1. Module 14: Prenatal and Childhood Development
Cognitive Development in Infancy and Childhood: Piaget’s Cognitive Stages
Module 14: Prenatal and Childhood Development

2. Jean Piaget (pee-ah-ZHAY)
Pioneer in the study of developmental psychology who introduced a stage theory of cognitive development that lead to a better understanding of children’s thought processes
Proposed a theory consisting of four stages of cognitive development

3. Cognition
All the mental activities associated with thinking, knowing, and remembering
Children think differently than adults do

4. Schemas
Concepts or mental frameworks that people use to organize and interpret information
Sometimes called schemes
A person’s “picture of the world”

5. Assimilation
Interpreting a new experience within the context of existing schemas
The new experience is similar to other previous experiences

6. Accommodation Adapting current schemas to incorporate new information
The new experience is so novel the person’s schemata must be changed to accommodate it

7. Assimilation/Accommodation

8. Assimilation/Accommodation

9. Assimilation/Accommodation

10. Sensorimotor Stage Piaget’s first stage of cognitive development
From birth to about age two
Child gathers information about the world through sensory impressions and motor activities
Child learns object permanence

11. Object Permanence
Awareness that things continue to exist even when you cannot see or hear them
“Out of sight, out of mind”

12. Preoperational Stage Piaget’s second stage of cognitive development
From about age 2 to age 6 or 7
Children learns to use language but cannot yet think logically

13. Egocentrism
In Piaget’s theory, the inability of the preoperational child to take another person’s point of view
Includes a child’s inability to understand that symbols can represent other objects

14. Concrete Operational Stage
Piaget’s third stage of cognitive development
From about age 6 to 11
Child gain the mental skills that let them think logically about concrete events
Learn conservation

15. Conservation
An understanding that certain properties remain constant despite changes in their form
The properties can include mass, volume, and numbers.

16. Conservation

17. Conservation

18. Conservation

20. Types of Conservation Tasks

21. Formal Operational Stage
Piaget’s fourth and last stage of cognitive development
About age 12 on up
Children begin to think logically about abstract concepts and form strategies about things they may not have experienced
Can solve hypothetical problems (What if…. problems)

22. Cognitive Development in Infancy and Childhood: Assessing Piaget
Module 14: Prenatal and Childhood Development

23. Assessing Piaget’s Theory

24. Assessing Piaget’s Theory
Piaget underestimated the child’s ability at various ages.
Piaget’s theory doesn’t take into account culture and social differences.

25. Cognitive Development in Adolescence: Morality
Module 15: Adolescence

26. Lawrence Kohlberg
Author of a three-stage theory of moral development

27. Heinz Dilemma
A woman was near death from a unique kind of cancer. There is a drug that might save her. The drug costs $4,000 per dosage. The sick woman's husband, Heinz, went to everyone he knew to borrow the money and tried every legal means, but he could only get together about $2,000. He asked the doctor scientist who discovered the drug for a discount or let him pay later. But the doctor scientist refused.
Question: Should Heinz break into the laboratory to steal the drug for his wife? Why or why not?


28. Heinz Dilemma
Heinz broke into the laboratory and stole the drug. The next day, the newspapers reported the break-in and theft. Brown, a police officer and a friend of Heinz remembered seeing Heinz last evening, behaving suspiciously near the laboratory. Later that night, he saw Heinz running away from the laboratory.

Question: Should Brown report what he saw? Why or why not?


29. Heinz Dilemma
Officer Brown reported what he saw. Heinz was arrested and brought to court. If convicted, he faces up to two years' jail. Heinz was found guilty.

Question: Should the judge sentence Heinz to prison? Why or why not?

30. 1. Preconventional Moral Reasoning
Characterized by the desire to avoid punishment or gain reward
Typically children under the age of 9

31. 2. Conventional Moral Reasoning
Primary concern is to fit in and play the role of a good citizen
People have a strong desire to follow the rules and laws.
Typical of most adults

32. 3. Postconventional Moral Reasoning
Characterized by references to universal ethical principles that represent the rights or obligations of all people
Most adults do not reach this level.

33. Lawrence Kohlberg Moral Development

34. Lawrence Kohlberg Moral Development

35. Lawrence Kohlberg Moral Development

36. Social Development in Adolescence
Module 15: Adolescence

37. Erik Erikson Created an 8-stage theory of social development
Each stage has its own psychosocial, developmental task.