Part of Chapter 2: Developmental Theories and other Relevant Theories

PIAGET’S STAGES OF COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT

TOPIC OUTLINE:
 LEARNING OBJECTIVE
 TERMINOLOGIES
 ABOUT JEAN PIAGET
 STAGES OF COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT
 KEY POINTS
PIAGET’S STAGES OF COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
 Differentiate between Piaget's sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete
operational, and formal operational stages of cognitive development.
PIAGET’S STAGES OF COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT

TERMINOLOGIES:
 Transitivity - The idea that if A is related to B, and B is related to C, then A must be
related to C.
 Assimilation - The absorption of new ideas into an existing cognitive structure.
 Deductive Reasoning - Inference in which the conclusion cannot be false given that
the premises are true.
 Object Permanence - The understanding (typically developed during early infancy)
that an object still exists even when it disappears from sight or other senses
 PIAGET’S STAGES OF COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT

Jean Piaget
About Jean Piaget
(9 August 1896 – 16 September 1980)
The Swiss cognitive theorist Jean Piaget is one of
the most influential figures in the study of child
development. He developed his cognitive-developmental
theory based on the idea that children actively construct
knowledge as they explore and manipulate the world
around them. Piaget was interested in the development
of "thinking" and how it relates to development
throughout childhood. His theory of four stages of
cognitive development, first presented in the mid-20th
century, is one of the most famous and widely-accepted
theories in child cognitive development to this day.
4 Stages of Cognitive Development
by Jean Piaget
PIAGET’S STAGES OF COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT

Sensorimotor Stage
 It is characterized by the idea that infants "think" by
(Age 0-2 years old) manipulating the world around them. This is done by using all
five senses: seeing, hearing, touching, tasting, and smelling.
 Children figure out ways to elicit responses by "doing", such
as pulling a lever on a music box to hear a sound, placing a
block in a bucket and pulling it back out, or throwing an
object to see what happens.
 Between 5 and 8 months old, the child develops object
permanence, which is the understanding that even if
something is out of sight, it still exists (Bogartz, Shinskey, &
Schilling, 2000). For example, a child learns that even though
his mother leaves the room, she has not ceased to exist;
similarly, a ball does not disappear because a bucket is
placed over it.
PIAGET’S STAGES OF COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT

Sensorimotor Stage
 By the end of this stage, children are able to engage in what
(Age 0-2 years old) Piaget termed deferred imitation. This involves the ability to
reproduce or repeat a previously-witnessed action later on; rather
than copying it right away, the child is able to produce a mental
representation of it and repeat the behavior later on.

 By 24 months, infants are able to imitate behaviors after a delay

of up to three months.
PIAGET’S STAGES OF COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT

Preoperational Stage
 During this stage, children can use symbols to represent words,
(Age 2-7 years old) images, and ideas, which is why children in this stage engage in
pretend play. A child’s arms might become airplane wings as she
zooms around the room, or a child with a stick might become a
brave knight with a sword.

 Language development and make-believe play begin during this

stage. Logical thinking is still not present, so children cannot
rationalize or understand more complex ideas.

 Children at this stage are very egocentric, meaning they focus on

themselves and how actions will impact them, rather than others.
They are not able to take on the perspective of others, and they
think that everyone sees, thinks, and feels just like they do.
 PIAGET’S STAGES OF COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT

Concrete Operational Stage

 It is characterized by the idea that children's reasoning becomes focused
(Age 7-11 years old) and logical.

 Children demonstrate a logical understanding of conservation principles,

the ability to recognize that key properties of a substance do not change
even as their physical appearance may be altered. For example, a child
who understands the principles of conservation will recognize that
identical quantities of liquid will remain the same despite the size of the
container in which they are poured. Children who do not yet grasp
conservation and logical thinking will believe that the taller or larger
glass must contain more liquid.

 Children begin to organize objects by classes and subclasses, and they can
perform mathematical operations and understand transformations, such
as addition is the opposite of subtraction and multiplication is the
opposite of division. They still think in very linear ways and can only
conceptualize ideas that can be observed directly—they have not yet
mastered abstract thinking
 PIAGET’S STAGES OF COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT

Concrete Operational Stage

 By the end of this stage, children will develop true mental operations and
(Age 7-11 years old) master the concepts of reversibility, transitivity, and assimilation.
Reversibility is the idea that something can be changed back to its original
state after it has been altered (for example, pouring water back and forth
between two differently shaped glasses and still having the same amount
of water).

 Transitivity is the concept of relation—for example, if A is related to B and

B is related to C, then A must also be related to C.

 Finally, assimilation is the absorption of new ideas, information, or

experiences into a person's existing cognitive structure, or what they
already know or understand of the world.

 Piaget determined that in this stage, children are able to incorporate

inductive reasoning, which involves drawing inferences from observations
in order to make a generalization. In contrast, children struggle with
deductive reasoning, which involves using a generalized principle in order
to try to predict the outcome of an event.
 PIAGET’S STAGES OF COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT

Formal Operational Stage

 It is characterized by the idea that children develop the ability to
(Age 11/12 yrs. Old - Adulthood) think in abstract ways.

 This enables children to engage in the problem-solving method

of developing a hypothesis and reasoning their way to plausible
solutions. Children can think of abstract concepts and have the
ability to combine various ideas to create new ones.

 By the end of this stage, children have developed logical and

systematic thinking, are capable of deductive reasoning, and can
create hypothetical ideas to explain various concepts.
 PIAGET’S STAGES OF COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT

Beyond Formal Operational Thought

As with other major contributors of theories of development, several of Piaget’s
ideas have been challenged by later research. For example, several contemporary studies
support a model of 4 development that is more continuous than Piaget’s discrete stages
(Courage & Howe, 2002; Siegler, 2005, 2006). Many others suggest that children reach
cognitive milestones earlier than Piaget describes (Baillargeon, 2004; de Hevia & Spelke,
2010).
 PIAGET’S STAGES OF COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT

Postformal Thought (Proposed 5th

Stage by researchers)  In postformal thinking, decisions are made based on situations
and circumstances, and logic is integrated with emotion as adults
(Adulthood onward)
develop principles that depend on contexts. One way that we can
see the difference between an adult in postformal thought and
an adolescent in formal operations is in terms of how they
handle emotionally charged issues.

 It seems that once we reach adulthood, our problem-solving

abilities change: as we attempt to solve problems, we tend to
think more deeply about many areas of our lives, such as
relationships, work, and politics (Labouvie-Vief & Diehl, 1999).
Because of this, postformal thinkers are able to draw on past
experiences to help them solve new problems. Problem-solving
strategies using postformal thought vary depending on the
situation. Adults can recognize, for example, that what seems to
be an ideal solution to a disagreement with a coworker may not
be the best solution for a disagreement with a romantic partner.
 PIAGET’S STAGES OF COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT

KEY POINTS:
 Jean Piaget developed his cognitive-developmental theory based on the idea that children actively construct knowledge
as they explore and manipulate the world around them.
 The four stages of Piaget's theory of cognitive development correspond with the age of the child; they include the
sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational stages.
 The sensorimotor stage occurs from birth to age 2 and is characterized by the idea that infants "think" by manipulating
the world around them.
 The preoperational stage occurs from age 2 to age 7 and is characterized by the idea that children use symbols to
represent their discoveries.
 The concrete operational stage occurs from age 7 to age 11 and is characterized by the idea that children's reasoning
becomes focused and logical.
 The formal operational stage occurs from age 11 to adulthood and is characterized by the idea that children develop the
ability to think in abstract ways.
PRESENTED BY GROUP 2:

Zandro Oraño Rica Jane Marzan

King Joseph Cajucom Vina Rose Livioco
Angelene Lumasac