Piaget

Question 1

Schemas

Answer 1

Mental representations/set of rules enables children to interact through defining category of behaviour. Develop through experience, change through:

• assimilation- integration of new input into existing schemas- consolidate knowledge
• accommodation- adjustment of schemas to new input- growing and changing knowledge

Disequilibrium:
- new knowledge leads children to realise their current understanding is inadequate

Question 2

Piaget stage theory
Sensorimotor
0-2 years

Answer 2

Dependence on on presence of object reduces - develop mental representation

Object permanence- out of sight out of mind

Awareness of being distinct from the environment (self-awareness)- rouge test

Conquer sensory motor system, environment through developing greater motor skills (deferred imitation)- repetition

Roots of intelligence present sucking, crawling, grasping

Question 3

Piaget stage theory
Pre-operational stage
2-7

Answer 3

Pre-conceptual sub stage (2-4):
-egocentrism- their p.o.v
-inability to acknowledge others perspectives
-Piaget & Inhelder (1965)- doll and mountain:
=4yr= what they see, 6yr=incorrect view, 7/8yr= chose correct
-reduction in animism
-mentally represent ideas and objects

Intuitive thought sub-stage (4-7):

• develop symbolic thought- object represent something else
• systematically order and classify items
• Deloaches- don’t understand objects can be different sizes, act in same way e.g., toy car
• conservation of number

Question 4

Piaget stage theory
Concrete operational
7-12

Answer 4

Conservation, classify and categorise of mass, length, weight and volume

Metacognition develops- thinking without thinking

Cause-effect relationships

Compensation observation e.g different shaped glasses

Reversibility- appearance of item has changed, change can be undone

Question 5

Piaget stage theory
Formal operational
12+ years

Answer 5

Abstract reasoning- speculate and reason

Reason hypothetically

Reason with and test verbal hypotheses and deduce conclusions

Question 6

Piaget’s influence

Answer 6

Set groundwork for developmental psychology as a sub-discipline

Education:

• distinctive ways of thinking at different ages considered in teaching
• child centred approach- focus on play, children as active learners

Question 7

Limitations of Piaget

Answer 7

• stages not accurate- some master conservation at early age, abstract thinking later than 12
• tasks too advanced, not child friendly- demand on children’s memory, explaining why young children performed so badly

Question 8

Limitations of Piaget

Infants may have object permanence

Answer 8

• show “surprise” when an object disappears from behind a screen
• adopted eye movement paradigms to measure infant looking time

Question 9

Limitations of object permanence

Infants form mental representations

Answer 9

• can imitate actions they saw previously

- 6-week-old infants could repeat tongue protrusion after 24hr delay

Question 10

Limitations of Piaget

Children pass egocentrism tasks when materials change

Answer 10

• when 3 mountain was perspective of Sesame Street character, 3-5 year olds could complete the task
• 60% of 3 year olds can hide a doll so policemen can’t see it

Question 11

Limitations of Piaget

Conservation when instructions are simplified

Answer 11

• ‘naughty teddy’ got muddled and changed materials, 4yr olds answered better to “is the same height/weight/length as before?”
• 70% of 4yr demonstrate conservation skills if change of container is “explained”