Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development Flashcards
Define reversibility
The ability to follow a line of reasoning back to its original starting point
Define ego-centrism
Seeing the world only from one’s point of view
Define object permanence
Understanding that objects still exist even if they cannot be seen or touched
Define conservation
The concept that an object’s weight, mass, volume or area remains the same even if the object changes in appearance
Define animism
A belief that every object has some kind of consciousness
Define transformation
Understanding the process whereby something changes from one state to another
Define centration
The tendency to focus on one quality of an object at a time
Define classification
The ability to organise information into categories based on common features
Define accommodation
Changing an existing mental idea (schema) to fit new information
Define assimilation
The process of taking in new information and fitting it into an existing mental idea (schema)
What is the first stage of Piaget’s theory? What is the age range for this stage?
Sensorimotor stage
Birth to 2 years
What is the second stage of Piaget’s theory? What is the age range for this stage?
Pre-operational stage
2-7 years
What is the third stage of Piaget’s theory? What is the age range for this stage?
Concrete operational stage
7-12 years
What is the fourth stage of Piaget’s theory? What is the age range for this stage?
Formal operational stage
12 years and over
What did Piaget state is the key cognitive accomplishment of the sensorimotor stage?
Object permanence
What are the two cognitive ‘milestones’ associated with the sensorimotor stage?
Object permanence and goal-directed behaviour
There are five cognitive ‘milestones’ that are generally achieved in the pre-operational stage. What are they?
Ego-centrism Animism Transformation Centration Reversibility
There are two main cognitive ‘milestones’ that are generally achieved in the concrete operational stage?
Conservation
Classification
What are the two cognitive ‘milestones’ that are generally achieved during the formal operational stage?
Abstract thinking
Logical thinking
Piaget suggested that adult thinking is simply an extensions of which stage?
Formal operational
What is meant by the term ‘idealistic thinking’?
Adolescents often compare themselves and others to an ‘ideal standard’ and strive towards being like their ideal person. This is idealistic thinking
