Piaget Cognitive Development

Piaget’s theory of cognitive development is a global theory of intellectual development that incorporates language, logical reasoning, moral judgments, and conception of time, space and number (Ormrod, 2012). Consequently, Piaget’s theory of cognitive development has had a major impact on psychological thought. The concept that children are active and motivated learners is central to Piaget’s theory. Piaget asserted that children were curious by nature and would actively search for information to help them make sense of their world. Piaget believed that children did not just simply react to the stimuli that they encountered but they also manipulate the stimuli and observe the effects of their actions (Ormrod, 2012). In addition, the concept

This stage ranges from age 2 until age 6 or 7. Children in the preoperational stage have a more complex view of the world because of their ability to represent objects and events mentally (Ormrod, 2012). Consequently, children’s rapidly increasing vocabulary enables them to communicate their thoughts and receive information from others in manners that weren’t possible during the sensorimotor stage. They can also recall past events and envision future ones. As a result, they begin to connect their experiences together into a complex understanding of the world. Additionally, during the later part of the preoperational stage, around 4 or 5 years of age, children show early signs of being logical. For example, they can demonstrate the ability to simultaneously classify an object as belonging both to a particular category and to one of its subcategories. However, their reasoning is based on intuition rather than on any conscious awareness of underlying logical principles (Ormrod, 2012). Thus, they can’t explain why their conclusions are

Vygotsky theory has come to be known as sociocultural theory. Sociocultural theory emphasizes the importance and specific roles of society and culture in fostering learning and cognitive development (Ormrod, 2012). The concept that some cognitive processes are seen in a variety of species while others are unique to human beings is central to Vygotsky’s theory. Thus, many species demonstrate lower mental functions such as discovering food to eat, and how to best get from one location to another. However, human beings on the other hand demonstrate higher mental functions such as logical reasoning. Also, central to Vygotsky’s theory is the belief that through informal conversation and formal schooling, adults convey to children the ways in which their culture interprets and responds to the world. Thus, to facilitate higher mental functions, adults share with children the meanings they attach to objects, events, and human experiences. Adults also use informal conversation as a method to pass culturally relevant ways of interpreting situations. Similarly important is formal education that allows teachers to impart ideas, concepts and terminology used in various academic disciplines. The belief that every culture passes along physical and cognitive tools that make living more effective and efficient is another central concept in Vygotsky’s theory. For example,