Development - Piaget theory Flashcards
Main idea of Piaget’s theory
Development is invariant (follows fixed stages) and universal (same for everyone)
Sensori-motor stage
Aged 0-2 years
Children develop by exploring the world physically, using senses
Pre-operational stage
Aged 2-7 years
Children start using symbols and signs as part of their thinking.
They develop their use of language, impacting thinking.
But their thinking is still full of errors (not operational yet).
Concrete operational stage
Aged 7-11 years
Children begin to do operations (e.g. problem solving, maths, etc.)
However, they rely on concrete objects to help them do this (e.g. using blocks for maths)
Formal operational stage
Aged 11+
Young people can solve problems without relying on concrete objects.
They are able to engage in abstract thinking.
They can test predictions, look at issues from a number of angles, and make inferences.
Role of schemas
Schemas are mental models used to organise information.
As children go through the stages of development, their schemas have to change.
Assimilation
Expanding an existing schema to incorporate new information
E.g. child realises that not all women are mummies. They expand their schema of ‘women’ to include non-mothers.
Accommodation
Changing an existing schema entirely based on new information
E.g. child realises that not everybody speaks English. They create a new schema relating to foreign languages.
Object permanence
Children understand that something continues to exist, even when they can’t see it.
This is developed BEFORE pre-operational stage (aged 2).
Accommodation
Changing a schema entirely based on new information
Animism
Children believe that inanimate objects (e.g. toys or furniture) have feelings.
This develops DURING pre-operational stage (ages 2-7)
Egocentrism
Children are only able to perceive situations from their own point of view.
This is present DURING pre-operational stage (ages 2-7)
Decentration
Children are able to deal with two bits of information at the same time (including two points of view).
This develops DURING concrete operational stage (ages 7-11)
Reversibility
Children can reverse their thinking - understand that objects or numbers can be changed and taken back into their original form.
This develops DURING concrete operational stage (ages 7-11)
Conservation
Children understand that the properties of certain objects (e.g. weight, size, length) don’t change, even if the object’s appearance changes.
This develops DURING concrete operational stage (ages 7-11)
Main criticism of Piaget
Too reductionist - takes something as complicated as cognitive development and reduces it to stages driven by age. Many other factors influence a child’s development.
Other criticism of Piaget (1)
By stating the model is universal, the theory ignores individual differences, e.g. learning difficulties, and home life, which impact the rate at which children develop.
Other criticism of Piaget (2)
The model focuses too much on logical thought (e.g. problem solving, maths), and not other types of thinking (e.g. creativity)
Applications of Piaget
- Key stages - based on Piaget’s stages
- Readiness - not learning certain concepts until you are old enough (e.g. abstract thinking when 11+)
- Active learning - children are ‘little scientists’ and need interactive experimentation in class
- Intelligence is innate/fixed - streaming or having sets based on ability
