Piaget’s theory of Cognitive Development

1)What it is?

According to Jean Piaget’s theory of cognitive development, children’s intellect evolves through time. A kid’s cognitive growth entails more than just collecting information; the youngster must also create or develop a mental picture of the world. Children go through a variety of stages as their cognitive development is influenced by their intrinsic abilities and contextual experiences.

These stages are the, sensorimotor stage: ages birth to two years, preoperational stage: ages two to seven years, concrete operational stage: ages seven to eleven years, and formal operational stage: ages twelve and up. The stages are sequential and follow the same invariant (unchanging) order across cultures. Every child goes through the same developmental stages in the same order (but not all at the same rate).

2) Sensorimotor Stage:

In Piaget’s theory of cognitive development, the sensorimotor stage is the first of four phases. It lasts from birth to about two years and is a time of rapid cognitive development. Infants develop a sense of the world at this time by coordinating sensory experiences (seeing, hearing) with motor activities (reaching, touching). The awareness that objects exist and events occur in the world independently of one’s own actions (‘the object concept,’ or ‘object permanence’) is the main development throughout the sensorimotor period.

If you put a toy under a blanket, for example, a child who has developed object permanence will know it is there and will actively seek it out. The child acts as if the toy has just vanished at the start of this stage. The transition to the next stage of development is usually signalled by the establishment of object retention (preoperational).

3) Preparation Stage:

In Piaget’s theory of cognitive development, the preoperational stage is the second stage. This stage starts at the age of two and lasts until about the age of seven. Children think in symbols throughout this time, although they are not yet performing cognitive procedures.

During this stage, the child’s thinking is pre (before) operations. This implies that the child is unable to reason, transform, integrate, or separate ideas (Piaget, 1951, 1952). The child’s growth consists of adapting to new experiences in the world and moving toward the (concrete) stage when it can think logically. Children can mentally represent events and objects (the semiotic function) and engage in symbolic play at the end of this period.

4) Concrete Operational Stage:

In Piaget’s theory of cognitive development, the concrete operational stage is the third stage. This phase, which lasts between the ages of seven and eleven, is marked by the development of structured and reasoned thinking. Because it marks the beginning of logical or operational reasoning, Piaget believed the concrete stage to be a crucial turning point in a child’s cognitive development. The child has reached the age where logical thought or procedures (i.e. rules) can be applied, but only to tangible objects (hence concrete operational).

The skills of conservation (number, area, volume, orientation), reversibility, seriation, transitivity, and class inclusion are developed in children. Children, on the other hand, can answer issues in a logical manner but are unable to think abstractly or theoretically.

5) Formal Operational Stage:

The formal operational stage starts around the age of twelve and continues until adulthood. As teenagers go through this stage, they learn to think abstractly by manipulating concepts in their heads rather than relying on concrete manipulation (Inhelder & Piaget, 1958). He or she is capable of performing mathematical calculations, thinking imaginatively, reasoning abstractly, and imagining the outcomes of specific actions.

The response to the question “If Kelly is taller than Ali and Ali is taller than Jo, who is tallest?” is an example of the distinction between concrete and formal operational stages. This is an example of inferential reasoning, which is the ability of a child to think about things he or she hasn’t actually experienced and make inferences from their thoughts. Children who must draw a picture or utilise items are still in the concrete operational stage, but children who can reason out the solution in their heads are in the formal operational stage.

6) Its Relevance Today:

Jean Piaget’s concept of cognitive development in children continues to influence how we think even today. His hypothesis is widely employed in school systems around the world and in the building of children’s curriculums. His notion gave rise to the concept of ages as phases in the development of children. This concept is utilised to forecast a child’s ability to understand what they can and can’t understand based on their developmental stage. The concept that children “construct” their own knowledge and learn via experience was Piaget’s major contribution to child psychology. Educators apply Piaget’s findings to their curriculums and activities in order to create an atmosphere in which children can “learn through experience.