Jean Piaget: Cognitive Development

Question 1

What are 2 ways human beings learn?

Answer 1

1. Assimilation

2. Accommodation

Question 2

What is the difference between Assimilation and Accommodation?

Answer 2

ASSIMILATION: Incorporating what has been learned from its environment into an existing thought structure.
Example: My child is gay, they must be evil!

ACCOMMODATION: modifying the current thought structure to incorporate a new, perceived feature of the environment
Example: My child is gay, not all people are evil.

Question 3

What are the 4 stages of Piaget’s Developmental Model?

Answer 3

1. Sensorimotor
2. Pre-operational
3. Concrete Operations
4. Formal Operations

Question 4

Stage 1: Sensorimotor

Answer 4

Age: Birth-2years of age

Has 6 substages of precursors of intelligence

Question 5

Substage 1

Answer 5

Impulsive and Reflex Actions: Actions are taken for their own sake

Question 6

Substage 2

Answer 6

Primary Circular Actions: repetitive actions that are combined over time.
Example: Looking at and touching a stuffed animal

Question 7

Substage 3

Answer 7

Practicing Secondary Circular or Repetitve Actions to see the action over an over

Question 8

Substage 4

Answer 8

Coordinating Secondary Schemes like a child shows experiments with goal directed behavior
-taking the lid off a box to retrieve a toy placed inside

Question 9

Substage 5

Answer 9

Tertiary Circular Actions/Continuation of Experimentation w/ more variability
Example: child shows increased flexibility and creativity in previously acquired behaviors and skills

EXAMPLE: Experimenting with dropping toys and other objects to observe the effect

Question 10

Substage 6

Answer 10

Invention through Mental Combinations
-understanding that an object does not cease to exist when it is out of sight
Example: mom leaves the room and child understands that she will be back

Question 11

Stage 2: Pre-operational

Answer 11

Age: 2-7 years of age
Reasoning: A child has the ability understands what and how objects can be used and how to utilize language

Question 12

Stage 3: Concrete Operations

Answer 12

Age: 7-11 years of age
Reasoning: said to be the highest level of cognitive development a person attains
Example: the child understands that quantity does not change when poured from one vial to another vial of a different shape

Question 13

Stage 4: Formal Operations

Answer 13

Age: 11years of age through adulthood
Reasoning: Able to reason through abstract thought…often not achievable with every individual