Piaget's theory of cognitive development Flashcards

Question

example of assimilation

Answer 1

a child in a family with dogs can adapt to the existence of different dog breeds by assimilating them into their dog schema

Answer 2

takes place in response to drastically new experiences. the child has to adjust to these by either radically changing current schema or forming new ones

Answer 3

a child with a pet dog may at first of cats as dogs (have 4 legs, fur and a tail) but then recognise the existence of a separate category called cats. this accommodation will involve forming a new 'cat-schema'

Answer 4

-existence of evidence for the individual formation of metal representations -Piaget's theory of learning suggests that children will form quite individual representations of the world, even when they have similar learning experiences. Howe et al demonstrated this in a study in which children aged 9-12 were placed in groups of 4 to investigate and discuss the movement of objects down a slope. following this activity all the children were found to have increased their understanding. crucially though, their understanding had not become more similar. instead each child had picked up different facts and reached slightly different conclusions --> means that each child had formed an individual mental representation of how objects move on sloped - as piaget would have expected

Answer 5

-had been applied to teaching -Piaget's idea that children learn by actively exploring their environment and forming their own metal representation of the world has changed classroom teaching. since piaget ideas became popular in the 1960s, the old-fashioned classroom, in which children sat silently in rows copying the board, has been replaced by activity-oriented classrooms in which children sat silently in rows copying the board, has been replaced by activity orientated classrooms in which children actively engage in tasks that allow them to construct their own understandings of the curriculum. such discovery learning can take different forms. in early years classroom children may, for example investigate physical properties of sand and water. At a-level, discovery may take the form of flipped lessons where students read up on content, forming their own basic mental representation of topic prior to the lesson --> shows how piaget-inspired approached may facilitate the development of individual mental representation of the world

Answer 6

-Piaget's theory has influenced modern practice in teaching and learning, however there is no firm evidence showing that children learn better using discovery learning. Lazonder and Hamersen concluded that discovery learning with considerable input form teachers was the most effective, but it seems with input from others, not necessarily discovery learning is the most crucial element --> means discovery learning is less effective than we would expect if Piaget theory of learning is correct

Answer 7

-underestimated role of others in learning -Piaget saw others as useful to learning process which contrasts with theories in which learning is seen as more social process, supported by more knowledgeable others. in particular vygotsky saw knowledge as between learner and expert and then only in the mind of the individual. as there is strong evidence to support this, this is suggested as a better alternative --> means Piaget's theory may be incomplete explanation for learning as it doesn't put emphasis on role of learning in others

Answer 8

-Piaget suggested that children acquire new knowledge to escape the unpleasant disequilibrium. as therefore the desire to learn in internally motivated (born with desire to learn about the world) -however, it ahs been suggested that Piaget overstated role of motivation in learning. one possible reason for this is he studied an unrepresentitative and intelligent children sample which were initially his own and then those in a uni nursery. these children may have been more motivated to learn than most