1. Preoperational children fail conservation tasks because of
Centration
A tendency to focus on static states rather than transformations

2. Concrete Operations (7-11) Understand conservation tasks
Can focus on multiple features of an object or event
Can consider transformations, not just static states

3. Limitations of Concrete Operations
Children’s logical thinking is limited to concrete information that can be perceived directly
Can’t reason about abstract or hypothetical ideas

4. Formal Operations (11 on)
Ability to think abstractly or hypothetically
“What if ?”

5. Can consider all possible outcomes of a situation (scientific reasoning)
Ex: pendulum problem

7. Criticisms of Piaget’s Theory:
Underestimated role of social environment in cognitive development
Ex: Certain experiences (like formal schooling) may promote conservation and other abilities

8. Doesn’t explain HOW cognitive development occurs
Better description than explanation of children’s cognitive development

9. The stage model describes children’s thinking as being more consistent than it really is
Ex: Children can solve some conservation problems sooner than others

10. Infants and young children are more cognitively advanced than Piaget claimed
Ex: deferred imitation (and thus mental representation) is present earlier than Piaget thought