J EAN P IAGET ’ S T HEORY OF C OGNITIVE -D EVELOPMENT Presented by: Jeannine Freeman

J EAN PIAGET Over 60 books Several hundred articles Researched developmental psychology and genetic epistemology Knowledge is progressive

S TAGES OF C OGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT T HEORY Sensorimotor stage Preoperational Thinking Stage Concrete Operations stage Formal operations stage

S ENSORIMOTOR STAGE Birth to age of 2 Infants use inborn abilities Permanence- major accomplishment

S ENSORIMOTOR S UBSTAGES Reflexes Primary Circular Reactions Secondary Circular Reactions Coordination of Secondary Circular Reactions Tertiary Circular Reactions Mental Representation

S UBSTAGE 1: R EFLEXES Birth to 1 month Innate reflexes born with these automatic

S UBSTAGE 2: P RIMARY C IRCULAR R EACTIONS 1-4 months Reactions - repeated Reflexes - more developed

S UBSTAGE 3: S ECONDARY C IRCULAR R EACTIONS 4-8 months Object oriented Notice effects they have on environment

S UBSTAGE 4: C OORDINATION OF S ECONDARY C IRCULAR R EACTIONS 8-12 months Cause-effect relationships Goal-directed behavior Object permanence

S UBSTAGE 5: T ERTIARY C IRCULAR R EACTIONS months Experimentation Creative thinking

S UBSTAGE 6: M ENTAL R EPRESENTATION months Symbolic thinking Deferred imitation

P REOPERATIONAL T HINKING S TAGE 2-7 years Language development Role playing Pretending

P REOPERATIONAL S UBSTAGES Preconceptual thinking Intuitive thinking

S UBSTAGE 1: P RECONCEPTUAL THINKING 2-4 years old Thinks similar objects are identical Play pretend Transductive reasoning

S UBSTAGE 2: I NTUITIVE THINKING 4-7 years old Curious about the world around them Ask lots of questions Conservation Egocentrism

C ONCRETE O PERATIONS STAGE 7-11 years Think logically but concrete Classification Reversibility Seriating

F ORMAL OPERATIONS STAGE After 11 or 12 years Abstract thought Propositional thinking Deductive logic Problem solving

W HAT DOES THIS THEORY MEAN FOR EDUCATION ? How does this knowledge help us to understand how to best educate our children? Discuss in small groups why it is important to know where children are developmentally when trying to teach them.

R EFERENCES Hinde, E. R., & Perry, N. (2007). Elementary teachers' application of Jean Piaget's theories of cognitive development during social studies curriculum debates in Arizona. The Elementary School Journal, 108(1), doi: / Gredler, Margaret E. "Jean Piaget's Cognitive- Development Theory." Learning and Instruction: Theory into Practice. New York: Macmillan, Print. "Jean Piaget Society - About Piaget." Jean Piaget Society - About Piaget. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Dec "Jean Piaget." Stages of Cognitive Development -. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Dec "Piaget's Stages of Cognitive Development." About.com Psychology. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Dec