Stages of Cognitive Development- Jean Piaget Flashcards
Sensorimotor (1-2 years)
Piaget believed that when a child is a year old, he or she is exploring and getting to know the world through the use of their senses. Baby Micah, for example, loves to suck on the ear of her teddy bear. She also loves to touch her mother’s arm and grab the different cloths in her crib.
Preoperational (2-7 years)
During this stage, the child is going through inquisitiveness, egocentrism, and the use of mental representations for objects. Barbie is five, and she is always asking her parents questions, like, ‘Why does our doggie bark and our kitty meow?’ She also loves to play pretend. This displays her ability to make mental representations of objects, as she can imagine a tea cup and make a pretend one by cupping her hand and drinking.
Concrete Operational (7-11)
Children better understand the nature of their world during this stage. Specifically, they look at matter logically and recognize that objects can be transformed in various ways. If Tom sees that his basketball is deflated, it can be inflated again. This concept is referred to as reversibility and means that matter that is altered can be brought back to its original form.
Formal Operational (12-18)
When a child reaches the stage of their teenage years, they are thinking in more complex ways. They are able to think in more abstract and detailed ways as well as to consider varied ideas or perspectives.
