Genetic Epistemology (Piaget)

Question 1

What does genetic epistemology explain?

Answer 1

Through reflexes, will develop a human who can walk, eat, reason, predict, think, etc - ultimately adapt and control his environment

Question 2

What is equilibration?

Answer 2

Self regulatory process which allows external experiences to be incorporated into internal structures (schemata)

Question 3

What is a schema from Piaget’s view? (2)

Answer 3

• Both a category of knowledge and a process of obtaining knowledge
• As experiences happen, the new info modifies, adds, or changes previously existing schemas

Question 4

Explain assimilation, accommodation, and equilibration (3)

Answer 4

• Assimilation - taking in new info into previously existing schemas
• Accommodation - altering/changing existing schemas as a result of new info - or creating a new schema
• Equilibration - finding a balance between assimilation and accommodation

Question 5

Explain contradiction in terms of schemata

Answer 5

Contradiction = disequilibrium which drives development forward and results in the activation of the equilibrium process

Question 6

Explain compensation in terms of schemata (2)

Answer 6

• Compensation = process that occurs to again create balance when it is disrupted in an equilibrium system
• Compensation is a reaction to contradictions

Question 7

Explain the creation/altering of schemata using the example of what a dog is (3)

Answer 7

• Schema forming: a dog has ears, 4 legs, and a tail
• Disequilibrium and assimilation: barking - initial schema did not include barking
• Disequilibrium and accommodation: a cat is different than a dog even though they share some traits - no barking, meowing instead

Question 8

Name and explain the 3 compensation procedures

Answer 8

• Alpha behaviour - ignoring and cancelling
• Beta behaviour - accommodating and assimilating
• Gamma behaviour - anticipating

Question 9

What are the characteristics of the formal operations stage? (5)

Answer 9

• freeing from the content
• reflected abstraction
• hypo-deductive thinking
• schema of all possible combinations
• other person viewpoint

Question 10

What are the characteristics of learning in a strict sense? (4)

Answer 10

• exogenous acquisition
• relatively permanent knowledge
• not spontaneous - but provoked
• subordinate to development

Question 11

What are the characteristics of learning in a broad sense? (Piagetian principles) (5)

Answer 11

• internal process of construction
• subordinate to development
• not only by observing - but by reorganizing
• sparked by feedback process
• social interaction

Question 12

Explain hypo-deductive thinking (3)

Answer 12

• propositional logic
• from theory to actual reality
• drawing implications

Question 13

What is the end state of cognitive development? (5)

Answer 13

• problem solving
• understanding the real, among other possibilities
• separating arguments from context
• using reflected abstraction

in conclusion: hypo-deductive thinking

Question 14

Answer the why, how, and when of cognitive development (3)

Answer 14

• Why - striving for end-state and equilibration
• How - intra-individual contradiction - leading to growth of schemata
• When - Piaget’s 4 stages

Question 15

What are the criticisms of Piaget’s theory? (4)

Answer 15

• underestimates abilities of infants/children
• concepts are too materialistic
• low correlation among abilities within each stage
• too lab oriented