Piaget And Vygotsky's Stages Of Cognitive Development

Stages of Cognitive Development consist of sensorimotor, preoperational concrete operational, and formal operational. The first stage is the sensorimotor stage, from birth to 2 yrs. of age. The most significant achievement in this stage is object permanence; this is when a child knows an object exists even if it is hidden. The ability to form a mental representation or a schema of the object is required to achieve object permanence. A schema can be thought of as, building blocks “the most basic unit of cognitive functioning,” a way of organizing knowledge (Lightfoot et al. 2013, p. 20). The second stage is the Preoperational Stage, from 2 to 6 years of age. During this stage, children begin to think symbolically and learn to use words and pictures to represent objects. The

Piaget believed that “children are innately motivated to search and explore” therefore are involved in their own learning (Lightfoot et al. 2013, p. 19). Vygotsky, on the other hand, believed that social contributions have a greater impact on the process of cognitive development and that more important learning occurs through social interactions with a more knowledgeable learner (teacher), who may provide instructions. Piaget believed that “cognitive development is driven by the interaction of nature and nurture”( Lightfoot et al. 2013, p. 19). Vygotsky believed that culture plays a big role in learning. Piaget believed that a child's struggle to create equilibrium between an old schema and a new experience leads to achieving equilibrium, “eventually bringing a child to a new stage of development” (Lightfoot et al. 2013, p. 21). Vygotsky believed that the primary source of development is a child’s “social interaction within a zone of proximal development” and The goal of development is reached when a child is able to participate in “cultural activities and practices” (Lightfoot et al. 2013, p.