His interest in children’s cognitive processes developed when he started to notice that children of similar ages made the same kinds of mistakes on test questions. After in depth research, Piaget developed the stages of cognitive development theory. This revolved around the idea that unlike adults, thinking and mental development of children changes qualitatively with age (Passer & Smith, 2013). In order to understand Piaget’s theory, it is important to understand its fundamental principles. The first, Piaget referred to using the term ‘schema’.
The major areas of development include biological, cognitive and social and emotional development. Both of these psychologists were concerned with the study of understanding the area of cognitive development specifically in children and were considered to be constructivists. Constructivism is the theory in which “learners actively construct their own knowledge based upon the things they know now and have known in the past” (TFL resources, 2006). This essay will seek to compare and contrast the theories of psychologists Piaget and Vygotsky and will critically look at their theories to judge which aspects are appropriate for the long term. Jean Piaget focused his research on studying children and observing their thought processes.
She explains the typical behavior, starting from when they can imitate facial expressions at birth, and then proceeding to discovering and differentiating others’ and their own emotions. They go on to learning and perfecting the concept of hiding. Gopnik was able to experiment with kids in the different age groups and provides the results to back up her theories. Another significant point that was brought up was the comparison of the thought process between babies and scientists. Babies and scientists “think, observe, formulate theories, make predictions, and do experiments.
A couple of months on from this stage, an infant would learn to coordinate sensation with two types of schema: habit and circular reactions, causing a primary circular reaction. An example of this is when an infant tries to recreate an event that happened unintentionally like sucking their thumb. The infant then eventually becomes more object-orientated and understand object permanence, understanding that objects still exist when not in sight. Piaget carried out a study to see at what age children acquired object permanence. The method of this was Piaget hid a toy under a blanket while the child was watching, and studied whether the child searched for the hidden object.
Various psychological theories on human development are based on the concept of “stage”. The key to stage theories is the understanding of stages as unique stages of development, with each stage personified by its own special behavioural and cognitive characteristics. According to child development and psychological research, all individuals progress through the same stages in a fixed chronological order. Foundation stage and key stage 1 Young children are still developing their language and communication skill they will have to be reminded of listening carefully when others are talking. When we are talking to young children we have to speak clearly slowly and not using big words as they won’t understand what we are saying.
Outline and evaluate Piaget’s constructivist theory of cognitive development In order to put Piaget's model into context it is useful to consider what intellect is, and some of the factors that influence cognitive development of the child. Additionally I will briefly discuss the term ‘constructivist’. Child development is generally concerned with how the child learns and expresses themselves at various ages. Typically studies are carried out on children from birth to adolescence. Specifically, most psychologists are interested in the processes that occur at particular ages, and what the child's capabilities are at each stage of their childhood.
What is distinct and important about Piaget's views is that he considered imagination and play to be crucial to enable every child to develop his own sense of self and to foster healthy learning habits. Erikson's Theory Erickson proposed nine stages of life, the earlier of which overlap with Piaget's. Erikson's first stage, infancy, lasts from birth until 18 months and involves a child learning to trust the world and the people in it. Early childhood -- lasting until about the third year of life -- requires individuals to learn their own bodies, skills and existence. During the play age, from 3 until 5, a child learns to create imaginative play situations and imagine new roles.
Piaget’s theory of learning is sometimes referred to as a constructivist approach because he suggested that children constructed or built their thoughts according to their experiences of the world around them. Piaget used the term ‘schema’ to refer to a child’s conclusions or thoughts. He felt that learning was an ongoing process, with children needing to adapt. Piaget’s belief that children develop schemas based on their direct experiences can help us to understand why young children’s thinking is sometimes different from ours. Piaget also suggested that, as children develop so does their thinking.
Theories of development. Jean Piaget (1896 – 1980) – Cognitive Piaget's theory was that children construct or build up their thoughts according to their experiences of the world around them. The child's conclusions or thoughts are known as 'schema' (building blocks of knowledge). The child will adapt their schema when new information is received. As a child develops, so does their thinking.
Motor and gross skills are also being development and improved. Cognitive Development in chapter 9 is “describing thinking and learning from ages 2 to y6, including advances in thought, language, and education, and explores how this develops.” (Berger, 2011, p. 237) In Piaget and Vygotsky, their theories have some commonalities of how children think verses what they say. Piaget’s “Preoperational Thinking” theory says “preschoolers usually cannot perform logical operations. They