1. Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development
Ms. Carmelitano

2. Jean Piaget Swiss Biologist turned Psychologist
Studied child brain development
His participants were primarily his children
Responsible for theories on cognitive development
Developed the idea that children develop in specific stages based on their age

3. Basis of Findings As children age the way they think changes
Physical maturation is just as important as the social environment when it comes to psychological development
Interaction with the environment changes people, and cognitive development is dependent on how the individual child interacts with the social and physical world – constructionist approach

4. Piaget’s study
Began by observing his 4 children and making baby diaries based on observations and discussions with the children
His goal was to determine the motivation behind his children’s behaviors
Used open-ended conversations to gain insight into children’s judgments and explanations of what they were doing

5. Piaget’s theory on knowledge
Knowledge consists of cognitive schemas
These schemas develop or change naturally as children grow
Children’s first responses are based off of limited schemas – sucking, reaching, grasping
They are modified as a result of experience: “adaptation”
Children actively construct knowledge themselves when they interact and interpret objects

6. Adaptation
Two forms:
Assimilation: happens when new information can be integrated into existing cognitive schemas
Accommodation: occurs when existing cognitive schemas have to be altered because they no longer match new experiences

7. Piaget’s Stages of Development
Sensorimotor
Preoperational
Concrete Operational
Formal Operational

8. The Sensorimotor Stage (0-2 years)
Newborns rely on innate reflects and have limited knowledge
In this state children learn through movements and sensations
Knowledge arises from looking, touching, hearing, sucking, grasping, and putting things in their mouth
The child will come to have an idea of what different objects are like
Child will develop control over their body, and learn movements have consequences – like bashing a toy
At this stage, Piaget argues that children develop object permanence

9. Object permanence
8 moths old: Children will develop the idea that objects continue to exist even when they are no longer seen
Piaget found that at 4 months old, a child will not look for an object that is hidden “out of sight out of mind”
An 8 month old will look for a hidden object
Between 8 and 12 months, the child will keep looking in the place he or she found it last, even if the child watched someone hide it in a new place
18-24 months they will develop full object permanence

10. Blanket and ball study
Aim: Piaget (1963) wanted to investigate at what age children acquire object permanence.
Method: Piaget hid a toy under a blanket, while the child was watching, and observed whether or not the child searched for the hidden toy. Searching for the hidden toy was evidence of object permanence. Piaget assumed that the child could only search for a hidden toy if s/he had a mental representation of it.
Results: Piaget found that infants searched for the hidden toy when they were around 8-months-old.
Conclusion: Children around 8 months have abject permanence because they are able to form a mental representation of the object in their minds.

11. Pre-Operational Stage (2-7 years old)
The child will learn how to speak
Children will become capable of thinking in symbolic thinking
They can form ideas but can only focus on one aspect of an object or situation at a time, and cannot transfer knowledge from one situation to another
Understanding of the world is egocentric – the child can only see the world from his or her point of view
The child does not understand that others see the world differently
Cognitive limitation: the children cannot understand that someone might think differently

12. Limitation: thinking is dominated by appearance of things
Pre-operational children cannot understand the concept of conservation.
That physical properties remain the same even if the object appearance is changed
Children at this stage focus on the most visible change, and do not understand mentally that the amount of liquid is the same even if the glass is different

13. 3 mountain task
Aim: Piaget and Inhelder (1956) wanted to find out at what age children decenter - i.e. become no longer egocentric.
Method: The child sits at a table, presented in front are three mountains. The mountains were different, with snow on top of one, a hut on another and a red cross on top of the other. The child was allowed to walk round the model, to look at it, then sit down at one side. A doll is then placed at various positions of the table.
The child is then shown 10 photographs of the mountains taken from different positions, and asked to indicate which showed the dolls view. Piaget assumed that if the child correctly picked out the card showing the doll's view, s/he was not egocentric. Egocentrism would be shown by the child who picked out the card showing the view s/he saw.
Findings - Four-year-olds always chose a picture which matched their own view, while six-year-olds showed some awareness of alternative perspectives. Only seven- and eight-year-olds consistently chose the correct picture.
Conclusion - At age 7, thinking is no longer egocentric as the child can see more than their own point of view.

14. The Concrete Operational stage (7-12 years)
Children begin formal schooling
At this stage they will develop full understanding of the conservation
They start to use rules of logic in problem solving but only when dealing with concrete tasks
Children need images for support when problem solving

15. Conservation of numbers
Aim: To test when children develop the ability to understand the conservation of numbers
Piaget placed a set of counters in front of children.
He then placed the same amount of counters in front of himself, however spread the counters apart.
He asked the children who had more counters
By age 7, children were able to determine that they both had the same amount of counters.

16. Conservation of liquids task
Aim: Piaget wanted to test when children would develop an ability to understand the conservation of liquids
Method: Children were shown two containers of water. The child was able to determine that they held the same amount of water
The researcher then poured one of the containers into a larger container
The child between the ages of 4-7 argued that the larger container held more water
At age 7, children being to develop the ability to understand that the water is the same in both containers

17. Formal Operational Stage (12 and up)
By the end of this stage adolescents and adults can use formal abstract logic
They can mentally manipulate ideas, concepts, or numbers, and can think hypothetically
They can think about what could happen or would never happen
They will problem solve in a systematic way
Reach the end by age 20

18. The Pendulum Task
Piaget gave children material to make a pendulum: string and weights
Children had to use them to create the fastest pendulum they could
9 year olds use trial and error, with no logical thought put into the task
11 and 12 year olds logically thought through the tasks, using the scientific method to change one variable at a time

19. The Third eye test
Piaget asked children where they would put a third eye if given a chance
9 years old repeatedly said they would place it in the middle of the forehead
11 and 12 years olds put more thought into their answers. Many of them stated they put it on the hands, that way they could look around corners without anyone seeing them
This showed that they logically thought about their answers before deciding.

20. Postformal stage (adulthood)
More recent psychologists challenge Piaget. They believe cognitive development does not end with the formal operational stage of development
Postformal thought is more flexible, logical, and dialectical (reasoned) than formal operational thought
In this stage, a person is able to make decisions based on individual circumstances and situations they are in
They use logic as well as emotions to make decisions. People are better able to conceive of multiple logics, choices, or perceptions to understand complexities and inherent biases in truth (Griffin et al, 2009)
People tend to be able to logically think about relationships, work, politics, etc
People are able to use past experiences to make decisions

21. Youtube links http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1VK2iawS34