn’t exist (object permanence). –Begin to understand cause & effect –Can later follow something with their eyes

Preoperational Stage About 2 to about 7 –The child begins to use symbols to represent the world. –Gradual increase in Language Development –Has difficulty distinguishing fantasy from reality (ex: cartoon characters are real people).

…more preoperational Conservation of matter – understanding that something doesn’t change even though it looks different, shape is not related to quantity Ex: Are ten coins set in a long line more than ten coins in a pile? Ex: Is there less water if it is poured into a bigger container?

Concrete Operational Stage From about 7 to about 11 –Abstract reasoning ability & ability to generalize from the concrete increases –Understands conservation of matter –The child is able to classify and seriate –Understands reversibility

Formal Operations From about 12 to about 15 Able to think about hypothetical situations Can think about the future –Form & test hypotheses –Organize information –Reason scientifically –The child may develop concern about social issues and identity