Jean Piaget's Cognitive Developmental Development

Mental development aims to identify and understand the mechanisms in which information processing, perceptual skills, learning and many other aspects of the brain is developed (Foster, 2010). Jean Piaget established his own cognitive developmental stage theory, strongly believing that thinking develops with age and childhood immensely impacts an individual’s developmental process (Muss, 1967). Piaget noticed that when it came to problem solving, children would reason quite similarly receiving identical errors in tests (Brainerd & Reyna, 2015). This lead him to study children throughout his practice due to these momentous observations. He believed children wish to understand the world and achieve this process through; building schemas and allowing

Within this contains the four stages of cognitive development. The sensorimotor stage begins in infancy lasting for around 2 years, between this time the infant begins to rely on senses to determine their relationship with the outside environment. Object performance is the main goal within this stage, in which the child realises that an object still exists even if it’s is not visible (Byrnes, 2008). This allows them to understand that the outside world is not an extension of themselves. Preoperational lies within the time frame of 2-7 years of age where children become egocentric and moralism is introduced to their vocabulary and thought processes (Byrnes, 2008). This additionally leads into concrete operations beginning at age 7 to 11, logical and rational thinking begins to take place ultimately progressing into formal operations from 11 to adulthood (Barrouillet, 2015). Once this stage has been acquired, individuals are capable of hypothetic-deductive reasoning. This is when they are able to assess the advantages and disadvantages of a problem and become proficient in systematic planning (Seoane, Valiña, Rodríguez, Martín & Ferraces,

In relation to Lev Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory, he relied heavily on the role of language and culture in a child’s cognitive development (Pass, 2007). Vygotsky’s theory was influenced by Piaget however in comparison, Piaget lacked in drawing conclusions about the importance of cultural influence and social context (Vygotsky, 1978). This is evident in studies completed with Indigenous Australians in which they developed spatial awareness much earlier than Swiss children, however spent much longer in understanding conversation. Social context varies significantly across the world and impacts the ways a child absorbs information, along with the consideration of cultural standards/influences or parent expectations (Bruner,