Piaget’s Cognitive

Development Theory
Brian Dixon
EDU 202
Roster #3
Jean Piaget

 Jean Piaget was born on August 9th, 1896.

 He was a Swiss psychologist.
 Piaget came up with the idea that a child’s
intelligence developed as a process over
time.
 This process included 4 stages of
development occurring during specific ages
of the child.
 Before Piaget’s theory it was widely believed
that children were simply less competent
thinkers than adults were.
 Piaget believed that children thought in a
much different way than adults do.
Sensorimotor

 The Sensorimotor stage is the very first stage. It occurs between the ages of
0-2 years.
 Piaget explains that infant children understand the world via their motor
senses (sight, sound, touch, taste and smell)
 They understand that they are different from an inanimate object.
 They start learning and understanding object permanence.
 They learn through experience.
Here is a video to help understand the
Sensorimotor Stage
Preoperational

 The next stage is the Preoperational stage that occurs from 2 years to 7
years.
 You start to see the emergence of language.
 Children will begin to use words and pictures and symbols to represent
objects.
 They begin to think about themselves more and become egocentric.
 They will hardly ever understand that things can look different from a point
of view that isn’t their own.
 Children at this stage will not comprehend conservation or reversibility.
Here is a video to help you understand
the Preoperational stage
Concrete Operational

 The third stage is called the Concrete Operational stage.

 This stage lasts from about 7 years old to 11 years old.
 Piaget considered this stage a turning point in a child’s cognitive development
due to the beginning of the development of logical thought.
 They begin understanding the ideas of conservation and reversibility.
 Children also begin to observe things from other people’s viewpoints.
 Although children begin to think logically, they usually are not able to think
abstractly yet.
Here is a video to help you understand
the Concrete Operational stage
Formal Operational

 The Formal Operational stage is the final stage of Piaget’s theory.

 This stage begins at age 12.
 This is where abstract thought emerges along with hypothetical thinking.
 Children begin thinking about the consequences of their actions.
 They begin coming up with logical solutions to their problems
Here is a video to help you understand
the Formal Operational stage
Common Criticisms

 No two people are alike. Some people may develop slower or faster than this
timeline laid out by Piaget.
 Piaget doesn’t take external factors into consideration.
 The tone of person conducting conservation experiments may lead the child
to an incorrect answer.
 Some adults never reach abstract thinking that is supposed to appear during
the Formal Operational stage.
Works Cited

 Cherry, K. (2019, June 24). Formal Operational Stage of Cognitive Development. Retrieved November 07, 2020, from
https://www.verywellmind.com/formal-operational-stage-of-cognitive-development-2795459
 Jean Piaget. (2020, September 16). Retrieved November 07, 2020, from
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jean-Piaget
 Lush, D. (n.d.). Retrieved November 07, 2020, from
https://www.massey.ac.nz/~wwpapajl/evolution/assign2/DL/criticism.html
 Mcleod, S. (n.d.). Concrete Operational Stage. Retrieved November 07, 2020, from
https://www.simplypsychology.org/concrete-operational.html
 Mcleod, S. (n.d.). Jean Piaget's Theory and Stages of Cognitive Development. Retrieved November 07, 2020, from
https://www.simplypsychology.org/piaget.html
 Mister Simplify. (2018, September 2). Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development - Simplest Explanation ever. From
Youtube.com. https://youtu.be/BxORL0nYcOc
 Raypole, C. (2019, October 31). Sensorimotor Stage: Definition, Activities, Play, and More. Retrieved November 07,
2020, from https://www.healthline.com/health/baby/sensorimotor-stage
 Valentine-French, M. (n.d.). Lifespan Development. Retrieved November 07, 2020, from
https://courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-lifespandevelopment/chapter/piagets-preoperational-stage-of-cognitive-dev
elopment/