Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development

Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development

• Piaget's theory proposes that there are four stages of cognitive development: the sensorimotor stage, the preoperational stage, the concrete operational stage, and the formal operational stage.

• These stages are overcome as we progress through various ages and allow us to reach full human intelligence.

"Piaget's theory proposes four stages of cognitive development that we progress through as we grow, allowing us to reach full human intelligence."

Sensorimotor stage

• The sensorimotor stage begins at birth and lasts until around the age of two.

• During this stage, we develop our experiences and engage our five senses.

• Our brain wants to see, hear, smell, taste, and touch as much as possible.

• We start with simple reflexes and quickly develop our first habits.

• At around four months old, we become aware of things outside of our bodies.

• As we get older, we learn to do things intentionally.

"The sensorimotor stage starts at birth and continues until around age two. We develop our senses and perform simple reflexes before learning to do things intentionally."

Development of working memory

• The major turning point is the development of working memory or, according to Piaget's terms, the achievement of object permanence.

• In this stage, we understand that things still exist even when we can't see them.

• We begin to be curious about everything from the smell of flowers to the taste of food.

• We listen to sounds and talk to strangers to explore more.

• We start to move, learning how to sit, crawl, stand, walk, and eventually run.

• This increase in physical movement leads to increased cognitive development, but we still perceive the world from our own perspective.

"The major turning point is the development of working memory or object permanence. We become curious about things and start to move, leading to increased cognitive development."

Preoperational stage

• The preoperational stage starts around the age of two and lasts until around age seven.

• Our thinking is primarily classified as symbolic and intuitive.

• We have many misconceptions and believe that things are alive because we can't apply specific cognitive operations.

• Piaget calls this stage "preoperational" as it is before we learn to speak and understand that words, images, and gestures are symbols for something else.

• When we draw our family, we don't worry about drawing each person accurately, but rather focus on the symbolic meaning.

• We love pretend play, which allows us to experience something new and learn a lot.

"The preoperational stage occurs between the ages of two and seven. We have symbolic and intuitive thinking, and we engage in pretend play to experience and learn."

Development of concrete operations

• In the concrete operational stage, which occurs from around age seven to eleven, we finally discover logic and develop concrete cognitive operations.

• An example of this is inductive reasoning, where if we see someone eating cake, we can conclude they like cake.

• We then generalize this knowledge and gain the concept of conservation.

• We understand that if we pour the same amount of orange juice from a short glass to a tall glass, the quantity stays the same.

• Our younger sibling may choose the tall glass, thinking they will get more, but we know that it's the same amount.

"In the concrete operational stage, occurring between ages seven and eleven, we develop logic, concrete cognitive operations, and the concept of conservation."

Our Brain's Ability to Rearrange and Build Cognitive Structures

• Our brain learns to rearrange our thoughts, classify them, and construct tangible executive mental structures.

• This cognitive ability allows us to reverse any action by performing the opposite operation.

"Our brain learns to rearrange our thoughts, classify them, and construct tangible executive mental structures"

Developing a Deeper Understanding of Ourselves

• As we learn to write and engage in conversations, we discover ourselves better.

• We realize that our thoughts and feelings are unique and not necessarily the same as others.

"As we learn to write and engage in conversations, we discover ourselves better"

Putting Ourselves in Another Person's Shoes

• We learn to empathize by placing ourselves in someone else's position.

• Understanding the perspective of others enables us to become more compassionate.

"We learn to empathize by placing ourselves in someone else's position"

Formal Operational Stage - Thinking Abstractly

• During adolescence, we become more rational in our thinking process.

• We can now think more logically about abstract concepts and hypothetical events.

"During adolescence, we become more rational in our thinking process"

Developing Advanced Cognitive Skills

• Our advanced cognitive abilities allow us to comprehend abstract concepts such as success, failure, love, and hate.

• We form a deeper understanding of our identity and ethics.

"Our advanced cognitive abilities allow us to comprehend abstract concepts such as success, failure, love, and hate"

Enhanced Empathy and Reasoning

• We begin to understand why people behave the way they do, resulting in increased empathy.

• Our ability for deductive reasoning enables us to compare data and reach logical generalizations.

"We begin to understand why people behave the way they do"

Planning and Prioritizing

• Our new cognitive skills allow us to organize our lives systematically, plan, and set priorities.

• We can make hypotheses about unrelated events.

"Our new cognitive skills allow us to organize our lives systematically, plan, and set priorities"

Philosophical Thinking and Self-Centeredness

• In this stage, we can engage in philosophical thinking and focus solely on the act of thinking.

• Our sense of newfound identity can also lead to self-centered thoughts.

"In this stage, we can engage in philosophical thinking and focus solely on the act of thinking"

"Our sense of newfound identity can also lead to self-centered thoughts"

Piaget's Belief in Lifelong Learning

• Piaget advocated for lifelong learning, with the formal operational stage being the final stage of cognitive development.

"Piaget advocated for lifelong learning"

"The formal operational stage being the final stage of cognitive development"