Piaget’s Cognitive Stages

Jean Piaget Born in Neuchâtel, Switzerland, on August 9, 1896 Found that that children don't think like grownups Believed that children’s thought processes that had their own order and their own logic Career spanned 75 years He developed new fields: developmental psychology, cognitive theory and what came to be called genetic epistemology

Sensory-Motor Stage Ages: birth to 2 years Babies apply skills they are born with (sucking and grasping) as a way to explore the world around them Create categories or schemes: toys that make noises, foods that taste good, etc.

Sensory-Motor Stage During this stage, babies develop object permanence- that realization that objects and people exist even when they are out of sight

Sensory-Motor Stage –Birth- 1 month: No object permanence –1-4 months: Do not show interest or surprise if object vanishes –4-8 months: Infant drops object, they will look for it –8-12 months: *Object permanence develops* Infant looks for toys hidden under blankets –18-24 months: Children can form a mental representation meaning that children can picture an object and follow its movement in their imagination

Examples From Sensory Motor:

Preoperational Stage Ages: 2-7 years old Engage in symbolic play (imagination) Egocentric: cannot see another person’s point of view

Preoperational Stage Do not understand the laws of conservation

Examples of Preoperational:

Concrete Operational Ages: 7-11 years old Become more flexible in thinking Can see issues from multiple view points Understands conservation

Example of Concrete:

Formal Operational Ages: Abstract thinking Hypothetic deductive reasoning- can form a hypothesis about the world around them

Example of Formal Operations:

Criticisms of Piaget Are there actually distinct stages? Do we all progress/ develop at the same rate? Can you skip a stage? Assumes young infants know very little Theory does not address human diversity