Piaget's Model of Cognitive Development

Question 1

Sensorimotor

0 to 2 Years

Answer 1

• Exercising reflexes (0 to 1 m) to smoothen them;
• Primary circular (1 to 4 m) reactions where reflexes extend to objects
• Secondary circular (4 to 10 m) where goal direction seen
• Object permanence starts by 9m
• Coordinated actions with added element of curiosity forms tertiary circular ( 12 to 18 m) reactions – here novelty is sought.
  
  • Mental combinations occur; thoughts dominate actions.

Question 2

Preoperational 2 to 7 years

Answer 2

• Preconceptual stage 2 to 4 years
• Intuitive stage 4 to 7 years.

Question 3

Concrete Operational 7 to 11 Years

Answer 3

• Ability to decentre, conserve, seriate and declining egocentrism noted.
• Perspective taking starts to develop. But transitivity tasks still pose a challenge.
  
  • E.g. ‘4>2, 2>1, which is the greatest of all?’ - is still difficult.

Question 4

Formal Operational > 11 Years

Answer 4

• Here manipulation of ideas and propositions are seen - 1st order operations
• Reasoning solely based on verbal argument construction develops - 2nd order operations.
• Hypotheticodeductive reasoning develops in a proportion of children after age 12

Question 5

Sensorimotor (SPIRO)

Answer 5

• Symbolic thought: Language starts developing and thought starts to dominate actions.
• Representational Play: Mimics one object with another e.g. cup for a hat.
• Deferred Imitation: remembers an act and replays it later.
• Recognition of self: Primitive self recognition begins.
• Object permanence: Understanding that object that disappears from field of perception has not ceased to exist; if searched well this object can be found or it will reappear. Hence peek-a-boo games are understood and enjoyed. Initially this is limited as the hidden objects are searched at where they were last seen (around 9 to 12 months); not at where they were hidden. Around 18 months invisible displacements are inferred and object permanence is completed.

Question 6

Preoperational stage (FAT PILES)

Answer 6

• Functional attribution: Objects are referred to by their function rather than appearance.
• Artificialism: All things created by an intelligent entity & Animism: Inanimate objects are treated as living objects.
• Transductive reasoning: Cats have 4 legs, Dogs have 4 legs. So cats and dogs are the same (called Von Domarus law) & Telegraphic speech: No functional propositions noted but verbs and nouns are used
• Phenomenalistic causality: causality is inferred if two events occur with some temporal association
• Imminent justice: See moral development
• Lack of seriation, conservation, and reversibility:
  
  • Seriation is the ability to sort or categorise based on dimensional variations of items.
  • Centration only single dimension can be focussed at one time
  • Conservation refers to the ability to perceive that a quantity (such as count, weight, volume etc) is unchanged if the same amount of a material is transformed into a different shape or structure.
  • Compensation refers to the fact that magnification in one dimension and reduction in another dimension can nullify each other’s effect.
  • Reversibility refers to the ability of mentally calculating and understanding that what is done can be undone without loss of material.
• Egocentrism: refers to the restricted ability of viewing the world from a single point of view at this developmental stage - Mountains task
• Semiotic function: Signifiers are symbols and signs that represent or stand for something else.
• Syncretic thought: Links neighbouring objects and events on the basis of common instances

Question 7

Moral Development 5 to 9 Years

Answer 7

• Unilateral respect for the external law: seniors make rules; they are sacred and should not be broken, but get violated periodically for pleasure.
• External responsibility holds for crime: severity of outcome or loss decides the degree of punishment warranted.
• Moral realism: Strong penalty should be paid for any crime; can accept collective punishment to deliver justice.
• Imminent justice: World is just – a misfortune will punish the deserved for a misdeed.
• Heteronomous morality: Subject to rules written by others

Question 8

Moral Development > 10 Years

Answer 8

• Mutual respect for the self-invented law: could be changed by consensus and for fairness.
• Internal responsibility holds for crime: intent or motivation decides the degree of punishment warranted.
• Moral relativism: Punishment should match the crime; does not accept collective punishment.
• No imminent justice.
• Autonomous morality: Rules can be self-made