Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development
For years, sociologists and psychologists have conducted studies on cognitive development or the construction of human thought or mental processes.
Jean Piaget was one of the most important and influential people in the field of Developmental Psychology. He believed that humans are unique in comparison to animals because we have the capacity to do "abstract symbolic reasoning." His work can be compared to Lev Vygotsky, Sigmund Freud, and Erik Erikson who were also great contributors in the field of Developmental Psychology. Today, Piaget is known for studying the cognitive development in children. He studied his own three children and their intellectual development and came up with a theory that describes the stages children pass through during development.
Piaget's theory of Developmental Psychology tackled cognitive development from infancy to adulthood.
| Stage | Age or Period | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Sensorimotor stage | Infancy | Intelligence is present; motor activity but no symbols; knowledge is developing yet limited; knowledge is based on experiences/ interactions; mobility allows child to learn new things; some language skills are developed at the end of this stage |
| Pre-operational stage | Toddler and Early Childhood | Symbols or language skills are present; memory and imagination are developed; nonreversible and nonlogical thinking; egocentric thinking predominates |
| Concrete operational stage | Elementary and Early Adolescence | Logical and systematic form of intelligence; manipulation of symbols related to concrete objects; operational thinking predominates nonreversible and egocentric thinking |
| Formal operational stage | Adolescence and Adulthood | Logical use of symbols related to abstract concepts; egocentric thinking comes back early in this stage; formal thinking is uncommon |
Read more about this topic: Cognition
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