Cognitive Development Study

2446 Words5 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: strengths and weaknesses of piaget's stages of cognitive development

Introduction

The purpose of this study is to analyse, in a practical way, the theories and concepts of cognitive development, across different age-related stages. Using Piaget’s theory of development, the cognitive ability of two subjects, aged 4 and 18 years, are examined against the milestones of the respective preoperational and formal operational development stages. Cognitive ability is determined by focusing on the subject’s capability and rationale to group 20 different objects. Based on the research outcomes, comparisons will be made to Piaget’s theory and the expected learning ability at their age-related development stage.

Jean Piaget was considered a pioneer in cognitive research. Piaget developed his theory of cognitive development based on the sequence of changes that occur to the cognition of a person as they mature. Piaget believed that older children not only know quantitatively more than younger ones, but actually think in qualitatively different ways. Children and adults are thought to possess an inbuilt ability to experiences organise their knowledge and into schemes (Lambert, 2007). Jean Piaget defined schemes as both internalised behavioural patterns and mental understanding (Piaget, 1963, as cited in Berk, 2009). People are thought to actively seek knowledge and information from the surrounding environment and absorb or process this information using schemes. New knowledge is built on existing knowledge and as a person becomes older these schemes become increasingly more complex. This knowledge adds to a person’s intelligence providing them with an adaptation to succeed or survive in the world (Piaget, 1963, as cited in Berk, 2009).

Through this reasoning, Piaget determined that learning occurred across ...

... middle of paper ...

...nstra, G., Koelen, M., Kok, F., and Graaf, C. (2007) Cognitive development and children's perceptions of fruit and vegetables; a qualitative study. International Journal of Behavioural Nutrition and Physical Activity. 2007;4: 30. Published online 2007 July 9. doi: 10.1186/1479-5868-4-30 BioMed Central. Web. 12 May 2015.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1941844/

Schaffer HR. Introducing child psychology. UK Edition. Oxford , Blackwell Publishers; 2003. p.352.

Berk, L E (2009). Child Development. Pearson International Edition. 8th Edition. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

Lambert, B. (2007). Cognitive Schemes and Scripts: Research Evidence from Children’s Drawings. NZ Research in Early Childhood Education Journal, Vol. 10, pp. 69 – 80.

Cunningham, D. (1996). Jean Piaget’s Genetic Epistemology. Web. 12 May 2015.

http://home.gwu.edu/~mcorry/corry2.htm

Show More
Related

  • Unit 402 Delivering Education And Training

    672 Words  | 2 Pages

    Piaget (1936) was the first psychologist to make a systematic study of cognitive development. Piaget placed great importance on the education of children. According to Piaget, children are born with a basic mental structure on which all learning and knowledge is based. They challenge the behaviourist theory as most of their research was done on animals and is missing knowledge. The implications of this theory are that not only should we be interest in the answer the learner gives but also the method of how they got there. I find that due to the gaps in the learner’s education, they may be missing important parts that they have had to find out for themselves these methods are not always the easiest ways of calculating. I try and make it as stress free as possible so will demonstrate other methods that may be easier for them. Piagets theory accepts that children go through the same development stages but that they may go through at different times, I ensure I make effort to cater for these different paces and ensure tasks are differentiated to accommodate this. I am aware however that this theory relates to children’s development, and I work with adults, I can still apply parts of this

    Read More

  • Jean Piaget's Theory Of Jean Vygotsky

    1122 Words  | 3 Pages

    This theory is crafted by Jean Piaget (1896– 1980) and his work concentrated on seeing how kids see the world. Piaget trusted that from outset, we have the fundamental mental structure on which all ensuing information and learning are based and because of natural development and ecological experience, the mental procedures will have a dynamic rearrangement. Piaget's presumption was that kids are dynamic takes part in the advancement of information and they adjust to nature through currently looking to comprehend their condition. He proposed that cognitive advancement occurs in four phases, 0 to 2 years being the sensori motor, 2 years to 7 years the preoperational, 7 to 12 years the solid operations, and 12 years or more the formal operations.

    Read More

  • Developments in Middle Childhood

    1577 Words  | 4 Pages

    McDevitt, T. M., & Ormrod, J. E. (2010). Child development and education. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill.

    Read More

  • Essay On Cognitive Development

    1288 Words  | 3 Pages

    Cognitive development focuses on the person’s ability to intellect, perceive and process information. (35589) defined the cognitive ability as the process in which people learn, think and use language; it is the progression of their mental capacity from being irrational to rational (35589). Piaget and Vygotsky are two cognitive theorists whom were interested in the cognitive development of a person across their life span and its relation with social and environmental factors. Piaget is the most known cognitive theorist who affected the world of psychology greatly, and was a great influence to many psychologists out there; however his main intention was the innate maturity process and, unlike Vygotsky, he underestimated the role of language and social interaction and his theory wasn’t useful in the teaching field. However, both theorists believed that a person goes through a sequential process during their development. They were also both aware that one gains knowledge through experience and not through passive learning.

    Read More

  • Case Study Of Jean Piaget's Cognitive Development

    854 Words  | 2 Pages

    Jean Piaget proposed four major periods of cognitive development the sensorimotor stage (birth- 2 years), the preoperational stage (ages 2-7), the concrete operational stage (7-11), and the formal operational stage (ages 11- adulthood). He called these stages invariant sequence and believed that all children went through all these stages in the exact order without skipping one. The ages in these stages are only average ages some children progress differently. The point of this message is that humans of different ages think in different ways (Sigelman and Rider, 2015)

    Read More

  • Piaget's Theory Of Jean Piaget

    1422 Words  | 3 Pages

    Jean Piaget was a theorist which “who” focused on people’s “children’s” mental processes (Rathus, S., & Longmuir, S., 2011, p.10). Piaget developed (words missing) how children differentiate and mentally show(tense) the world and how there , thinking , logic , and problem solving ability is developed (Rathus, S., & Longmuir, S., 2011 , p.10). Piaget analyzed that children’s cognitive processes develop in an orderly sequence or series (Rathus, S., & Longmuir, S., 2011 , p.11) . But each stage show how children understand the world around them. – sentence fragment; should be joined to the previous sentence. Every child goes through the same development”al” steps but some are more advance(d) than others . Piaget described four stages of child

    Read More

  • Piaget Stages Of Cognitive Development

    1848 Words  | 4 Pages

    How human children’s intelligence develops as they go through their adolescent stages in their early life has been a wonder to many researches and theorists. Jean Piaget is a stage theorists which means that he believes that there are a series of four main qualitatively different periods (or stages) that children go through in a certain and stable order and that any information or experiences that they gain in one stage is going to stay with them and prepare them for their next one. Piaget believes that children are active participants in their own development from stage to stage and that they construct their own mental structures through their interactions with their environments that begin just

    Read More

  • Childhood Physical Development

    1878 Words  | 4 Pages

    McDevitt, T., & Ormrod, J. E. (2010). Child development and education (4th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Jean Piaget's Cognitive Development

    986 Words  | 2 Pages

    Jean Piaget (1896-1980) was a psychologist who developed a theory that was completely unlike any other psychologists at that time. His idea, called Cognitive Development, stated that the actual chronological age of an adolescent is not as important as the age they experience things, or the experiential age. Cognitive is defined as “the ability to reason, make judgments, and learn” (Gorman & Anwar, 2014). Piaget goes on to describe the importance of coping with the ever-changing environment as an integral part of intelligence, and the next level of developmental stage cannot be obtained until one completes the current stage. Piaget’s Developmental Theory involves four stages: sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operations.

    Read More

  • Piaget And Vygotsky Compare And Contrast

    867 Words  | 2 Pages

    Piaget’s stage theory of cognitive development demonstrates a child’s cognitive ability through a series of observational studies of simple tests. According to Piaget, a child’s mental structure, which is genetically inherited and evolved, is the basis for all other learning and knowledge. Piaget’s

    Read More

  • Piaget's Theory

    722 Words  | 2 Pages

    Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget’s theory of cognitive development describes his belief that children try to actively make sense of the world rather than simply absorbing knowledge as previously thought. Piaget’s theory claims that as children grow and develop they experience four different cognitive stages of life. As a child grows through each stage they not only learn new information but the way he or she thinks also changes. “In other words, each new stage represents a fundamental shift in how the child thinks and understands the world” (Hockenbury, page 368).The first stage of Piaget’s theory, known as the sensorimotor stage, begins at birth and continues on until about age 2. As the name suggest, this stage is when children begin to discover

    Read More

  • Jean Piaget Learning Theory

    872 Words  | 2 Pages

    Jean Piaget is a Switzerland psychologist and biologist who understand children’s intellectual development. Piaget is the first to study cognitive development. He developed the four stages of cognitive development: the sensori-motor stage, preoperational stage, the concrete operational and the formal operational stage. Piaget curiosity was how children cogitate and developed. As they get mature and have the experience, children’s will get knowledgeable. He suggested that children develop schemas so they can present the world. Children’s extend their schemas through the operation of accommodation and assimilation.

    Read More

  • Child Observation Report

    1191 Words  | 3 Pages

    Smith, P. K., Cowie, H., & Blades, M. (1998). Understanding children’s development, third edition. Malden: Blackwell Publishers Inc.

    Read More

  • Good Communication Skills are Essential for Early Childhood Education

    1304 Words  | 3 Pages

    McDevitt, T. M., & Ormrod, J. E. (2010). Child development and education (4th ed.). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson.

    Read More

  • Learning Theories for Mathematical Concepts

    1354 Words  | 3 Pages

    Piaget’s Cognitive theory represents concepts that children learn from interactions within the world around them. He believed that children think and reason at different stages in their development. His stages of cognitive development outline the importance of the process rather the final product. The main concept of this theory reflects the view th...

    Read More

More about Cognitive Development Study

Open Document