cognitive theory

1. Jean Piaget
and his theory
of cognitive
development

2. • Born in 1896 in Switzerland; died in
1980
• Idolized his father, an academic, and
came to fear his mother, who he
experienced as emotionally unstable
• Student of naturalistic science as a
child. Published a short piece at age
10-11.
• Married a student, Valentine
Châtenay -- who worked on The Moral
Judgment of the Child and who later
helped him study their three children -
- in 1923

3. Four stages of cognitive
develoment
– (1) The sensorimotor stage: The first stage of development lasts from birth to
approximately age two. At this point in development, children know the world
primarily through their senses and motor movements.
– (2) The preoperational stage: The second stage of development lasts from the ages
of two to seven and is characterized by the development of language and the
emergence of symbolic play.
– (3) The concrete operational stage: The third stage of cognitive development lasts
from the ages of seven to approximately age 11. At this point, logical thought
emerges but children still struggle with abstract and theoretical thinking.
– (4) The formal operation stage: In the fourth and final stage of cognitive
development, lasting from age 12 and into adulthood, children become much more
adept and abstract thought and deductive reasoning.

4. The sensorimotor stage
from birth to age 2
• The infant knows the world through their
movements and sensations.
• Children learn about the world through basic
actions such as sucking, grasping, looking, and
listening.
• Infants learn that things continue to exist even
though they cannot be seen (object permanence).
• They realize that their actions can cause things to
happen in the world around them.

5. The preoperational stage
from age 2 to 7
– Children begin to think symbolically
and learn to use words and pictures to represent objects.
– Children at this stage tend to be egocentric and struggle
to see things from the perspective of others.
– While they are getting better with language and
thinking, they still tend to think about things in very concrete
terms.

6. The concrete operational stage
from age 7 to 11
– During this stage, children begin to
thinking logically about concrete events.
– They begin to understand the concept of
conservation; that the amount of liquid in a short,
wide cup is equal to that in a tall, skinny glass, for example.
– Their thinking becomes more logical and organized,
but still very concrete.
– Children begin using inductive logic, or reasoning from
specific information to a general principle.

7. The formal operational stage
Age 12 and up
– At this stage, the adolescent or young adult
begins to think abstractly and reason about
hypothetical problems.
– Abstract thought emerges.
– Teens begin to think more about moral, philosophical,
ethical, social, and political issues that require theoretical and
abstract reasoning.
– Begin to use deductive logic, or reasoning from a general
principle to specific information.

8. By Fatma Kocman