Raiganj University

Department of Education
Ph.D Coursework examination 2021

PowerPoint Presentation
as an Assignment/Practicum of coursework for partial fulfillment of Ph.D course
Topic – JEAN PIAGET AND COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT THEORY
Paper- EDNPHD-3 (Computer Application in Research)

Presented by:
Name- Arghya Das
REGN NO.- 0101070011
Roll no- PH.D-07-20010011
 Swiss Psychologist, worked for several decades on understanding
children’s cognitive development and Most widely known
Jean Piaget THEORY OF COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT.

Was intrigued by kids’ thoughts & behavior, & worked to

understand their cognitive development .

Place Of Birth: Switzerland

Date of Birth: August 9th , 1896

Earned his doctorate in natural sciences at 21 from the University

of Neuchatel then undertook post-doctoral training in Zurich, and
Paris .

Began to study psychology, applying intelligence tests to school

children . He moved to Geneva, as director of research at the
Rousseau Institute, in 1922.

Death: 16 September 1980

 COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT
Development of mental abilities and capabilities which helps an
individual to adjust his behavior to the changing environmental
conditions.

Is the usual of continuous interaction between the organism and the
environment .

 Piaget defined himself as a “genetic epistemologist”, interested in the

process of the qualitative development of knowledge.

He considered cognitive structures development as a differentiation of

biological regulations. Cognitive development.
 COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT
There are a total of four phases in Piaget's research that he had done on his
own three children and carefully observing and interpreting his children's
cognitive development.

Piaget believed learning occurs by an active construction of meaning, rather

than by receiving it passively.

He states, “ when we, as learners, encounter an experience or situation that

conflicts with our current way of thinking, a state of imbalance is created”.

 We must alter our thinking to restore equilibrium or balance.

 Four Key Concepts of Piaget’s Theory
1. Schemas
2. Assimilation
3. Accommodation
4. Equilibration

 Cognitive development is a complex process comprising three main

concepts affecting the development process: assimilation, accommodation
and equilibration.

 All three are associated with the formation of schemata and their
modification in order to attain a balanced sense of understanding of the
external world.
 Schema or Mental map
 Cognitive structure = schema (pl. schemata/schemes).
Schema = your understanding/knowledge of X

 A structured cluster of concepts; it can be used to represent objects, scenarios or

sequences of events or relations.

A structure that would enable an organism to be aware of and act upon one’s
environment .

A mental framework about something that is created as children interact with their
physical and social environments.

Schemas provide contexts for interpreting new knowledge which Helps children fill
in conceptual gaps and anticipate how new knowledge can be applied.
 Schema or Mental map
Critically important building block of conceptual development

Constantly in the process of being modified or changed

Modified by on-going experiences

A generalized idea, usually based on experience or prior knowledge.

For Example: Infants have [schema for grasping +schema for sucking = higher order
schema of action ]
 Schema or Mental map
 Schemata are constantly being revised and elaborated upon each
time the child encounters new experiences.

In doing these children create their own unique understanding of

the world, interpret their own experiences and knowledge, and
subsequently use this knowledge to solve more complex problems.

 In a neurological sense, the brain/mind is constantly working to

build and rebuild itself as it takes in, adapts/modifies new
information, and enhances understanding.
 Assimilation
 Assimilation = Where new experience fits with schema.

An adaptive process through which we interpret new experiences in

terms of existing schemes or cognitive structures.
The process is somewhat subjective.

Accommodation
The process of accommodation involves altering one's existing schema,
or ideas, as a result of new information or new experiences. New schemas
may also be developed during this process.
Obviously, accommodation influences assimilation, and vice versa. As
reality is assimilated, structures are accommodated.
 ADAPTATION = ASSIMILATION + ACCOMMODATION
 Equilibration
 Process of achieving mental stability when cognitive conflict
occurs.
The process of restoration of harmony between the world and the
individual’s view of the world.
Organization + Adaptation = Equilibrium
 Development is triggered by disequilibrium i.e., The human
infant is a self-correcting organism. It doesn’t like being in
disequilibrium.

 Development is therefore:
Equilibrium Disequilibrium Equilibrium Disequilibrium
 Piaget’s Cognitive Development stages

Sensorimotor: Birth -2 years Preoperational stage:2-7 years

Concrete operational: 7-11 years Formal operational: onward 11

 SENSORIMOTOR STAGE (0 -2years)
The world is understood through the senses and actions

 The child’s thinking involves seeing, hearing, moving, touching.

Knowledge is limited because it is based on physical interactions and

experiences.

Experimenting and learning through trial and error. Such exploration might
include shaking a rattle or putting objects in the mouth.

 As they become more mobile , infants’ ability to develop cognitively

increases.

 Early language development begins during this stage.

 Understanding Object Permanence
That is objects continue to exist even when they can't see them.
Object permanence occurs at 7-9 months. Infants realize that an object exists
after it can no longer be seen.
 From 4-8 months, “out of sight, out of mind”
By 8-12 months, make the A-not-B error – Infants will search for an object in
the place they last found it (A), rather than in a new place (B)
By 1 year, A-not-B error is overcome, but continued trouble with invisible
displacement
By 18 months, object permanence is mastered.
The infant can mentally represent an invisible action (a toy is being hidden) and
conceive of the object in its final location
By 24 months, infants can play complex hide-and-seek games
 PRE-OPERATIONAL STAGE

 Symbolic thinking

 Egocentrism begins strongly and then weakens

 Animism

 Understanding transformation

 Concentration Involved in transformation

 Reversibility
 Pre-Operational stage

Pre-Conceptual stage Intuitive stage

(2-4 years) ( 4-7 years)

• Development of the ability to use • Using of concept formed from past

symbols to represent objects. and present experiences to form
simple relations intuitively.
 Concrete Operational Stage (7-11 years)
Important processes during this stage are:
Sorting.

Classification.

Conservation.

Compensation.
 Formal Operational Stage (12-16 years)
 Adolescents use symbols related to abstract concepts.

 They can think about multiple variables in systematic ways, can formulate
hypotheses

 Thought process become quit systematic and reasonably and well integrated.

 Reasoning and logical abilities

 Reflective thinking

 Mental manipulation of variables

 Imagination develops and Ability to judge logically

 Piaget’s Constructivist Approach
Activation of children’s schemas is a beginning stage of Constructivist
teaching
Children of the same age often make similar kinds of mental mistakes
Knowledge is created by building schemes from experiences and
Individuals construct their understanding, that learning is a constructive
process.
Active learning as opposed to simply absorbing info from a teacher, book,
etc.
The child is a ‘little scientist’ constructing understandings of the world
largely alone
All learning is constructed, whether it is something we are taught or
something we learn on our own.
 Piaget’s Constructivist Approach
Piaget’s theory can be used as a tool in the early childhood classroom.
Piaget did not think it was possible to hurry along or skip stages through
education
The intellectual development of children moves from the concrete to the
abstract.
Understanding is built up step by step through active involvement.
 knowledge must be assimilated in an active process by a learner with matured
mental capacity .
 Learning occurs as a result of experience, both physical and logical then
prepare these experiences
 Educational implication of Piaget theory
Pre- Operational Stage
Use concrete props and visual things whereas possible.

Don’t except the students to be consistent in their ability to see the world
from someone’s else point of view.

Be sensitive to the possibilities that students may have diff meaning for
the same word.

Give children hands own experience.

Provide wide range of experiences in order to build foundation for

concept learning.
 Educational implication of Piaget theory
Concrete operational child
Use concrete props and visuals things especially where dealing with sophisticated
materials.
Continue to give students a chance to manipulate and test objects.
Make sure readings are brief and well organized
Use familiar examples to explain more complex ideas
Give opportunities to classify and group objects and ideas on increasingly
complex levels.
Present problems that require concrete thinking.
 Educational implication of Piaget theory
Formal operational stage
Continue to use concrete operational teaching, strategies and materials.

Give students opportunity to explore many hypothetical questions

Ask them write paper, then exchange these papers with the opposing side and debate
topical social issues.

Ask student to write their personal vision.

Give students opportunity to solve problems and reason scientifically.

Set up group discussion in which students design experiments to answer questions.

 Whenever possible teach broad concepts, not just facts, using materials and ideas
relevant to the students lives.
 Strengths of Piaget’s theory
 Active rather than passive view of the child.

 Revealed important invariants in cognitive development.

 Piaget’s theory is wide-ranging and influential.

 Revealed important invariants in cognitive development.

 Piaget showed us that infants are active in their own development.

 Piaget showed us that infants and children think differently at each stage of development.

 Piaget’s sequence of the direction of cognitive development was basically correct, even
though cultural factors may influence the rate of cognitive growth
 Criticism to Piaget’s Theory
The children may wanted to please the experimenter therefore changing their
behavior.

Piaget ignored the effect of the social setting upon the child. The way adults use
language and gestures.

 He believes development is a universal process but his initial sample sizes were
inadequate, particularly his theory of infant development is based on his three children.

Piaget also probably introduced confounding variables and social desirability into his
observations. May be his children conditioned to respond in a desirable manner.

The sample was also very homogenous, all had a similar genetic heritage and
environment.
Thank You