School Counseling

1. Piaget's Cognitive
Development Theory
Jean Piaget's theory explores how children develop intellectually
through stages. This presentation will cover the major elements and
concepts of Piaget’s Cognitive Development Theory, including schemas,
processes that enable transition between stages, and the four stages of
cognitive development.
by ANANTA CHALISE

2. Major Elements…….
1. Schemas: The Building Blocks of Knowledge
What is a Schema?
A schema is a mental framework that
helps us organize and interpret
information. It's the basic building
block of intelligent behavior, including
objects, actions, and abstract
concepts. For example, a child’s
schema for a "dog" might include
"four legs," "furry," and "barks."
How Schemas Work
Schemas help us simplify and
organize information, allowing us to
quickly interpret new experiences
based on what we already know. For
instance, if you see a new type of
fruit, you might use your existing
schema for "fruit" to understand it.
Why Schemas Matter
Schemas make it easier to process
new information by connecting it to
what we already know. However, they
can also lead to stereotypes if we
apply them too rigidly, such as
assuming all teenagers are rebellious
based on one experience.

3. Types of Schemas
Self-Schemas
Ideas about ourselves (e.g., "I am good at sports").
People-Schemas
Ideas about others (e.g., "Grandparents are kind and loving").
Event-Schemas
Expectations about how events unfold (e.g., "A wedding involves a
ceremony, food, and dancing").
Role-Schemas
Ideas about specific roles or occupations (e.g., "A teacher gives lessons and
assigns homework").

4. 2. Processes Enabling
Transition: Assimilation
Assimilation
Assimilation is the process of fitting
new information into existing
schemas. It’s like adding a new
piece to a puzzle that already has a
structure. For example, if a child
sees a cow for the first time and
calls it a "dog" because it has four
legs and fur, they are assimilating
the cow into their existing "dog"
schema.
Why Assimilation Matters
It saves time and mental energy
because we don’t have to create
new categories for everything.
However, it can lead to
stereotyping if applied too rigidly.
For example, if a woman sees a
teenager speeding on a bike and
stealing a chain, she might
assimilate "violence" and
"impulsivity" into her schema of
teenagers.

5. Processes Enabling Transition: Accommodation
What is Accommodation?
Accommodation is the process of modifying existing schemas or
creating new ones to fit new information that doesn’t align with
current schemas. For example, when a child learns that a cat is not
a dog (even though both have four legs and fur), they create a new
schema for "cat."
Why Accommodation Matters
It allows us to update our understanding of the world and adapt to
new experiences. Without accommodation, our thinking would
remain rigid and inaccurate.

6. Processes Enabling Transition:
Adaptation and Equilibrium
1 Adaptation
Adaptation is the combination of assimilation and accommodation. It’s
how we adjust our thinking to better understand the world. For
example, a child might first assimilate a cat into their "dog" schema
but later accommodate by creating a new schema for "cat."
2 Equilibrium
Equilibrium is a state of mental balance where our schemas match our
experiences. When new information creates confusion or imbalance
(disequilibrium), we use assimilation and accommodation to restore
balance. For example, if a child believes all birds can fly and then sees
a penguin (which cannot fly), they experience disequilibrium.

7. 3. Stages of Cognitive Development
Piaget in his theory of cognitive development
talked about four stages in cognitive development.
1.Sensory-Motor Stage (From Birth to Two Years)
2.Preoperational (Age Two to Seven)
3.Concrete Operations (Age Seven to Eleven)
4.Formal Operations (Age Eleven to Sixteen)

8. Sensorimotor Stage (Birth to 2 Years)
Reflexes
Newborns rely on innate reflexes like
sucking and grasping.
1
Coordination
Babies coordinate senses and motor
skills to explore.
2
Object Permanence
Understanding that objects exist
even when out of sight.
3
Experimentation
Babies experiment with objects to
see what happens.
4
This stage spans from birth to around 2 years and is all about how infants learn about the world through their senses and
actions. During this stage, the child explores and understands the world primarily through their senses (seeing, hearing,
touching, tasting, smelling) and motor abilities (moving, grasping, kicking, etc.).

9. Key Concepts in the
Sensorimotor Stage
1 Object Permanence
The understanding that objects continue to exist even when
they’re out of sight. In the early substages, babies don’t have
object permanence. By 8–12 months, they start to develop this
skill but might still make the “A not B” error. By 18–24 months,
they fully understand object permanence.
2 Deferred Imitation
The ability to remember and imitate actions they’ve seen in the
past, even when the person or object isn’t present. For example,
a baby might see you clap your hands and then clap their own
hands hours later, even if you’re not there.