Piagets stages of cognitive development
Sensorimotor Stage: 0-2 years
Preoperational Stage: 2-7 years
Concrete Operational Stage: 7-12 years
Formal Operational Stage: 12+ years
Piaget believed that development was fueled…
From within
Vygotsky believed development relied on…
External factors such as culture and peers
Piagets theory stated people change…
In how they think as they age, not just how much they know
Zone of Proximal Development definition
A child may learn on their own, but will learn quicker when guided by someone more experienced.
Vygotsky’s 3 types of languages
Social speech (others)
Private speech (self)
Inner speech (self reflection)
Common Cognitive Development Barriers
Short attention span; difficulty adapting; difficulty remembering instructions; difficulty with abstract concepts; difficulty planning/time management skills; difficulty completing tasks on time; need for explicit repetition of instructions
1 Type of Intelligence (for all)
General Intelligence
3 Intelligences
- Analytical
- Creative
- Practical
Bonus: Emotional Intelligence
Fluid Intelligence
Quick and abstract reasoning (decreases with age)
Crystallized Intelligence
Accumulated knowledge (grows with age)
Define Schema
a script of innate (instinctive) actions, or, a basic world view
Define Equillibration
when our existing schemas can make sense of the world around us
Define Assimilation
taking in new facts, adding to existing schema. Overall beliefs do not change as a result.
Define Accomodation
when new facts require the schema to change. Ex., seeing a plane and realizing its not a feathered bird.
Piaget’s Sensorimotor Stage
0-2 years; Key characteristic: Infants learn about the world through their sensory experiences and motor actions.
Key achievement: Developing object permanence, which is the understanding that objects still exist even when they cannot be seen.
Piaget’s Preoperational Stage
2-7 years: Key characteristic: Children begin to use symbolic thought, including language and images, and engage in imaginative play.
Key limitation: Their thinking is not yet logical, and they are often egocentric (believing others see, feel, and think the same way they do).
Piaget’s Concrete Operational Stage
7-11 years: Key characteristic: Thinking becomes more logical and organized, but is still limited to concrete concepts.
Key achievement: Understanding concepts like conservation (the idea that a quantity remains the same despite changes in appearance) and reversibility (the ability to mentally reverse a process).
Piaget’s Formal Operational Stage
12 and up; Key characteristic: Individuals develop the ability to think in abstract terms and engage in hypothetical reasoning.
Key achievement: The capacity for scientific reasoning, problem-solving, and considering abstract concepts like justice and morality.
