Piaget Flashcards
Outline Piagets Belief On Cognitive Development
Piaget Believed that children construct their learning through active engagement. He focused on the importance of ‘building blocks’ which provide the foundation to learning and how our thinking develops.
Identify The Building Blocks Of Piagets Theory
Schema, Operation, Assimilation, Equilibrium, Accommodation Disequilibrium.
Define Schema
Mental idea about actions, objects, situation.
Define Operations
A combination or group of schemas
Define Assimilation
Using an existing schema to deal with a new situation
Define Equilibrium
A period of stability when an existing schema can be used through assimilation
Define Accommodation
When an existing schema can’t deal with a new situation and must be adapted
Define Disequilibrium
A period of instability when an existing schemas cannot be assimilated
Outline Piagets Belief on Intellectual Development
Piaget said that children’s, cognitive development occurs in stages. Each of the stages is loosely linked to age and children must fully develop through each stage before proceeding to the next. Moving onto the next stage relies on the skills and knowledge acquired from the previous stage. There are also certain characteristics/key milestones that categorise each stage.
Identify The 4 Stages Of Intellectual Development
Sensory Motor Stage,
Preoperational Stage,
Concrete Stage,
Formal Operational Stage
Describe Sensory Motor Stage
Birth to 2 Years Old,
Object Permanence develops after 9months of age.
Describe Pre-operational Stage
2-7 Years Old,
Children dont have Conservation
But are Egocentric and have Animism
Describe Concrete Stage
7-11 Years
Children have developed conservation and Class inclusion
But do not have Abstract Thinking
Describe Formal Operational Stage
11+ Years
Children Develop Abstract Thinking
Define Object Permanence
Knowing that an object exists even when out of sight
Define Animism
Believing that objects, such as toys have human feelings and intentions
Define Egocentrism
The inability to see from another person’s viewpoint – Only being able to see from your own eye
Define Conservation
The ability to determine that a certain quantity will remain the same despite adjustment of the container, shape, or apparent size.
Define Class Inclusion
Understanding how categories of objects relate to each other
Define Abstract Thinking
The ability to use concepts and to make and understand generalizations, such as of the properties or pattern shared by a variety of specific items or events.
Object Permanence Experiment Aim
Piaget (1963) wanted to investigate at what age children acquire object permanence.
Object Permanence Experiment Method
Piaget hid a toy under a blanket, while the child was watching, and observed whether the child searched for the hidden toy. Searching for the hidden toy was evidence of object permanence. Piaget assumed that the child could only search for a hidden toy if they had a mental representation of it
Object Permanence Results
Piaget found that infant searched for the hidden toy when they were around 8 months old
Object Permanence Conclusion
Children around 8 months have object permanence because they are able to form a mental representation of the objects in their minds
Object Permanence Experiment - A P F C
Piaget (1963) wanted to investigate at what age children acquire object permanence.
Piaget hid a toy under a blanket, while the child was watching, and observed whether the child searched for the hidden toy. Searching for the hidden toy was evidence of object permanence. Piaget assumed that the child could only search for a hidden toy if they had a mental representation of it
Piaget found that infant searched for the hidden toy when they were around 8 months old
Children around 8 months have object permanence because they are able to form a mental representation of the objects in their minds.
Conservation Experiment Aim
Piaget wanted to investigate at what age children acquire Conservation awareness.
Conservation Experiment Procedure
Piaget filled two small fat beakers with the same quantity of liquid and asked the child ‘which beaker has the more liquid, A, B or both the same’. The child would give their answer. After which Piaget would pour the same liquid from one beaker directly into a tall thin beaker and ask the child the same question again.
Conservation Experiment Findings
Piaget found that the child would understand that the two small fat beakers were the same. However when asked again they would say that the tall thin beaker had more liquid in. This is because they only focused on height and did not consider width.
Conservation Experiment Conclusion
This shows that during the pre-operational stage of 2-7 years old children do not have conservation skills.
Conservation Experiment - A P F C
Piaget wanted to investigate at what age children acquire Conservation awareness.
Piaget filled two small fat beakers with the same quantity of liquid and asked the child ‘which beaker has the more liquid, A, B or both the same’. The child would give their answer. After which Piaget would pour the same liquid from one beaker directly into a tall thin beaker and ask the child the same question again.
Piaget found that the child would understand that the two small fat beakers were the same. However when asked again they would say that the tall thin beaker had more liquid in. This is because they only focused on height and did not consider width.
This shows that during the preoperational stage of 2-7 years old children do not have conservation skills.
Three Mountains Experiment Aim
Piaget and Inhelder (1956) wanted to find out at what age children become no longer egocentric.
Three Mountains Experiment Procedure
The child sits at a table, presented in front are three mountains. Each mountain was different one with snow on top of one, a hut on another and a red cross on top of the last. The child was allowed to walk round the model, to look at it, and then sit down at one side. A doll is then placed at various positions of the table. The child is then shown 10 photographs of the mountains taken from different positions, and asked to indicate which showed the dolls view. Piaget assumed that if the child correctly picked out the card showing the doll’s view, they were not egocentric. The child who picked out the card showing their view would show Egocentrism.
Three Mountains Experiment Findings
Four year-olds usually chose a picture that represented what they could see and showed no awareness that the doll’s view would be different from this.
Six year-olds frequently chose a picture different from their own view but rarely chose the correct picture for the doll’s point of view.
Only seven- and eight-year-olds consistently chose the correct picture.
Three Mountains Experiment Conclusion
At age 7, thinking is no longer egocentric as the children can see more than their own point of view.
Three Mountains Experiment - A P F C
Piaget and Inhelder (1956) wanted to find out at what age children become no longer egocentric.
The child sits at a table, presented in front are three mountains. Each mountain was different one with snow on top of one, a hut on another and a red cross on top of the last. The child was allowed to walk round the model, to look at it, and then sit down at one side. A doll is then placed at various positions of the table. The child is then shown 10 photographs of the mountains taken from different positions, and asked to indicate which showed the dolls view. Piaget assumed that if the child correctly picked out the card showing the doll’s view, they were not egocentric. The child who picked out the card showing their view would show Egocentrism.
Four year-olds usually chose a picture that represented what they could see and showed no awareness that the doll’s view would be different from this. Six year-olds frequently chose a picture different from their own view but rarely chose the correct picture for the doll’s point of view. Only seven- and eight-year-olds consistently chose the correct picture.
At age 7, thinking is no longer egocentric as the children can see more than their own point of view.
Formal Reasoning Experiment Aim
Test abstract ideas.
Formal Reasoning Experiment Procedure
It can be tested by means of syllogisms. E.G ‘All yellow cats have two heads. I have a yellow cat called Charlie… how many heads does Charlie have?’ The correct answer is ‘two’.
Formal Reasoning Experiment Finding
Piaget found that younger children became distracted by the content and answered that cats do not really have two heads.
Formal Reasoning Experiment Conclusion
Piaget believed that once children can reason formally they are capable of scientific reasoning and become able to appreciate abstract ideas
Formal Reasoning Experiment - A P F C
Test abstract ideas.
It can be tested by means of syllogisms. E.G ‘All yellow cats have two heads. I have a yellow cat called Charlie… how many heads does Charlie have?’ The correct answer is ‘two’.
Piaget found that younger children became distracted by the content and answered that cats do not really have two heads.
Piaget believed that once children can reason formally they are capable of scientific reasoning and become able to appreciate abstract ideas
Bower & Wishart
Used a lab experiment to study infants aged between 1-4 months old. Instead of using Piaget’s blanket technique, they waited for the infant to reach for an object, and then turned out the lights so that the object was no longer visible. They then filmed the infant using a infrared camera. They found that the infant continued to reach for the object for up to 90 seconds after it became invisible.
Hughes - Police, Boy Doll Experiment Aim
Martin Hughes (1975) argued that the three mountains task did not make sense to children.
Hughes - Police, Boy Doll Experiment Method
Hughes devised a task where he showed children a model comprising two intersecting walls, a ‘boy’ doll and a ‘policeman’ doll. He then placed the police officer doll in various positions and asked the child to hide the boy doll from the police officer. Hughes did this to make sure that the child understood what was being asked of him, so if they made mistakes they were explained and the child tried again. Interestingly, very few mistakes were made. The experiment then began. Hughes brought in a second police officer doll, and placed both dolls at the end of two walls, the child was asked to hide the boy from both police officers and take account of two different points of view.
Hughes - Police, Boy Doll Experiment Results
Hughes’ sample comprised children between three and a half and five years of age, of whom 90 % gave correct answers. Even when he devised a more complex situation, with more walls and a third police officer, 90 % of four-year-olds were successful.
Hughes - Police, Boy Doll Experiment Conclusion
This shows that children have largely lost their egocentric thinking by four years of age, because they are able to take the view of another. Hughes’ experiment allowed them to demonstrate this because the task made sense to the child, whereas Piaget’s did not.
Hughes - Police, Boy Doll Experiment - A P F C
Martin Hughes (1975) argued that the three mountains task did not make sense to children.
Hughes devised a task where he showed children a model comprising two intersecting walls, a ‘boy’ doll and a ‘policeman’ doll. He then placed the police officer doll in various positions and asked the child to hide the boy doll from the police officer. Hughes did this to make sure that the child understood what was being asked of him, so if they made mistakes they were explained and the child tried again. Interestingly, very few mistakes were made. The experiment then began. Hughes brought in a second police officer doll, and placed both dolls at the end of two walls, the child was asked to hide the boy from both police officers and take account of two different points of view.
Hughes’ sample comprised children between three and a half and five years of age, of whom 90 % gave correct answers. Even when he devised a more complex situation, with more walls and a third police officer, 90 % of four-year-olds were successful.
This shows that children have largely lost their egocentric thinking by four years of age, because they are able to take the view of another. Hughes’ experiment allowed them to demonstrate this because the task made sense to the child, whereas Piaget’s did not.
Piaget Methodological Issues
As Piaget used his own children to support his own study there are some methodological issues involved. Of course we have the observer bias as there was only Piaget present to record his own findings there for the validity of the study and its results can be debated, if Piaget had another investigator there to observe with him and they came to similar results then it would be noted as more valid.
Piaget Ethical Issues
One ethical issue with his study of course is the use of children and putting them under stressful and unclear situations. As children might not understand the question or task or simply might not want to be wrong they will get stressed over the situation.
Piaget Nature / Nurture Debate
Piaget is favouring nature by saying this cognitive development will happen as its biologically inside them. However, he takes no consideration for the nurture side of the scale. Regardless of the nurture of the child, he claims that at the specific ages the child will develop the certain characteristics or will be in the specific stage.
Impact Of Piaget Theory
This impacts the theory as it limits the validity as he ignores importance such as social interaction. He needs to take nurtures impact on the child to take an internationalist view to make his theory more valid.
Discuss Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development
A01:
- List Building Blocks
- Identify 4 Stages,
A03:
- Piaget Toy Blanket Study / Contradicted by Bower & Wishart
- Three Mountains Task /
- Methodological Issues, Sample and Culture Bias
- Piaget Is Nature
