Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development - Essay Example

Developmental psychology deals with the changes in behavior during the lifetime. According to Piaget, human development occurs gradually through a series of ordered sequential stages. Piaget believed that growth of knowledge is a progressive construction of logically embedded structures. The developing child builds cognitive structures or mental maps for understanding and responding to the physical environment. Based upon his observations, he concluded that children are no less intelligent than adults, they simply think differently. Piaget’s theory of cognitive development identifies four developmental stages and the processes by which children progress through them. While the four periods are in the same order, the pace varies for each individual. I would like to share my own development as a baby until I was twenty years of age, in relation to Piaget’s cognitive theory. The sensory-motor stage as described by Piaget lasts for two years from birth. According to Piaget’s theory, actions during this stage come naturally through internal reflexes. Crying is the means of communication, till the infant learns to talk or move. I used to cry to draw attention when I was neglected. Certain actions like sucking the thumb start accidentally initially, but later these actions are intentionally repeated as the infant derives pleasure in doing so, says Piaget. Gradually reflexive actions start taking place. There are also intentional actions, in Piaget’s words, like deriving pleasure in throwing things around. Holding the bottle expresses the ability to manipulate objects during this stage. The child also starts developing meaning for symbols (Wankat & Oreovicz, n.d.). Cognitive development starts at this stage. Hands, eyes, mouth - all move into action at once. I learnt to grasp small objects; I would tighten the fist, hold on to an object and weep if it was forcibly taken away. Piaget clarifies that this is the stage when sensory motor skills are developed and the groundwork is laid for the development of mental operations. The pre-operational thought stage, or the toddler and early childhood stage lasts up to seven years. Memory and imagination develop, and intelligence is demonstrated through the use of symbols and mature language. Piaget believes that it takes many experiences for a child to fully understand and conceive a concept. As a child, I observed that most balls are round and bounce but when my ball, even though round, did not bounce back from the floor, I concluded that all balls do not bounce back. Piaget believes that development change occurs slowly and it takes many experiences for a child to accept a new concept. Pleasurable experiences are repeated. As I learnt to talk, I started asking questions and would continue to do so until I was satisfied. I learnt to separate objects of one kind into different groups, which means I could associate objects with similar characteristics. We learnt to arrange objects in a series but only later did I realize the significance. During this stage I also started working with numbers but still the judgment was based on length rather than the quantity by number. Language at this stage does not carry much significance. When I used to ride the tricycle and was asked to slow down, it made no sense to me at all till I went and hit against the wall. This implies understanding and reasoning has to be based on concrete experience. I was once asked to drop a letter in the mailbox. I was scared my hands would get stuck inside or get caught in the flap, till I saw someone hold the cover with one hand and drop the letter from the other. Learning came through perceptions. I was unable to think beyond. At the same time, there was a tendency to resist and follow instructions. This, according to Piaget, is egocentrism - which is the inability to take on another’s point of view. During this period, I was able to explain what exactly I wanted, which Piaget says, is the ability to go beyond direct experience and have the ability to manipulate the mind. There is a difference in the mental abilities from the beginning of this stage to the end of the stage. Between 7 and 11 years the reasoning abilities become more developed, according to Piaget. This is the third stage known as the concrete operations stage. By this time accumulated experiences are conceptualized. Logical thinking starts at this age about concrete events but children have difficulty with abstract or hypothetical events. We learnt arithmetic with hypothetical figures and could solve the problems. I could add, subtract, divide and multiply. I could even do simple calculations mentally. As I grew up, I realized that others think differently and started accepting their view points. My mother was my ideal during this stage and I remember blindly believing whatever she said. I started learning backwards and assimilating information. I could understand what comes after ten and what comes before. I used to find it difficult to wake up early for school if I watched a late-night television program. One evening I went to bed early and woke up fresh the next day. I could immediately associate that I need to go to bed early if it is necessary to rise early the next morning. I could conserve and retain information; I could understand and accept science and the reasoning behind it. As I was piling books one on top of another one day, I found after a certain level, the stack of books was slightly imbalanced. I did not stop and continued to pile more books until the stack came tumbling down. I could understand the logical reason that excess weight was the cause. An object has to be strong at the base to be able to sustain the weight. In the formal operations stage, which is up to 21 years according to Piaget, new cognitive abilities develop. Gradually I became very creative. I would love to play with colors. Piaget says as cognitive abilities develop, it is possible to imagine what others think. I learnt to reflect on various incidents and events (Russell, n.d.). I could draw conclusions and decide on actions. By the time I was about 15 years old, I could plan my own time schedule. This, explains Piaget, is a step towards independence which starts in early teens. As I started thinking and indulged in logical reasoning, as exposure increased, I realized that people in authority can make errors. I learnt to step outside of a predetermined relationship system. As I started to learn physics and chemistry, I realized it was much easier to retain if I understood the concept rather than learning by rote. I realized that if I tried to memorize a concept or a theory without first understanding it, I was unable to apply it on a different problem. Once I understood the concept, I could think ahead and plan the solution. I learnt from mistakes and I could ascertain if something was missing from a problem that was given to us. I could interpret functional relationships in mathematical form. For instance, I could reason that the rate of diffusion of a molecule is inversely proportional to the square root of its molecular weight. I developed the ability for co-relational reasoning. An existing mental structure could not easily be replaced by some new information. We cannot change our opinion of a person for whom we have profound respect and reverence, based on hearsay. I learnt to analyze and interpret information as much as I learnt to rely on my own learning. I could assimilate new information with the existing mental structure. I started analyzing my own thoughts and reasoning my own actions. This gave me an insight into the person I was. I learnt to handle stress. I came across many turbulent times during the late teens but did not allow the negative experiences to disturb my equilibrium. I learnt to discriminate between right and wrong, which is theoretical reasoning. I became accommodative by nature. As a child or even in the early teens, I often used to throw tantrums at not getting the food I loved. By the time I was in late teens I accepted this as something natural. I realized that I was growing and developing mentally. I learnt to accept situations and people as they are and not insist on how I wished them to be. Piaget’s theory states that cognitive performance in children is directly associated with the cognitive development stage they are in. Learning necessarily takes place through interaction between the child and the object or the environment. Piaget believes that development change occurs slowly and it takes many experiences for a child to accept a new concept. My development up to twenty one years confirms the gradual changes that occur in a child. It also confirms that it is not possible to master the task of the next stage before completing the previous stage. Through successive stages of intellectual development, one can have a greater understanding of not only the world but of oneself too. There are qualitative differences in the ways humans think from birth to adulthood. Cognitive development takes place at every stage and learning enhances. References: Russell, B. (n.d.), Experience-Based Learning Theories, Retrieved Nov 21, 2006, from http://www.informallearning.com/archive/1999-0304-a.htm Wankat & Oreovicz, (n.d.), Teaching Engineering, Models of Cognitive Development, Piaget and Perry, Ch 14, Retrieved Nov 21, 2006, from https://engineering.purdue.edu/ChE/News_and_Events/Publications/teaching_en gineering/chapter14.pdf Read More