piaget's theory of cognitive development Flashcards
What is cognitive development?
It describes the development of mental processes, specifically thinking, reasoning, and understanding of the world.
Who developed the theory of cognitive development?
Jean Piaget (1926, 1950).
How did Piaget describe children’s thinking compared to adults?
He proposed that children do not know less than adults but think in an entirely different way.
What did Piaget do to explain children’s cognitive development?
He divided childhood into stages, with each stage representing the development of new ways of reasoning.
What two aspects of learning did Piaget consider important?
The role of motivation in development and the question of how knowledge develops.
What is a schema?
A mental framework of beliefs and expectations that influence cognitive processing, developed from experience.
How does a child develop schemas over time?
As they grow, they construct more complex and detailed mental representations stored as schemas.
What did Piaget say about the schemas children are born with?
They are born with a small number of schemas, just enough to allow them to interact with the world and others.
What is the first schema infants develop?
The ‘me-schema,’ which contains all their knowledge about themselves.
How does cognitive development progress in terms of schemas?
It involves the construction of progressively more detailed schemas for people, objects, and physical actions, leading to more abstract ideas like justice and morality.
According to Piaget, when are we most motivated to learn?
When our existing schemas do not allow us to make sense of something new, leading to disequilibrium.
What is disequilibrium?
A state of cognitive imbalance when existing schemas do not explain new experiences.
How do we escape disequilibrium?
By exploring and developing our understanding to achieve equilibration, which is the preferred mental state.
What are the two processes of learning according to Piaget?
Assimilation and accommodation.
What is assimilation?
When a new experience is understood and new information is added to an existing schema to achieve equilibrium.
What is accommodation?
When new experiences significantly challenge existing schemas, requiring the child to either change their schema drastically or create a completely new one.
What is one strength of Piaget’s theory related to mental representations?
There is research support for the individual formation of mental representations.
What study supports the idea of individual mental representations?
Howe et al. (1992) conducted a study with children aged 9-12, who investigated and discussed the movement of objects down a slope.
What did Howe et al. (1992) find?
Children had increased understanding, but each developed unique mental representations (schemas) by picking up different facts and drawing slightly different conclusions.
How does Howe et al. (1992) support Piaget’s theory?
It supports Piaget’s idea that children construct their own knowledge rather than simply absorbing information in a uniform way.
What is another strength of Piaget’s theory?
It has been successfully applied in real-world teaching.
How has Piaget’s theory influenced classroom learning?
Traditional passive learning has been replaced with activity-based learning, such as discovery learning and flipped learning.
Why does a change in classroom teaching support Piaget’s theory?
It aligns with Piaget’s belief that children learn best through active engagement rather than passive memorization.
How does Piaget’s theory impact students’ learning?
It encourages students to explore concepts themselves, leading to deeper, more meaningful knowledge representations.
What is a counterpoint to Piaget’s view on discovery learning?
Lazonder & Harmsen (2016) found that discovery learning is most effective when guided by teachers.
What did Lazonder & Harmsen (2016) suggest?
Input from others, rather than discovery learning alone, was the crucial factor in effective learning.
What does Lazonder and Harmsen counterpoint suggest about Piaget’s theory?
If correct, it challenges Piaget’s emphasis on independent discovery learning as the most effective approach.
What is a major limitation of Piaget’s theory?
It underestimates the role of others in cognitive development.
How did Piaget view learning?
He saw it as an individual process, with others acting only as sources of information rather than active contributors to learning.
What alternative theory contradicts Piaget’s view?
Vygotsky’s theory, which emphasizes the importance of social learning through interactions with others.
How does Vygotsky’s theory differ from Piaget’s?
Vygotsky argued that knowledge is first shared between a mentor and a learner before being internalized, highlighting collaboration in learning.
What does the comparison between Piaget and Vygotsky suggest?
Piaget’s theory may not fully explain how social influences contribute to learning, overlooking the role of teachers, peers, and mentors.
What is an alternative explanation for learning that accounts for social influences?
Vygotsky’s theory, which emphasizes learning within a social context.
What was Piaget’s main contribution to cognitive psychology?
Piaget argued that children do not simply know less than adults but think in qualitatively different ways. He proposed that cognitive development occurs in stages.
What is a schema in Piaget’s theory?
A schema is a mental framework that helps individuals organize and interpret information. Children are born with basic schemas and develop more complex ones through experience.
What motivates cognitive development according to Piaget?
Learning occurs when children experience disequilibrium (new information that does not fit existing schemas). To reduce discomfort, they engage in equilibration, modifying their knowledge.
What is assimilation?
Assimilation occurs when a child incorporates new information into an existing schema without changing its structure. E.g., learning that a Chihuahua is also a dog.
What is accommodation?
Accommodation happens when a child modifies or creates new schemas in response to dramatically new experiences.
What research supports Piaget’s idea of individual cognitive development?
A: Howe (1992) found that children placed in groups to discuss an object moving down a slope increased their understanding, but their mental models remained individual.
E: Supports Piaget’s theory that children construct their own mental representations rather than copying from others.
E: However, this does not mean social interaction is unimportant, as Vygotsky suggests.
L: Piaget’s view of individual discovery is supported but may not fully explain all learning.
How has Piaget’s theory influenced education?
Piaget’s ideas led to discovery learning, where children explore actively rather than passively copying from a board.
E: This is seen in child-centered classrooms where learning happens through active engagement, e.g., water and sand play in early years.
E: However, Lourenco & Ratcliff (2016) found that discovery learning is less effective than direct instruction.
L: Piaget’s theory has real-world benefits, but its application might not always be optimal.
What is a key limitation of Piaget’s theory?
A: Piaget underestimated the role of others in learning, suggesting that children mostly learn independently.
E: Vygotsky emphasized social interaction, arguing that knowledge is first intermental (between expert and learner) before becoming intramental (within the child).
E: Piaget’s focus on individual discovery means his theory doesn’t fully explain how children learn in social contexts.
L: This suggests Piaget’s theory is incomplete as it does not emphasize scaffolding and expert guidance.
