RUNNING HEAD: Cognitive Development through Theories !

Cognitive, Social and Moral Development

Mary Morgan

National University

ITL606

Professor Alan Reitman

April 14, 2018

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Abstract

It is certain that development psychology considers the way humans grow and change

over time. Generally, cognition and development consider they way we develop, such as our

ability to think, our sense of self-identity and our self morality. We will consider the influential

theory of Piaget, cultured theory of Vygotsky and the proposed theory of moral development by

Kohlberg. We will view the three theories through social cognition. We will identify how humans

learn their sense of self-identity, how humans learn to understand their views of others and how

humans consider these developments. The general orientations of cognitive developments are

similar in all age groups, however the vast majority involve children. We will consider the

relationship between childrens’ cognitive development and schooling. Specifically Piaget’s

theory which allows us to review the development and stages through reality.
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I. Compare and Contrast: Piaget’s Cognitive Development Theory, Vygotsky’s Development

Theory and Kohlberg’s Moral Development Theory

Piaget’s Cognitive Theory

There are three main types of cognitive development. There is Piaget’s theory, Vygotsky’s

theory and Kohlberg’s theory. There are many differences between these three theories, but there

are also many similarities too. Piaget suggests that cognitive development takes place as a result

of experiences which in turn leads to creating different stages. Vygotsky presents the importance

of social context in transforming to a higher mental function and understanding how this

transformation takes place. Kohlberg suggests that moral judgement develops through different

stages which implies that moral changes help individuals through each stage.

Jean Piaget’s most significant achievements was his research in developmental

psychology and the theory in cognitive development. Piaget’s proposed a stage theory of

development, which linked interaction between cognitive and biological development in

children. There are four stages presented in this theory. The first stage is the sensorimotor stage

where children ages 0-2 are considered explorers. In this stage children are relishing in their

sensory experience improving their ability to move around and take in new experiences.

“According to Piaget, adaption is the process of adjusting schemes in response to the

environment by means of assimilation and accommodation” (Slavin, 2018, p. 25). For example,

during this stage, if children come across information they are not familiar with,, they use

schemas to accommodate and assimilate the information into new ideas that they are able to

understand. The key achievement of this stage is object permeance. This allows children to

become aware and develop a way of thinking that actively explores the world around them.
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The second stage is the pre-operational stage which occurs during the ages of 2-7 years.

During this stage, children have the greater ability to think about things and use symbols to

mentally represent objects. (Slavin, 2018, p. 27). Piaget discovered that young children lack an

understanding of conservation that a certain aspect of a visual display does not vary in spite of

perceptual changes. Piaget also identified that pre operational children’s thinking is greatly

influenced by egocentrism. “Children at this stage believe that everyone sees the world exactly

as they do” (Slavin, 2018, p. 28). The key point of this stage is that children are unable to take

the perspective of others because they are unable to escape the egocentric perspective.

The third stage is the concrete operational stage and occurs between the ages of 7-11

years. Thinking becomes more logical, however this thinking is only applied to objects that are

real. The most important cognitive operation is reversibility which involves cancelling out effects

of a perceptual change by imagining the opposite change. One key task that can be performed in

this stage is the skill of transitivity. Slavin (2018) found that this is the ability to infer a

relationship between two objects on the basis of knowledge of their respective relationships with

a third object (p.29). Children in this stage are moving from egocentric thought to decentered or

objective thought. This allows children to see that others have different perspectives.

The last and final stage is the formal operational stage where children ages 11 to

adulthood think logically about potential events or abstract ideas. In this stage, thinking goes

beyond limitations, therefore one is able to expand on their perceptions. Piagets theory integrates

a diverse spectrum revolving around childrens’ understanding and use of knowledge.

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Vygotsky’s Development Theory

Vygotsky’s theory is based on the assumption that culture plays a major role in cognitive

development. “Development occurs as the child internalizes these signs so as to be able to think

and solve problems without the help of others, an ability called self-regulation” (Slavin, 2018, p.

33). Each period in child development is associated with a leading activity in a given period.

Vygotsky believed that learning takes place most effectively when children are working within

their zone of proximal development (ZPD). The ZPD describes tasks that a child has not yet

learned but is entirely capable of learning at any given time.

Vygotsky often referred to his theory as the ‘higher mental processes’ and associated the

development with the involvement of cultural aspects to shape human cognition. Through these

complex skills, mediation with adults and higher performing peers allowed the learners to obtain

psychological tools. Once these tools and concepts become internalized by the child, they will

become part of the child’s cognitive repertoire. Vygotsky presented the importance of the social

context in which learning the evolution of cognitive skills influence children’s development.

Kohlberg’s Moral Development Theory

Kohlberg wanted to understand how one develops a sense of right or wrong. Through this

theory, Kohlberg observed that moral growth and development precedes through stages. He

believes that moral growth begins at the beginning of life and last throughout ones lifespan. He

also believes that people proceed through each stage of moral development consecutively. The

stages of punishment and obedience, instruments relativist orientation, good boy-good girl

orientation, social contract orientation and universal ethical principles are included in the three

levels of pre-conventional, conventional and post conventional development.

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During the pre-conventional level, behavior is motivated by the anticipation of

punishment or obedience. This means the child is aware of cultural rules and labels good or bad,

right or wrong. Through this level of development, he child has self interest in terms of physical

consequence. The conventional level is where children learn about rules and authority. They

learn that there are certain conventions that govern how they should and should not behave. At

the post conventional level children have learned that there is a difference between what is right

and what is wrong from a moral standpoint. Kohlberg’s stages of moral development are simply

recognition of the distinction between good and evil or right and wrong to produce good results.

In conclusion, Piaget and Vygotsky provide a highly influential theory which impact the

way children are taught. Piaget saw cognitive development from a biological perspective and

believed that intelligence roots from human ability to adapt. On the other hand, Vygotsky’s

theory of cognitive development in which children internalize information about the world

around them. For Vygotsky, social interaction is the major element of development. In addition,

consider Piaget’s theory as moral development. This would imply that children base their moral

judgment on consequences rather than intentions. Kohlberg’s theory of moral development offers

a more sophisticated understanding however, this theory roots from socialization.

II. Piaget’s Theory: Evaluation

During cognitive development, children are explorers that create theories, experiment,

and adapt to the world around them. By the time children become adults, they are able to utilize

the skills they learned and put into affect everything that was learned throughout their years. I

believe Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development is a perfect theory. This theory is a model for

understanding the intricate steps of mental development.

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I believe self development is a very important aspect of a child’s life. I enjoyed learning

about Piaget’s theory of cognitive development which focuses on four stages of children

development. Implementation of cognitive development is very effective as it will be helpful

towards children themselves.

III. Example & Explanation

Every experience and interaction has a huge affect on child development, specifically in

early childhood. In the classroom environment, it is apparent that every interaction establishes a

cognitive structure in children. I have observed Piaget’s theories in many different ways in the

classroom. During one of my classroom observations, I was able to apply what I observed into

the theory I learned. Throughout my observation, I was able to observe instruction, classroom

behavior, student behavior, etc. During math instruction, the educator provided the students with

a short, but clear guide. It was evident that props were being used during lesson and instruction.

For example, children used shapes as part of their math lesson to accomplish addition,

subtraction and multiplication. Throughout the day, this specific educator included various hand-

on activities with reading and writing. For example, the students each have their own laptop,

which allows them to complete any online activities. The teacher had the students get their

laptops out to complete a reading assignment that included the children presenting their own

perspective using various tools. This encouraged students to embrace their different meanings of

the same concept. This observation relates to Piaget’s theory by noticing that these children are

actively exploring and adapting to the world around them. These stages of development in this

theory apply to this observation in the idea that children learn best through doing and active
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exploring. In addition, assimilation and accommodation require an active learner. Within the

classroom learning was student entered and accomplished though active discovery.
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Resources:

Slavin R. (2018). Educational Psychology: Theory & Practice. Boston MA: Pearson Publication