Jean Piaget Stages Of Cognitive Development Essay

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Jean Piaget developed four stages of cognitive development, each catering to their own age group. Sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational are the names of each stage of cognitive development. In the case of the 3-year-old preschooler, the preoperational stage would be used (when examining cognitive thinking), while the concrete operational would be applied to the 9-year-old student. One can not only infer there will be immense difference between the two because of age, but also because of the clear distinction in which stage each individual is in. Within the preoperational stage, a child is finally able to perceive the world around them. Symbols assume themselves in the child's thoughts; language develops even further, and memory and the imagination are developed. Therefore, differences in time are now understood, and the child can now take part in …show more content…

However, he also states that the child would have a difficulty in understanding elaborate concepts. Retreating back to the penny experiment with the preoperational children, the 9-year-old would have the intellectual capacity to understand the idea that something in a different form does not necessarily mean less - they learn of quantities. Perhaps the child would be able to understand the concept of money as well, as it relates to the pennies. Understanding the simple concept of money, however, may not allow a child of this age to understand a topic such as economics; which is highly elaborate with dozens of subtopics. Our 9-year-old friend would also be able to see in the perspectives of others, as they now think with more logic. Within Piaget’s Mountain Task experiment, children in the concrete stage, like the 9-year-old, were able to deduce how the mountain would look at the perspective of the doll. This shows an increase in logical

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