Jean Piaget's Theory On The Mental Stages Of Children

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Jean Piaget (1896-1980) was an influential experimenter and theorist in the field of development psychology and cognitive theory. Jean Piaget developed highly influential theories on the mental stages of children. He is best known for his pioneering work in child development. Jean Piaget was born in Neuchatel, Switzerland on August 9, 1896. Piaget was the oldest child of Arthur Piaget, who was a professor of medieval literature at the University of Neuchatel, and of Rebecca Jackson. Much of Piaget’s childhood was influenced by his father. At age 11, Piaget’s notes on the albino sparrow were published to various magazines and newspapers. Since Piaget was young, he was forced to keep his age a secret. At the time, many editors felt that young …show more content…

Piaget and Simon created tests that were meant to measure child intelligence. These test were meant to draw connections between a child’s age and the nature of his or her errors. Piaget and Simon’s test were ultimately too rigid for the children. The test was designed to spell or count as a way of judging I.Q. Piaget revised the test so that the children would explain the logic of the “incorrect” answers. The children incorrect answers revealed their qualitative thinking at the various stages of their development. Piaget would then wonder one question that led to his major contribution in the field of psychology: How do children …show more content…

There are three basic components to Piaget’s Cognitive Theory: Schemas; Equilibration, Assimilation, Accommodation; and the Stages of Development. Schemas are defined as the basic building block of intelligent behavior. An example of a schema includes a child understanding what a dog is by reading a picture book. Assimilation is the act of using an existing schema to develop a new object or situation. Accommodation is what happens when a schema doesn’t work. Equilibration is the force which moves development along. The order in which the phases are introduce in the following order: Assimilation, Equilibration, a New Situation, Disequilibrium, Accommodation,

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