Jean Piaget's cognitive development theory proposes that children's thinking develops in stages as they interact with their environment. The theory is based on Piaget's extensive observations of children and his own three children. According to Piaget, children progress through four main stages of cognitive development - sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational - as they learn to think in increasingly abstract and logical ways. At each stage, children construct an understanding of the world through processes of assimilation and accommodation.

1. Jean Piaget Cognitive Development Theory

2. Piaget (1895-1980) Regarded as the greatest impact on developmental psychology He was convinced that older children thought differently from younger children He focused on types of mistakes made by children as they were all similar Concluded that the way children think changes with age, regardless of what is being thought about Observations based on clinical methods of research (presenting children with a task or verbal question that require a solution and explanation). Also made detailed observations of his three own children > criticism

3. What is cognitive development? Cognitive Development: The changes that takes place in mental processes that allow humans to understand their environment and respond to it in adaptive ways.

4. Constructivism Central to Piaget’s theory Children are active thinkers constantly trying to construct more accurate or advanced understanding of the world around them. Construction through processes of assimilation and accommodation

5. Assimilation Forcing a new concept into a pre-existing concept e.g. a child who sees a cat for the first time and says “dog”, because it is also a four legged creature.

6. Accommodation When an individual discovers a new concept and a new schema is created. E.g. a child sees a zebra and calls it a horse. After correction, the child correctly calls it a zebra in the future.

7. Sensorimotor Birth – 2 yrs Acts intentionally and figures out ways to make things happen Gradually learn that there is a relationship between their actions and the external world. Grasp basic concept of cause and effect Knows the world only through motor activities and sensory impressions Has yet to use mental symbols/images to represent objects or events ( object permanence) until eighth month

8. Preoperational Stage 2-7yrs Growth of symbolic activity Language develops – thinks in words Still lacks logic and mental operations Immature thinking – egocentrism (inability to understand that others may perceive the world differently than they do) Lack understanding of relational terms ( lighter, faster, softer) Lack seriation Lack conservation – knowledge that certain physical attributes of an object remain unchanged even though the outward appearance is altered.

9. Concrete Operations 7-11 Emergence of logical thought Masters conservation and understands reversibility (many physical changes can be undone by a reversal of the original action Gain understanding of relational terms and seriation. Engage in logical thought

10. Formal Operations 12 – onwards Can think abstractly Can deal with possibilities – events or relationships that do not exist, but can be imagined Hypothetico-deductive reasoning – ability to generate hypotheses and thinking logically about symbols and ideas. Capable in engaging in interpropositional thinking – where they seek to test the validity of several propositions

11. Exercise Imagine that you have been given a third eye and that you can place this eye anywhere on your body. Draw a picture of where you would place this extra eye and write a brief explanation of why you would put it there

12. Strengths How not just what Concept of children as active learners who learn best from questioning, exploring and doing

13. Criticisms Methodology Underestimation of children’s cognitive abilities i.e. researchers showed concrete operational aged children can solve formal operational problem when trained. Overestimation of adolescents and - later revised F.O. 11 to 15!