This shows you the differences between two versions of the page.
Both sides previous revision Previous revision Next revision | Previous revision Next revision Both sides next revision | ||
learning_theories:stage_theory_of_cognitive_development [2011/04/11 13:59] jpetrovic [Criticism] |
learning_theories:stage_theory_of_cognitive_development [2011/04/12 09:56] jpetrovic [What is stage theory of cognitive development?] |
||
---|---|---|---|
Line 11: | Line 11: | ||
In 1947((Piaget, J. The Psychology of Intelligence. 1947.)) Piaget has first introduced his **four stages** of human cognitive development: sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete, and formal, as they are described below. Ages describing when which stage occurs are the average values. | In 1947((Piaget, J. The Psychology of Intelligence. 1947.)) Piaget has first introduced his **four stages** of human cognitive development: sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete, and formal, as they are described below. Ages describing when which stage occurs are the average values. | ||
- | * **Sensorimotor period** (birth to 2 years): In this stage cognitive system of an infant is limited to **motor reflexes**, but also some more complex procedures built on those reflexes. Infant interacts with the environment, **learns to understand the world** and is acquiring the capacity for internalized thinking. Learning takes place through **absorbing into the existing schema** and accommodating when schema change is required. | + | * **Sensorimotor period** (birth to 2 years): In this stage cognitive system of an infant is limited to **motor reflexes**, but also some more complex procedures built on those reflexes. Infant interacts with the environment, **learns to understand the world** and is acquiring the capacity for internalized thinking. Learning takes place through **absorbing into the existing schema** and accommodating when schema change is required.((Piaget also uses concepts of schema and schemata, later expanded by Anderson. See: [[learning_theories:Schema theory]])) |
* **Preoperational period** (2 to 7 years): Children now **develop language** and **mental imagery skills**, but still cannot conceptualize abstractly and don't have sense of time. Intelligence becomes less egocentric and more socialized. A child can now think about events and things that aren't present in the moment of speaking. He can **see the world** only from **his perspective** and assumes other do so as well. Teaching a child in this stage must take into account his not fully understand concepts of time phenomenon. | * **Preoperational period** (2 to 7 years): Children now **develop language** and **mental imagery skills**, but still cannot conceptualize abstractly and don't have sense of time. Intelligence becomes less egocentric and more socialized. A child can now think about events and things that aren't present in the moment of speaking. He can **see the world** only from **his perspective** and assumes other do so as well. Teaching a child in this stage must take into account his not fully understand concepts of time phenomenon. | ||
* **Concrete-operational period** (7 to 11 years): Children in this stage of development are able to analyze more perspectives simultaneously. Much of learning if performed through assimilation. Although they can **understand concrete problems** and develop reasoning skills, according to Piaget they still **cannot analyze abstract problems** and all of their logical consequences. | * **Concrete-operational period** (7 to 11 years): Children in this stage of development are able to analyze more perspectives simultaneously. Much of learning if performed through assimilation. Although they can **understand concrete problems** and develop reasoning skills, according to Piaget they still **cannot analyze abstract problems** and all of their logical consequences. | ||
Line 17: | Line 17: | ||
- | ((Piaget also uses concepts of schema and schemata, later expanded by Anderson. See: [[learning_theories:Schema theory]])) | + | |
Line 41: | Line 41: | ||
===== Criticism ===== | ===== Criticism ===== | ||
- | One of the criticisms of Piaget's theory lies on the fact that nor him or coworkers didn't leave an instrument for diagnosing child's current stage of cognitive development. | + | A common criticism of Piaget's theory lies on the fact that nor him or coworkers didn't leave an instrument for diagnosing child's current stage of cognitive development. Still, as a border between preoperational period and operational period Piaget suggested **conservation experiments**. For example, two equal glasses filled with liquid are presented to a child, after which liquid out of one glass is poured into a third, more narrow glass. The child is then asked which glass holds more liquid. Only a child in the concrete- or formal-operational period should realize both glasses hold equal amount of liquid. According to Piaget's theory, these stage differences cannot be overcome using any kind of training. |
- | + | ||
- | Still, as a border between preoperational period and operational period Piaget suggested conservation experiments. For example, two equal glasses filled with liquid are presented to a child, after which liquid out of one glass is poured into a third, more narrow glass. The child is then asked which glass holds more liquid. Only a child in the operational period should realize both glasses hold equal amount of liquid. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | Various criticisms of Piaget's work include: | + | |
- | + | ||
- | * **Oversimplification of stages**/**underestimating abilities of children** - it has been shown that in some cases children can learn some concepts even before reaching a particular stage. Piaget's stages are therefore **not as distinct** as he assumed. | + | |
- | * **Unscientific method** - Piaget based his conclusions on observations of a rather small number of children who do **not** necessarily form **a statistically representative sample**. | + | |
- | + | ||
- | It is often considered that Piaget's **experiments weren't designed carefully enough** to exclude other explanations, that he offered to **little evidence** for his theory and that he didn't address important questions like **social and motivational influences** on cognitive development. | + | |
+ | But a number of experiments((For details see: [[http://www.scribd.com/doc/41760294/Educational-Psychology-a-Century-of-Contributions|Zimmerman, Barry J., and Dale H. Schunk. Educational psychology: a century of contributions. Routledge, 2003.]])) have proved the opposite. The child's **ability to learn** (at least for conservation concepts) **is not so strictly defined by his current stage of cognitive development** in accordance with Piaget's theory. | ||
+ | As the result criticisms of Piaget usually emphasized that, | ||
+ | * his development stages were often considered to be **oversimplified** or **underestimating abilities of children** | ||
+ | * his **experiments** are considered **not to be designed carefully enough** to exclude other explanations, | ||
+ | * he offered to **little evidence** for his theory, and that | ||
+ | * he didn't address important questions like **social and motivational influences** on cognitive development. | ||
===== Keywords and most important names ===== | ===== Keywords and most important names ===== | ||
Line 61: | Line 57: | ||
* [[http://www.piaget.org/aboutPiaget.html|Jean Piaget]] | * [[http://www.piaget.org/aboutPiaget.html|Jean Piaget]] | ||
===== Bibliography ===== | ===== Bibliography ===== | ||
+ | |||
+ | [[http://www.scribd.com/doc/41760294/Educational-Psychology-a-Century-of-Contributions|Zimmerman, Barry J., and Dale H. Schunk. Educational psychology: a century of contributions. Routledge, 2003.]] | ||
[[http://penta.ufrgs.br/edu/telelab/3/piaget%27s.htm|Redes de Computadores e suas aplicações na Educação - Piaget's Stage Theory of Development.]] Retrieved March 21, 2011. | [[http://penta.ufrgs.br/edu/telelab/3/piaget%27s.htm|Redes de Computadores e suas aplicações na Educação - Piaget's Stage Theory of Development.]] Retrieved March 21, 2011. |