development and selected key concepts that are related to the stages
Stages of Cognitive Development
Children progress through distinct stages of cognitive (or intellectual) development. These are organized hierarchically and completing a lower-level stage is necessary for progression to the next stage. The stages are sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational. In this blog, each stage is briefly described. Keywords are also identified as they relate to the stages. These keywords are defined after the stages are summarized. Words related to all the stages include schema, assimilation and accommodation, equilibration, and constructivism. Terms uniquely associated with specific stages include object permanence, conservation and reversibility, and egocentrism
Sensorimotor Stage: Birth to around 2 years old. Infants learn by exploring the world through their senses and motor activities. Infants begin to realize that objects exist, even if they are not directly perceived. This is referred to as “object permanence.”
Preoperational Stage: Ages 2 to 7. Children develop symbolic thinking, language skills, and begin to demonstrate pretend play and imagination. Logical thinking remains limited and it is difficult for the child to see reality from the perspective of others.
Concrete Operational Stage: Ages 7 to 11. Logical reasoning emerges, and children can understand conservation and reversibility (see below). They begin being able to grasp complex cognitive concepts.
Formal Operational Stage: Ages 11 years and beyond. Abstract thinking and hypothetical reasoning develop. Children can understand complex concepts, think logically, and participate in deductive and inductive reasoning. During this stage, a transition is made into developing adult cognitive abilities.
Terms Related to the Stages of Cognitive Development
Following are selected terms related to the Stages of Cognitive Development. There are many others. The terms described here are among the ones most frequently used in or about Piaget’s writings.
Schema (plural is schemata or schemas): This is a term popularized by Piaget to describe the mental structures (or categories of knowledge) that shape, organize, and interpret thoughts and interactions. For example, a young child may have a schema for “cat” that includes furry, four legs, and a tail. The schema is constantly being revised as the child assimilates and accommodates new information about cats.
Assimilation and Accommodation: Piaget pointed out how children adapt to new information. Assimilation involves taking new experiences into existing mental structures. Accommodation, then, is the modification of these structures to reconstruct the schema so that it includes the newly acquired knowledge. For example, a child without exposure to dogs but living in a house with cats may refer to dogs as cats until enough information is assimilated to create a schema for dogs.
Equilibration: This refers to the urge to achieve a balance between schemas and experiences through assimilation and accommodation. A child who only knows cats will become “disequilibrated” upon discovering dogs. The differences and similarities drive the child to distinguish between the two, thereby creating a revised understanding of cats and a new schema for dogs.
Object Permanence: Infants in the sensorimotor stage grow to understand that objects continue to exist even when out of sight. This concept can be seen when playing “peek-a-boo” with a young child. By hiding our faces behind our hands, the infant thinks that we are no longer present and is surprised when we take away our hands and reappear.
Egocentrism: Young children have difficulty seeing things from the perspectives of others. They understand the world in terms of themselves and their own needs. A favorite quote illustrating egocentrism from Winnie the Pooh is, “Where there is honey, it must be for me.” This is characteristic of children in the preoperational stage, ages 2-7.
Conservation and Reversibility: Children in the concrete operational stage learn that certain properties (like number, volume, or mass) remain constant despite changes in appearance. A classic experiment that is used to illustrate this is to have two groups of marbles side by side with one group tightly organized and one loosely grouped. A child in the early concrete operational stage will say that there are more marbles in the loosely organized grouping. However, when, at the age of 7 or 8, the child can reason that both groups are of the same volume; the child has achieved reversibility.
Constructivism: This is the idea that individuals are active in creating their own understanding of the world through their experiences and interactions. Piaget emphasized the importance of hands-on, experiential learning because it allows children to engage with and build upon their existing knowledge. Examples of constructivist teaching methods that are consistent with Piaget's theories are typically related to play and discovery learning. These include problem-solving activities, simulation games and role playing, and cooperative learning activities.
Summary
We have briefly surveyed the educational contributions of Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget. This has included his proposed four stages of cognitive development: sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational. These stages highlight how children's thinking develops as they experience the world. Key concepts include schema, assimilation and accommodation. Children strive for equilibrium between these processes. Object permanence, conservation and reversibility, and egocentrism are terms associated with specific stages. Constructivism aligns with Piaget's ideas and is a valuable framework for planning participatory, discovery learning activities.
Resources
Piaget, Jean. The Psychology of Intelligence (1947 French, 1948 English). https://amzn.to/3UWgWug
Piaget, Jean. The Origins of Intelligence in Children (1936 French, 1952 English). https://amzn.to/3IcGHzb
Singer, Dorothy. A Piaget Primer. https://amzn.to/3OYGcMK
YouTube video of this blog. https://youtu.beYkG/ohEGCJdc
Supplementary online resources that may have been consulted include ChatGPT, Google Search, Google Bard, Bing, and Wikipedia
Church and School Education (CASE) Resources is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, affiliate advertising designed to provide a means for sites to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com.
Sensorimotor Stage: Birth to around 2 years old. Infants learn by exploring the world through their senses and motor activities. Infants begin to realize that objects exist, even if they are not directly perceived. This is referred to as “object permanence.”
Preoperational Stage: Ages 2 to 7. Children develop symbolic thinking, language skills, and begin to demonstrate pretend play and imagination. Logical thinking remains limited and it is difficult for the child to see reality from the perspective of others.
Concrete Operational Stage: Ages 7 to 11. Logical reasoning emerges, and children can understand conservation and reversibility (see below). They begin being able to grasp complex cognitive concepts.
Formal Operational Stage: Ages 11 years and beyond. Abstract thinking and hypothetical reasoning develop. Children can understand complex concepts, think logically, and participate in deductive and inductive reasoning. During this stage, a transition is made into developing adult cognitive abilities.
Terms Related to the Stages of Cognitive Development
Following are selected terms related to the Stages of Cognitive Development. There are many others. The terms described here are among the ones most frequently used in or about Piaget’s writings.
Schema (plural is schemata or schemas): This is a term popularized by Piaget to describe the mental structures (or categories of knowledge) that shape, organize, and interpret thoughts and interactions. For example, a young child may have a schema for “cat” that includes furry, four legs, and a tail. The schema is constantly being revised as the child assimilates and accommodates new information about cats.
Assimilation and Accommodation: Piaget pointed out how children adapt to new information. Assimilation involves taking new experiences into existing mental structures. Accommodation, then, is the modification of these structures to reconstruct the schema so that it includes the newly acquired knowledge. For example, a child without exposure to dogs but living in a house with cats may refer to dogs as cats until enough information is assimilated to create a schema for dogs.
Equilibration: This refers to the urge to achieve a balance between schemas and experiences through assimilation and accommodation. A child who only knows cats will become “disequilibrated” upon discovering dogs. The differences and similarities drive the child to distinguish between the two, thereby creating a revised understanding of cats and a new schema for dogs.
Object Permanence: Infants in the sensorimotor stage grow to understand that objects continue to exist even when out of sight. This concept can be seen when playing “peek-a-boo” with a young child. By hiding our faces behind our hands, the infant thinks that we are no longer present and is surprised when we take away our hands and reappear.
Egocentrism: Young children have difficulty seeing things from the perspectives of others. They understand the world in terms of themselves and their own needs. A favorite quote illustrating egocentrism from Winnie the Pooh is, “Where there is honey, it must be for me.” This is characteristic of children in the preoperational stage, ages 2-7.
Conservation and Reversibility: Children in the concrete operational stage learn that certain properties (like number, volume, or mass) remain constant despite changes in appearance. A classic experiment that is used to illustrate this is to have two groups of marbles side by side with one group tightly organized and one loosely grouped. A child in the early concrete operational stage will say that there are more marbles in the loosely organized grouping. However, when, at the age of 7 or 8, the child can reason that both groups are of the same volume; the child has achieved reversibility.
Constructivism: This is the idea that individuals are active in creating their own understanding of the world through their experiences and interactions. Piaget emphasized the importance of hands-on, experiential learning because it allows children to engage with and build upon their existing knowledge. Examples of constructivist teaching methods that are consistent with Piaget's theories are typically related to play and discovery learning. These include problem-solving activities, simulation games and role playing, and cooperative learning activities.
Summary
We have briefly surveyed the educational contributions of Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget. This has included his proposed four stages of cognitive development: sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational. These stages highlight how children's thinking develops as they experience the world. Key concepts include schema, assimilation and accommodation. Children strive for equilibrium between these processes. Object permanence, conservation and reversibility, and egocentrism are terms associated with specific stages. Constructivism aligns with Piaget's ideas and is a valuable framework for planning participatory, discovery learning activities.
Resources
Piaget, Jean. The Psychology of Intelligence (1947 French, 1948 English). https://amzn.to/3UWgWug
Piaget, Jean. The Origins of Intelligence in Children (1936 French, 1952 English). https://amzn.to/3IcGHzb
Singer, Dorothy. A Piaget Primer. https://amzn.to/3OYGcMK
YouTube video of this blog. https://youtu.beYkG/ohEGCJdc
Supplementary online resources that may have been consulted include ChatGPT, Google Search, Google Bard, Bing, and Wikipedia
Church and School Education (CASE) Resources is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, affiliate advertising designed to provide a means for sites to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com.
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