Members
Login
Sign Up!!!
Categories
Arts
Business
Custom Research
Economics
Film
Foreign
Government and Law
History
Literature
Medical
Miscellaneous
People
Personal Essays
Philosophy
Psychology
Science and Technology

Support
FAQ
Customer Service
Site Search

     Home Customer Service Acceptable Use Policy Site Search

     Enter Search Topic:
 

Already a member? Go here to log in and view the entire paper!

Join Now!
by: Credit Card
Join Now!
by: Online Check
Membership Benefits

Piaget's cognitive theory of development

This is an excerpt from the paper...

Piaget's cognitive theory of development encompasses four main stages: the sensorimotor from 0-2 years, the preoperational from 2-7 years, the concrete operational from 7-11 years, and the formal operational from 11 on. Piaget believed that older children not only know quantitatively more than younger ones, but actually think in qualitatively different ways. His theory focusses on how children think and represent the world, and how these capabilities change as the child matures (Jackson, Robinson & Dale, 1977). In this paper I will examine in detail the preoperational stage of development, including its characteristic abilities (such as language and socialization of behavior) and its limitations (such as egocentrism and failure to conserve, among other things).

In the preoperational period, sensorimotor functioning decreases and the use of conceptual representation increases. "The child becomes increasingly able to internally represent events (think) and becomes less dependent on current sensorimotor actions for direction of behavior." (Wadsworth, 1979, p.69). The acquisition of language is, therefore, one of the most dramatic and far-reaching developments of this stage. Children typically begin using spoken words as symbols in one-word sentences around age 2; by age four they can speak and comprehend language remarkably well (Santrock, 1983).

This new capability is instrumental in facilitating other intellectual development as well. The use of language has three imp

. . .
child to question his thoughts for the first time in his life and to seek external verification of their truth. Thus, it is peer group interaction, more than any other factor, which dissolves egocentricity. Similarly, there is some evidence that children communicate less egocentrically and more clearly with peers than with adults; this also suggests that peer interaction is a primary socializing force (Jackson, Robinson & Dale, 1977). Another characteristic of preoperational thought is animism, or the belief that inanimate objects have human qualities and abilities. This can be considered a form of egocentricity insofar as it reflects a failure to understand when to take the human versus nonhuman perspective (Santrock, 1983). A third preoperational limitation is irreversibility of thought. This is basically the inability to follow a line of reasoning back to its beginning. Some theorists see this as a leftover rigidity from the sensorimotor period, in which all actions and perceptions were purely physical and could not be reversed or undone in the same way as an internal operation. Therefore, the concept of reversibility of operations cannot be discovered from the environment like ideas of space and causality can: rather,
. . .

Some common words found in the essay are:
Robinson Dale, Potkay Allen, , Protestant Santrock, wadsworth 1979, Wadsworth BJ, Lee LC, lee 1976, preoperational stage, Dale PS, CA Brooks/, santrock 1983, Santrock JW, Inc Piaget, preoperational child, preoperational period, stage development, publishing company inc, jackson robinson, robinson dale, monterey ca, potkay allen 1986, robinson dale 1977, jackson robinson dale, preoperational stage development,
Approximate Word count = 2483
Approximate Pages = 10 (250 words per page)

More Essays on Piaget cognitive theory of development

Piagetamp39s Theory of Cognitive Development ampamp Phys Ed 740 words
Piagetamp39s Theory of Childhood Cognitive Development 1996 words
COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT IN CHILDREN 1705 words
Kieran Eganamp39s ampquotWhat Does Piagetamp39s Theory Describe 1846 words
Adolescence Cognitive/Emotional Transitions 1526 words
Eight Schools of Psychology 1062 words
Developmental theories of Jean Piaget 2594 words
Adolescent Development 1867 words
Freud and Stages of Devlopment 1013 words
Edited Freud ampamp Piaget 3485 words
Membership Benefits
Click here to Join Now!
by: Credit Card
Click here to Join Now!
by: Online Check






to Over 32,000 Professionally Written Papers!!!
 


All papers are for research and reference purposes only!
Copyright © 2009 LotsOfEssays.com
All rights reserved. Webmasters make $$$ NEW