Piaget's Stages of Cognitive Development
Sensorimotor stage (0-2 years).
What stage is characterized by reflexive and motor actions with no conceptual thought?
The understanding that objects continue to exist even when they are not visible.
What is object permanence?
2-7 years.
At what age range does the preoperational stage occur?
The ability to order objects by size, shape, or other attributes.
What is seriation?
Deductive reasoning
What type of reasoning becomes possible in the formal operational stage?
Concrete operational stage (7-11 years).
At what stage do children develop the ability to think logically about concrete objects?
Incorporating new information into existing schemas.
What is assimilation in Piaget’s theory?
They rely on visual appearance, often failing to recognize that quantity remains the same despite changes in form (e.g., conservation of liquid).
What limitation in thinking is common in preoperational children when asked about conservation tasks?
They understand that altering the appearance of objects (like spacing them differently) does not change the quantity.
What is conservation of number, and how do concrete operational children understand it?
Formal operational thought involves abstract reasoning, while concrete operational thought focuses on tangible, concrete problems.
How does formal operational thought differ from concrete operational thought?
11-15 years.
What is the age range for Piaget's formal operational stage?
Modifying existing schemas to incorporate new information.
What is the definition of accommodation?
The inability to see things from another person's perspective
What is egocentrism in the context of the preoperational stage?
The ability to group objects based on multiple dimensions, such as color and shape.
What is classification in the concrete operational stage?
Hypothetico-deductive reasoning.
What cognitive ability allows formal operational children to test hypotheses systematically?
Symbolic thought and use of language
What ability do children develop during the preoperational stage, although they still struggle with egocentrism?
Equilibrium
What concept involves balancing assimilation and accommodation?
Using objects to represent other objects (e.g., using a stick as a hammer).
What is symbolic play in the preoperational stage.
speed, distance, and time
What is the recognition that two cars traveling different distances but arriving simultaneously must have traveled at different speeds? (Ratios)
Around 11 years old.
At what age does Piaget believe most children enter the formal operational stage?
The ability to think abstractly and reason logically.
What key characteristic defines the formal operational stage?
Using a cause-effect relationship to solve problems
What is meant by "means-end" behavior in early cognitive development?
Difficulty in understanding changes that occur in steps, focusing only on the initial and final states (e.g., when a pencil falls).
What is "transformational reasoning" in the preoperational stage?
They can mentally reverse actions, such as predicting the outcome of a sequence when it is reversed.
How do children in the concrete operational stage demonstrate reversibility?
The ability to think abstractly and apply logical steps to predict outcomes (e.g., using combinatorial reasoning to solve problems).
What cognitive feature allows adolescents in the formal operational stage to think scientifically and solve complex problems?