Piaget and Vygotsky

Question 1

Who is Piaget?

Answer 1

Influential in developmental psychology.

Proposed 4 stages of thought for children.

Question 2

What assumptions did Piaget make about children?

Answer 2

Constructivism: Children construct knowledge based on experience

Children as scientists: children generate hypotheses, perform
experiments, and draw conclusions from observations.

**Children often learn by themselfes **

Question 3

What are 3 processes did Piaget suggest children build knowledge by?

Answer 3

Children build knowledge structures (schemas) via three important processes.

1. Assimilation: incorporation of incoming information into
   concepts they already understand.
2. Accommodation: alteration of a concept in response
   to new experience.
3. Equilibration: process by which children strike balance
   between assimilation and accommodation.

Question 4

Describe Piaget’s cognitive theory

Answer 4

existing knowledge —> new knowledge —> assimilate or accomodate

eg. when presented with a dog, go down assimilation route and German shepherd = Dog,
* *maintain schema **

Bear ≠ dog → new elaborated schema

via equilibration.

Question 5

What are the 3 stages of equilibrium?

Answer 5

Equilibrium: all knowledge is accommodated in
harmony (e.g., seeing a new dog).

2. Disequilibrium: n*_ew knowledge does not fit_* with 
current system (e.g., seeing a bear). 

3. Equilibrium’: knowledge structures (i.e., schemas)
   * *altered to accommodate** new information

Question 6

What are central properties of child development?

Answer 6

1. Qualitiative Change
2. Broad Applicability
3. Brief Transitions
4. Invariant Sequence
5. Universality

Question 7

Central Properties

What is qualitative change?

Answer 7

_children at different ages think in
different ways. _
• For instance, children initially conceive of morality in terms of
consequences and only later in terms of intent.
• Who is naughtier, a boy who accidentally broke a whole jar of cookie, or a boy who stole one cookie?

Question 8

Central properties

Broad Applicability

Answer 8

style of thinking characteristic of
each developmental stage is **relevant to broad range **of domains (e.g., reasoning, mathematics, moral
judgment).

Question 9

Central Properties

Brief Transitions

Answer 9

Brief transitions: before solidly entering a new stage children waiver between cognitive styles of both
stages

Question 10

Central Properties

Invariant Sequence

Answer 10

children pass through the
developmental stages in the same order

Question 11

Central Properties of Piaget’s assumptions

Universality

Answer 11

The theory applies to all children
everywhere (i.e., does not predict cross-cultural
differences)

Question 12

Describe the sensorimotor stage

Answer 12

Understanding of the world limited to infant’s sensory and perceptual experience.

• Roots of adult intelligence are present in infants earliest
behaviours (e.g., sucking, grasping).

Question 13

Describe stage 1 of sensorimotor stage

Answer 13

Stage 1 (0 - 1 month): Simple reflexes and perceptual abilities the foundation upon which intelligence is built.
• within first few months children modify reflexes (e.g., sucking action) depending on environment (e.g., object in mouth).
• First example of accommodation.

Question 14

Describe substage 2 of sensorimotor stage

Answer 14

Substage 2 (1 – 4 months):

Primary circular reactions →
random movements that lead to unexpected pleasant outcome (e.g., accidentally touch mouth → sucking).
• Through repetition baby learns about consequences of action

Question 15

Describe substage 3 of sensorimotor stage

Answer 15

Secondary circular reactions → similar to primary CRs, but actions do not involve direct sensory
stimulation (e.g., repetitive dropping of toys from highchair)

Question 16

When does object permanence develop?

Answer 16

Between substage 3 and substage 4 in the sensorimotor stage

Question 17

Substage 4 in sensorimotor stage

Answer 17

Substage 4 (8 – 12 months): Infants display first intentional behaviour → **respond to obstacles that might obstruct 
goals. **

Question 18

What happens after substage 4 in sensorimotor stage?

Answer 18

While infant passes object permanence, makes an A-not-B error

Question 19

Sensorimotor stage

Substage 5

Answer 19

Substage 5 (12 – 18 months) → Tertiary circular reactions
**active experimentation with world** (e.g., repetitive but creative dropping of toys).

Question 20

Sensorimotor stage

Substage 6

Answer 20

Substage 6 (18 – 24 months): ability to create **mental representations** independent of perceptual and motor 
experience. 
• semiotic (‘symbolic’) function. 
• Symbolic play, deferred imitation.

Question 21

What is the preoperational stage marked by?

Answer 21

• Period of rapid symbolic development.
• language development.
• drawing development.

•Limitations of this stage: Behaviour marked by egocentrism and centration.

Question 22

Preoperational stage

Drawing development

Answer 22

1. Scribbling (ages 2-4)- fortuitous realism
2. Preschematic stage (ages 4-7)
   Failed realism –
   elements are unrelated/unconnected
   Intellectual realism –
   Children draw what they “know”
3. Schematic stage (ages 8-9)
   Visual realism –
   children draw what they “see

Question 23

What is egocentrism. Give an example of how it is a limitation in the preoperational stage

Answer 23

the tendency to perceive the world solely from
own point of view. Cannot see reality from other perspectives

most 4 year olds cannot pass the Three mountains task

Question 24

What does egocentrism extend to?

Answer 24

• Egocentrism extends to communication.
• Children often don’t understand that conversation requires common ground (i.e., assume knowledge of others).

Extends to reasoning

Question 25

Describe centration

Answer 25

the tendency to focus on a salient feature of object or event while ignoring other relvevant features

eg. Preoperational stage fail in Piaget’s conservation task

Question 26

Describe concrete operational stage

Answer 26

Children begin to reason logically about concrete
features of the world.

Pass Piaget’s conservation task

limited to concrete situations;
in situations that require more abstract reasoning
children perform poorly.

Question 27

Formal operational stage

How did they perform in pendulum task compared with children in CO stage?

Answer 27

• Characterised by ability to think **abstractly and to reason hypothetically. **
• In pendulum experiment, children in FO stage are aware that all variables can have an influence, and test this systematically. CO, were biased with their initial hypothesis

Reasoning not limited to conrete experience

Question 28

Piaget’s legacy

Answer 28

• Many aspects of theory still debated today.
• Stage-like versus continuous development.
• Children’s active construction of knowledge.
• Children’s symbolic understanding of the world.

Question 29

What are weaknesses of Piaget’s legacy?

Answer 29

**Children’s thinking not as consistent as theory predicts. **
• No correlation between conservation of number (passed at 6-years) and conservation of liquid (passed 8 – 9-years).

2. **Infants and young children appear to be more
   competent than Piaget realised. **
   • Competence versus Performance.
3. Piaget underestimated social processes in cognitive development.

Question 30

Who is VYGOTSKY

Answer 30

VYGOTSKY
• Russian developmental
psychologist (1896 – 1934)

Heavily influenced by

• *Marxist philosophy and
  principles. **

• **Socio-cultural approach: **
how the culture of a social
group (values, beliefs,
knowledge) is transmitted
to the next generation.

Question 31

Differences between Vgotsky and Piaget

Answer 31

Like Piaget, viewed child as an active agent in
constructing knowledge.

Vygotsky argued that development requires social interaction between the child and a
**competent other. **

• It is through the community that the child gains access to ways of thinking and constructing knowledge of the world.
• Vygotsky: social learners shaped by cultural context

Question 32

What did Vgotsky mean by cultural space?

Answer 32

Knowledge, beliefs, practices
Child internalises this
knowledge through
interactions with
significant others eg. teacher, parent
Interaction is at the intermental level – between child and teacher (knowledge exists in cultural space).
Learning: internalisation of knowledge (_{<strong>intramental </strong>}level)

Question 33

What are two aspects of the human pedagogy?

Answer 33

1. N**atural inclination to teach others. **
   • Scaffolding.
   • General “pedagogical orientation” to communicate facts.
   • Often driven by children (e.g., pointing).
2. **Inclination to attend to and learn from others. **
   • Children assume others’ actions are intentional, and attempt to learn through observation and imitation

Question 34

What is the zone of proximal difference?

Answer 34

The distance between children’s developmental level, as determined by their ability to solve problems on their own,
and what they are capable of when solving problems with
assistance.

• A competent other scaffolds the child into more advanced developmental states.

Question 35

What does vogtsky assume about language and thought?

Answer 35

Vygotsky also argued that language shaped our
thought processes.

Language is a cultural tool in that it transmits knowledge across generations
• Thought is ‘internalised’ (or private) speech.
• Development of private speech important part of development

Question 36

What are 3 stages of private speech?

Answer 36

Stage 1: Child’s behaviour controlled by other people’s statements.

Stage 2: Children begin to **engage in private speech **overtly (i.e., ‘out loud’).

Stage 3: Children’s private speech is internalised.

Private speech has its origins in early dialogic interaction (i.e., conversations), and continues to have conversational structure.

Question 37

Describe private speech’s influence on cognitive development

Answer 37

Private speech important for cognitive development:

**Children who engage in lots of private speech perform better on cognitively demanding tasks involving planning and puzzle solving **

• Preventing children from engaging in private speech (e.g., by making them repeat words or phrases) results in poorer performance

• Children with developmental disorders such as ADHD and SLI show
delayed development of private speech.

Question 38

Give an example of cross-cultural variation

Answer 38

Chen et al. (2004): American and Chinese adults.
• Two reasoning tasks.
• Solutions based on fairy tales; one Western and one Chinese.
• Each group performed best on the problem analogous to their
culture.

Question 39

What are applications of Piaget’s theories?

Answer 39

Educational Implications of Piaget

1**. Children have distinct ways of thinking at different developmental stages. **

• How much can a child in the sensorimotor stage (0 – 2-years) learn from pictures without exploring objects?
• Can a child in concrete operational (7 – 12-years) stage learn algebra?

2. **Children learn best when interacting with their
   environment, both mentally and physically.
   **
   • Children learn best through active participation, but how much of
   mainstream schooling does this?

Question 40

Application of Viaget’s theory

Answer 40

Education impact of Vygotsky

1. Children learn best from acknowledging each other.