Research Report on Piaget’s Concepts

Introduction Jean Piaget (1896 – 1980) pioneered an intellectual and perceptual development theory that focuses on how processes such as thinking, reasoning and problem-solving develop beginning in infancy. In particular, Piaget conceptualised his theory as spanning across four significant and hierarchical age based stages, each distinguished by qualitatively different processes of thought (Craig & Baucum, 2002, p. 54; Flavell, 1963, p. 1; Peterson, 2004, p. 57). Until the introduction of contemporary research methods, Piaget’s theory was widely uncontested and formed part of a concrete theory that was applied systematically to children based on his/her age (Beltman, 2009). Whilst current perspectives related to Piaget’s theory support the sequence of development that he purposes, there is a view that cognitive development may happen in gradual trends as opposed to the abrupt transition that Piaget may have us believe (Beltman, 2009; McDevitt & Ormrod, 2010, pp. 203, 205). Furthermore, research claims that Piaget may have overestimated the cognitive abilities of adolescence, while underestimating those of the pre-operational stage (Flieller; Kuhn; Amsel & O’Loughlin; Pascarella &Terenzini; Schauble, as cited in McDevitt & Ormrod, 2010, p. 203). According to Piaget, the pre-operational stage (age 2 – 7 years) illustrates the emergence of newly acquired cognitive capabilities and the further building of existing mental frameworks known as schemes. He defines the ability to represent objects and events mentally and through a rapidly expanding vocabulary (i.e., symbolic thought) as being a predominate attribute of pre-operational thought. Piaget described this as being a pre-logical stage in the view of adults as children may be able ...

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