Psycholinguistics is the study of the relationship between linguistic behavior and psychological processes like language acquisition. Jean Piaget was influential in developing a theory of cognitive development in children. He proposed that children progress through four distinct stages - sensory motor, pre-operational, concrete operational, and formal operational - as their cognitive abilities develop through biological maturation and environmental experiences. In each stage, children demonstrate different types of reasoning abilities and ways of thinking about the world. Piaget's theory emphasizes that curriculum and instruction should be developmentally appropriate to enhance students' logical and conceptual growth at each stage.

1. Psycholinguistics
THE STUDY OF THE RELATIONSHIPS
BETWEEN LINGUISTIC BEHAVIOUR
AND PSYCHOLOGICAL PROCESSES
INCLUDING THE PROCESS, OF
LANGUAGE ACQUISITION.

2. Mentalist Theory Of Jean Piaget
Who Is Piaget?
 Jean Piaget (1896-1980) was employed at Binet
institute in the 1920’s, where his job was to develop
French versions of questions on English Intelligence
tests.
 He became intrigued with the reasons children gave
for their wrong answers on the questions that
required logical thinking. He believed that these
incorrect answers revealed important differences
between the thinking of adults and children

3.  Piaget (1936) was the first psychologist to
make a systematic study of cognitive
development. His contribution include a
theory of cognitive child development,
detailed observational studies of cognition in
children.
 According to Piaget, children are born with a
very basic mental structure on which all
subsequent learning and knowledge is based.

4.  The goal of theory is to explain the
mechanisms and processes by which the
infant and then the child, develops into an
individual who can reason and think using
hypothesis.
 To Piaget cognitive development was a
progressive reorganization of mental
processes as a result of biological maturation
and environmental experience.

5. Piaget’s Cognitive Development
 Cognitive development is gradual, orderly changes
by which mental process become more complex.
He divided the cognitive development of children and
adults in 4 stages.
 Sensory Motor: It starts from birth to 2 years.
 Pre-Operation: It starts from 2 to 7 years.
 Concrete Operation: it starts from 7 to 12 years.
 Formal Operation: Adults. In this stage rigidity
develops.

6. Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development:
 Sensorimotor Stage: The sensorimotor
stage which lasts from birth to 2 years of age is
the first Pigetian stage. In this infant construct
an understanding of world by co-ordinating
sensory experiences with physical, motoric
actions.
 Rapid change is seen throughout.
 Begin to understand cause and effect.
 Early on baby can’t tell difference between
themselves and the environment.

7.  Pre-Operational Stage: It lasts from
approximately two to seven years of age. It is
the second pigetian stage. In this stage children
begin to represent world with words, images
and drawings.
 Better speech communication.
 Can image the future and reflect on the past.
 Has difficulty distinguishing fantasy from
reality.

8.  Concrete operational stage:
This stage which follows the pre operational stage occurs
between the ages of 7 and 11-12 years and is characterized by
the appropriate use of logic.
During this stage, a child’s thought processes become more
mature and “adult like”.
Piaget determined that children are able to incorporate
inductive reasoning.
In contrast children struggle with deductive reasoning which
involves using a generalized principle in order to try to
predict the outcome of an event.

9.  Formal operational stage:
The final stage is known as the formal operational
stage ( adolescence and into adulthood, roughly ages
11 to approximately 15-20). Intelligence is
demonstrated through the logical use of symbols
related to abstract concepts. At this point the person
is capable of hypothetical and deductive reasoning.
Abstract thought: Children tend to think very
concretely and specifically in earlier stages.

10.  Metacognition: the capacity for thinking
about thinking that allows adolescents and
adults to reason about their thought
processes and monitor them.
 Problem solving: is demonstrated when
children use trial-and-error to solve
problems.

11. Conclusion
How Piaget’s Theory impacts on learning?
Curriculum: Educators must plan a
developmentally appropriate curriculum that
enhances their students logical and conceptual
growth.
Instruction: Teachers must emphasize the critical
role that experiences -or interactions with the
surrounding environment- play in student learning.

12. THANK YOU
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