This PPT prepared by Teacher Educator from Thiagarajar College of Preceptors Madurai for B.Ed Trainees.

1. Theory of Cognitive Development
S. Anbalagan,
Assistant Professor of Mathematics
Thiagarajar College of Preceptors,
Madurai

2. Theory of Cognitive
Development
Jean Piaget

3. Jean Piaget
• 1896-1980
• Born in Neuchatel,
Switzerland
• Was the eldest child,
and as such was
precocious (bright for
his age)
• Strong interest in
seashells, initially

4. • Piaget was interested in philosophy,
psychology & religion
• He worked with Simon, of the Simon-Binet
intelligence testing, but Piaget was more
concerned with how children learn, rather
than distinguishing right/wrong
• His academic work forms the basis for our
current educational system
Jean Piaget

5. • He married Valentine Chatenay in 1923
and together they had
2 daughters followed
by 1 son
• After a lifetime of efforts he was known as
‘one of the most significant psychologists
of the 20th century’
Jean Piaget

6. 1. Sensorimotor Period
• Lasts from birth to 2 years of age
The child:
• uses his senses and his increasing motor
skills to explore the environment
• begins to use to use language to imitate
and represent the environment

7. Substages of Sensori-motor
Stage
• 1st: (birth - 1 mo)
– innate reflexes,
– circular reactions
• 2nd: (1-4 mo)
– primary circular reactions
• 3rd: (4-8 mo)
– secondary circular

8. Seriation is…
• The placing or grouping of like objects
together

9. Object Permanence
or Person Permanence is when
• The child learns
that an object or
person continues
to exist even when
not in sight

10. Egocentric
• The child is aware only of himself and his
own likes, dislikes, and wants
• He cannot see other people’s perspectives

11. Assimilation means…
• To incorporate new ideas into an existing
schema (or concept)
• i.e. – a ball

12. Accommodation means…
• To adapt old schema (concept) and
develop new schema for interacting with it
• when a child adapts his/her existing ideas
to fit new understandings
• For example…

14. • According to Piaget:
Assimilation + Accommodation = Learning

15. 2. Pre-operational Period
• Lasts from 2 – 7 years of age
• The child can speak and print words
• His memory and imagination develops
• His thinking is often not logical
• Much ego-centric thinking occurs
• He learns that symbols represent
something else; for example…

16. • A Stop sign
means to
STOP!

17. 3. Concrete Operations Period
• Lasts from 7-11 years of age
• The child has the ability to do simple math
and measurement, with manipulatives
• He begins to understand cause & effect
• He can think about real, concrete things in
systematic ways, but cannot understand
abstract concepts
• He is no longer egocentric (he can now
understand other people’s points of view)

18. • A number line is useful for math

19. Conservation means…
• The amount, weight, volume & number of
things stays the same even when the
outward appearance of objects or groups
is changed

21. A short glass of water is the same amount
as a tall glass half full of water

22. Reversability means…
• An action can be undone or reverted to its
previous state

23. A ball of clay…

24. Can be made into a clay bowl

25. But it can be reformed into a ball of clay

26. 4. Formal Operations Period
• Lasts from about 11 – 15 years of age
• A child is able to think and reason in
purely abstract terms (in his head, without
having concrete items in front of him)
• He is able to use logic and abstract
thinking
• He questions previously accepted
thoughts, ideas and values

27. Piaget’s Theory of
Cognitive Development