Theory of Cognitive Development Jean Piaget

Born in Neuchatel, Switzerland Was the eldest child, and as such was precocious (bright for his age) Strong interest in seashells, initially

Piaget was interested in philosophy, psychology & religion He worked with Simon, of the Simon-Binet intelligence testing, but Piaget was more concerned with how children learn, rather than distinguishing right/wrong His academic work forms the basis for our current educational system

He married Valentine Chatenay in 1923 and together they had 2 daughters followed by 1 son After a lifetime of efforts he was known as ‘one of the most significant psychologists of the 20 th century’

1. Sensorimotor Period Lasts from birth to 2 years of age The child: uses his senses and his increasing motor skills to explore the environment begins to use to use language to imitate and represent the environment

Buttons!

Seriation is… The placing or grouping of like objects together

Object Permanence or Person Permanence is when The child learns that an object or person continues to exist even when not in sight

Egocentric The child is aware only of himself and his own likes, dislikes, and wants He cannot see other people’s perspectives This is NOT being selfish – they don’t know any better than this!

Ugli & Kumquats

Ugli Native to Jamaica A cross between a tangerine & a grapefruit Available only in winter-early spring Great source of vitamin C Kumquat Very small & orange- like; outer skin is edible Native to Asia & the Asia Pacific region Source of vitamin C

Ugli & Kumquats

Assimilation means… To learn about a new concept or schema i.e. – this is a ball

Accommodation means… To adapt old schema (concept) and develop new schema for interacting with it when a child adapts his/her existing ideas to fit new understandings For example…

According to Piaget: Assimilation + Accommodation = Learning

2. Pre-operational Period Lasts from 2 – 7 years of age The child can speak and print words His memory and imagination develops His thinking is often not logical Much ego-centric thinking occurs He learns that symbols represent something else; for example…

A Stop sign means to STOP! (the shape and colour identify the signal, even without the word STOP)

3. Concrete Operations Period Lasts from 7-11 years of age The child has the ability to do simple math and measurement, with manipulatives He begins to understand cause & effect He can think about real, concrete things in systematic ways, but cannot understand abstract concepts He is no longer egocentric (he can now understand other people’s points of view)

A number line is useful for math

Conservation means… The amount, weight, volume & number of things stays the same even when the outward appearance of objects or groups is changed

A short glass of water is the same amount as a tall glass half full of water

Reversability means… An action can be undone or reverted to its previous state

A ball of clay…

Can be made into a clay bowl

But it can be reformed into a ball of clay

4. Formal Operations Period Lasts from about 11 – 15 years of age A child is able to think and reason in purely abstract terms (in his head, without having concrete items in front of him) He is able to use logic and abstract thinking He questions previously accepted thoughts, ideas and values

Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development

Colour & Learning Henner Ertel, Munich, Germany Studied how colour in the environment influenced learning capacity Children were left in rooms with low ceilings painted different colours

Ertel found that light blue, yellow, yellow- green & orange environments increased children’s intelligence quotients (IQs) as much as 12 points & made children more alert & creative

Black, white & brown environments lowered their IQs & made them duller

Ertel’s explanation reasoned that this effect may have been elicited due to the effect of light on the temporal lobes, which affects learning The effect lasted only as long as the children were in the environment What colour is your study area at home?

Child Development Theorists: Freud to Erikson to Spock...and Beyond (L111962) 21:58 minutes Produced 2009 Distributor Learn360 (2453) Producer Learning Zone Express (4002) Audience Senior (S) Synopsis Beginning with Sigmund Freud, modern child development theories have changed the way that parents raise their children and the way that teachers teach those children. This video is an entertaining and enlightening view of the major child development theories, how the theories differ and how more than one approach can be beneficial. Historical footage and photos are combined with candid documentary footage from day care centers