Piaget’s-Theory-of-Cognitive-Development

Piaget’sTheoryofCognitiveDevelopmentGeneralintroductionInfluentialIdeasStagesofCognitiveDevelopmentBasicProcessGeneralintroductionJeanPiaget,theSwisspsychologistdevelopmentalepistemology（认识论）thatfocusesonthegrowthofintelligencefrominfancytoadulthood.Piagetclaimedthatcognitivedevelopmentisatthecenterofthehumanorganism,andlanguageiscontingentonknowledgeandunderstandingacquiredthroughcognitivedevelopment.InfluentialideasIntelligence,likeabiologicalsystem,constructsthestructuresitneedstofunctionKnowledgeistheinteractionbetweentheindividualandtheenvironment.Thegrowthofintelligenceisinfluencedbyfourfactors:a.Physicalenvironmentb.socialenvironmentc.Maturationd.equilibrationⅠⅡⅢBasicprocess1Assimilationistheprocessofdealingwithanneweventinawaythatisconsistentwithaexistingscheme.SchemeisatermusedbyPiagettodescribethementalstructurethatgivesmodelforwhathappenswhenhe/shedoessomething2Accommodationistheprocessofdealingwithnewinformationoreventsbyeithermodifyinganexistingschemeorforminganewone.3.EquilibrationBasicprocessistheprocessofcombiningexistingschemesintonewandmorecomplexschemesthenreachabalanceExample:ababywhohasneverseenanythingflybutbirdsthinksthatallflyingobjectsarebirds.AssimilationThen,onedaythebabysawanairplaneflying,hecalleditabird.AccommodationThen,hisparentstoldhimthisflyingobjecthasnofeather,andtoldhimit’sanairplane.Childexperiencesconflictuponrealizingthatthenewbirdandasksfortheproperterm.EquilibrationAtlast,heknowsthatbirdsandairplanesarebothflyingobjects,andknowtheirdifferences.CognitivedevelopmentSensorimotorPeriod(Birth-age2)PreoperationalPeriod(age2-age7)ConcreteOperations(age7-12)FormalOperations(adolescent-adult)SensorimotorStage(birthto2years)The6developmentalstagesofProblem-Solvingabilities.1.Reflexactivity(0-1mon.)exercisingandaccommodationofinbornreflexes.(suckingofobjectsinthemouth,followingmovingorinterestingobjectswiththeeyes,andclosingofthehandwhenanobjectmakescontactwiththepalm)2.Primarycircularreactions(1-4mon.)repeatingactscenteredonone’sownbody.3.Secondarycircularreactions(4-8mon.)repeatingactstowardexternalobjects.SensorimotorStage(birthto2years)The6developmentalstagesofProblem-Solvingabilities.4.Coordinationofsecondaryschemes(8-12mon.)combingactstosolvesimpleproblems.5.Tertiarycircularreactions(12-18mon.)experimentingtofindnewwaystosolveproblems.6.Symbolicproblemsolving(18-24mon.)innerexperimentationwithoutrelyingontrial-and-errorexperimentation.SensorimotorStage(birthtoage2)DevelopmentofimitationDeferredimitation(18-24mon.):theabilitytoreproducethebehaviorofanabsentmodel.Developmentofobjectpermanence(8-12mon.)istheideathatobjectscontinuetoexistwhentheyarenolongervisibleordetectablethroughtheothersenses.PreoperationalPreiod(age2-age7)Symbolicfunctionsubstage(age2-age4):characterizedbytheappearanceofprimitiveideas,concepts,andmethodsofreasoning;markedbythesymbolicfunctionandplay.Symbolicfunction:abilitytousesymbolstorepresentobjectsorexperiences.Symbolicplay:whenchildrendevelopimaginaryfriendsorrole-playwithfriends.PreoperationalPeriod(age2-age7)Deficits:Animism(泛灵论）:attributinglifelikequalitiestoinanimateobjects.“thestarstwinklebecausetheyarehappy”.Egocentrism:inabilitytodistinguishbetweenone’sownperspectiveandsomeoneelse’sperspective.“Ilikeorange,soDaddylikesorangetoo.”Appearance/realitydistinction-inabilitytodistinguishdeceptiveappearancesfromreality.PreoperationalPreiod(age2-age7)TheIntuitivethoughtSubstage(age4-age7):thechild’sthinkingaboutobjectsandeventsisdominatedbysalientperceptualfeatures.Centration-theactoffocusingallattentionononecharacteristicordimensionofasituation,whiledisregardingallothers.Conservation-recognitionthatthepropertiesofanobjectorsubstancesdonotchangewhenitsappearanceisalteredinsomesuperficialway.Irreversibility-childrenareunabletomentallyreverseasequenceofevents.PreoperationalPreiod(age2-age7)ConcreteOperations(age7-age11)Childrenthinkmorelogicallyaboutrealobjectsandexperiences.conservationTwoimportantprocesses:Logic:abletoincorporateinductivethinking(specificgeneral)strugglewithdeductivethinking(generalspecific)Eliminationofegocentrism:abilitytoviewthingsfromanotherindividual’sperspective.FormalOperationsAbilitytoreasonlogicallyabouthypotheticalprocessandeventsthatmayhavenobasisinrealityHypothetical-Deductivereasoning:hypothetical“what-if“situationsthatarenotalwaysrootedinreality.i.e.counterfactualthinking.abstractthoughtmetacognition:“thinkingaboutthinking”.problem-solving:systematicallysolveaprobleminalogicalandmethomedicalway.