Piaget: Theory of Cognitive Development Flashcards
Where was he from and who did he experiment on?
He was from Sweden (Western Culture) and used his children/ relatives children to experiment on.
What is a schema?
Contain our knowledge of the world that become increasingly complex during development.
What are 3 things that happen when a schema changes?
Assimilation, Accommodation and Equilibration.
What happens in Assimilation?
When we acquire new information or a more advanced understanding of an object, person or place.
What happens in Accomodation?
When we encounter new information that changes our understanding of a topic to the extent that we need to form/ add to a schema.
What happenes in Equilibration?
When we have encountered new information and built it into our understanding of a topic.
What is Disequilibrium?
An unpleasant sensation when our existing schemas don’t allow us to make sense of something new.
Describe Howe et al’s study that supports Piaget’s idea that children learn by forming their own mental representations.
Children aged 9-12 were put into groups of 4 to study and discuss movement of objects down a slope. The discussions increased their level of understanding but they came up with their own conclusion and picked up different facts.
How has Piaget been applied to education?
His idea that children learn by actively exploring their environment and forming their own mental representations has changed classrooms from rows of desks and children being sat down copying to physical activities (playing with sand and water) to A level ‘flipped’ lessons.
What’s one problem with Piaget’s theory and who has proposed a different idea?
Piaget’s theory is based on the individual’s learning and underplays/ undermines the role of other people in learning. Vygotsky has proposed that learning is a very social task and social interaction is key.
