Develop self-centric theories about their environment, and about objects or persons in that environment, and they grow

The sophistication of a child's cognitive structures increased as the child grew and developed, as did the child's "schemas"

Piagets Cognitive Theory

(Central thesis)

interacting with persons and objects in their environment

The child used "schemas" to master and gain information about the environment

1.Sensorimotor -Dominated by sensory and motor activity -From reflexes, primary to tertiary circular reactions and internal representation

2.Pre-operational -The preconceptual period (increase in language development and imaginative play) -The intuitive period (Development of mental ordering and classification

3.Concrete operational -Development of strategies and rules for interpreting and investigating the childs world

Piagets Cognitive theory (Stages of child development)

4.Formal operational -Use of hypothetical deductive reasoning and systematic problem solving

Culture -Children learn through interactions and cooperation with others and the environment -Develops through symbolic representations (art, language, play, songs)

Language -A cultural tool -Necessary for an individual to orgnize their thoughts

Vygotskys sociocultural theory

The zone of proximal development -Each child was capable of further development if supported and guided by experienced others

Stage 4 Stage3
Potential Concept Stage systematic but Stage2 tendency to focus Complex Stage on only one some strategies quality at a time used but not successful Mature Concept systematic and successful; concepts formed

Stage1

Vague Syncretic Stage children failed to use any strategies and show little understanding of the concepts

VYGOTSKYS STAGE MODEL OF CONCEPT FORMATION

The development in language is a rapid learning process that begins at birth.

Chomsky furthered his theory by proposing the existence of the language acquisition device, a brain mechanism that is specialized in detecting and learning the rules of language.

Chomskys Nativist Theory

Chomsky proposed that learning language was assisted by nature and that humans are born prepared to learn language.

Language is innate, something that humans were born to do by nature's design