Jean Piaget: Theory of Cognitive Development | Situational Examples Flashcards
A mother is playing peek-a-boo with her 9-month-old baby. When she covers her face with her hands, the baby initially seems surprised or confused because they cannot see her face. However, after repeated play, the baby starts to understand that her face is still there even though it’s hidden behind her hands.
Sensorimotor Stage (0-2)
Object Permanence - A person or an object that is not within sight still exists
What is the appropriate toy for Sensorimotor Stage (0-2)?
Mobile toys
Which of the following is an example of a mobile toy?
A. A ball that can roll when pushed
B. A stuffed teddy bear
C. A puzzle board
D. A coloring book
A ball that can roll when pushed
Wrong Answers:
B. A stuffed teddy bear (This is a stationary toy.)
C. A puzzle board (This is an educational toy but does not move.)
D. A coloring book (This is an art-based activity, not a toy that moves.)
An 8-year-old is shown two identical balls of clay. One ball is rolled into a long, thin shape, while the other remains in its original round form. When asked if one has more clay than the other, the child confidently says, “They’re the same amount because you didn’t add or take away any clay, you just changed its shape.”
Concrete Operational Stage (7-12): Conservation - Essence or characteristic of something remains constant although the surface feature may change.
Ratio: the child understands that the quantity of clay remains constant despite its change in appearance.
A 9-year-old is given a collection of various animals, including dogs, cats, and rabbits, as well as different shapes and colors of blocks. The child is asked to sort the animals and the blocks. The child classifies the animals by type (all dogs together, all cats together) and sorts the blocks by color (red blocks in one pile, blue blocks in another).
Concrete Operational Stage (7-12): Classification - Can classify animals or plants; large, small; objects based on size, shape, color
A 4-year-old child is sitting in front of the television watching their favorite cartoon. The child’s parent sits behind them and asks, “What’s on the TV right now?” The child responds, “You can see it!” without turning around or considering that the parent’s view is blocked.
Pre-Operational Stage (2-7)
Egocentrism - Inability to see the world from anyone else’s perspective
Ratio: The child assumes that everyone sees the world exactly as they do and doesn’t realize that the parent cannot see the screen from their position.
A 4-year-old is watching their parent pour juice from a small cup into a taller, thinner glass. When asked, the child says the taller glass has “more juice” because they focus only on the height of the liquid and cannot mentally reverse the action to understand that the amount of juice hasn’t changed.
Pre-Operational Stage (2-7): Irreversibility
Ratio: the child is unable to mentally retrace the process to realize that pouring the juice back into the small cup would result in the same amount.
What is the appropriate type of play for Pre-Operational Stage (2-7)?
Parallel Play
Which of the following is an example of parallel play?
A. Two toddlers sitting next to each other, each playing with their own set of blocks without interacting.
B. A group of children taking turns in a board game.
C. Two children collaborating to build a sandcastle together.
D. A child playing alone with a toy car in their room.
A. Two toddlers sitting next to each other, each playing with their own set of blocks without interacting.
Wrong Answers:
B. A group of children taking turns in a board game (This is an example of cooperative play.)
C. Two children collaborating to build a sandcastle together (This is an example of associative or cooperative play.)
D. A child playing alone with a toy car in their room (This is an example of solitary play.)
A 16-year-old is discussing the concept of freedom in a social studies class. Rather than focusing on specific examples, the teenager is able to think abstractly about the philosophical implications of freedom, considering how it relates to justice, responsibility, and societal norms. The student also manages to recall and synthesize ideas from multiple lessons and texts, making connections between historical events and modern-day issues with ease.
Formal Operational Stage (12 - above): Can think abstract, no concrete examples, improved attention and memory is becoming more efficient.
A 15-year-old girl spends a lot of time worrying about how others will perceive her when she wears a new outfit to school. She believes that everyone will notice and judge her every move, thinking that her actions are the focus of everyone’s attention, even though most classmates are more concerned with their own activities.
Formal Operational Stage (12 - above): Adolescent Egocentrism - Imaginary Audience
When talking to a friend, the girl says, “No one could ever understand what I’m going through; my struggles are different from everyone else’s, and nobody else feels like I do.”
Formal Operational Stage (12 - above): Adolescent Egocentrism - Personal Fable
Ratio: the adolescent believes their experiences and feelings are unique and not shared by others.
