Piaget's Cognitive Development Stage

Piaget's theory of cognitive development is a comprehensive theory about the nature and development of human intelligence first developed by Jean Piaget. It is primarily known as a developmental stage theory, but in fact, it deals with the nature of knowledge itself and how humans come gradually to acquire it, construct it, and use it. Moreover, Piaget claims the idea that cognitive development is at the centre of human organism and language is contingent on cognitive development.

Stage Characterised by:

• Sensori-motor  (Birth-2 yrs) 

Differentiates self from objects 

Recognises self as agent of action and begins to act intentionally: 

e.g. pulls a string to set mobile in motion or shakes a rattle to make a noise 

Achieves object permanence: realises that things continue to exist even when no longer present to the sense (pace Bishop Berkeley) 

• Pre-operational  (2-7 years) 

Learns to use language and to represent objects by images and words 

Thinking is still egocentric: has difficulty taking the viewpoint of others 

Classifies objects by a single feature:

e.g. groups together all the red blocks regardless of shape or all the square blocks regardless of colour 

• Concrete operational  (7-11 years) 

Can think logically about objects and events 

Achieves conservation of number (age 6), mass (age 7), and weight (age 9) 

Classifies objects according to several features and can order them in series along a single dimension such as size. 

• Formal operational  (11 years and up) 

Can think logically about abstract propositions and test hypotheses systemtically 

Becomes concerned with the hypothetical, the future, and ideological problems