Developmental psychology: Piaget

Question 1

What was Piaget’s theory?

Answer 1

People build an understanding of their world and develop thinking skills through active interaction with their environment, leading to the development of schemas

Question 2

Define schema

Answer 2

An idea about what something is and how to deal with it

Question 3

What are the two process in which people gain and change thier schemas to adapt to their changing environment?

Answer 3

• Assimilation: including new infomation into current schemas
• Accomodation: changing schemas to include new information that can’t fit into an existing schema

Question 4

What are the four developmental stages and their age ranges?

Answer 4

• Sensory motor: 0-2 years
• Pre-operational: 2-7 years
• Concrete operational: 7-11 years
• Formal operational: 11+ years

Question 5

What are some critisims/disadvantages for this theory?

Answer 5

• He placed too little empahsis on how children’s minds develop through interactions with others
• He used unfamiliar conepts and situations, such as mountains which children have never seen before
• He assumed that when a child failed a task it was because they didn’t undsertand rather than that they lacked the ability to verbally express themselves

Question 6

What are some supports/advtantages for this theory?

Answer 6

• Observational studies have documeted the surfacing of cognitive abilities such as object permanence and conservation
• The theory applies to different cultures and societies, suggesting a common sequence of cognitive development

Question 7

What occurs during the sensory motor stage?

Answer 7

• Understanding of the world comes from sensory and motor interactions with it (touching, looking, listening)
• Object permanence is initally not present until later in this stage when it develops

Question 8

What is the test for the sensory motor stage?

Answer 8

• Hiding an object form a child to see if they will look for it

Question 9

What occurs during the pre-operational stage?

Answer 9

• The child is egocentric and only perceives the world worl their own perspective
• A lot of symbolic thinking is used (thinking a ruler is a wand/sword)
• Centration is used (child fixates on only once aspect of a situation, reducing their ability to understand conservation of mass)

Question 10

What is the test for the pre-operational stage?

Answer 10

• Choice of gift test: more liekly to choose a teddy bear for a parent than a tie when given the choice
• Thee mountains test: can’t