Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development in Childhood
Main focus is on schemas, assimilation and accommodation
Schema - mental representations that define behaviour or categorize
Assimilation - where new info is incorporated into old schemata
Accommodation - an existing schemata is changed by a new experience
Sensorimotor stage: Birth to 2 - Child begins to interact with environment
Preoperational stage: 2 to 6/7 - Child begins to interpret the world symbolically
Concrete Operational stage: 6/7 to 11 - Child learns rules such as conservation
Formal Operational stage: 11 and upwards - Child/adolescent can think abstractly and hypothetically
Piaget's theory views cognitive development as primarily due to maturation as well as experience in the world. Through this maturation Piaget identifies the following characteristics in development:
Active Learning - child motivated by curiosity and looks for own understanding
Egocentrisim - think from your own perspective (Theory of mind?!?!)
Structure - Mental assumptions and Schema
Symbolic thought - at two children can think with symbols & language
Vygotsky's Theory of Cognitive Development
The four main components of Vygotsky's theory includes:
Guided participation - a child who wants to learn will accept an seek adult guidance/need social interaction to learn
Apprenticeship to thinking - 2-6 year olds look to others for guidance in cognitive tasks
Scaffolding - building blocks put in place by a 'teacher'
(Zone of) Proximal Development - cognitive ideas and skills that a child can understand with someone's help. Influenced by social interactions and the child's skills interests and abilities
Vygotsky emphasizes that children construct knowledge, learning can lead development, that development can not be separated from a social context, language plays a central role in development and the Zone of Proximal Development
Information Processing theory
This theory compares a child's mind to a computer.
Input - Processing - Output
According to this theory children are active and selective in their learning and construct knowledge by the following:
1. select (input)
2. organize (process)
3. and create knowledge. (output)
Involves:
- Brain Maturation
- Practicing thought
- Developing New thoughts
- Learning
Theory of Mind
This theory refers to children's growing understanding of their own mental states and those of others. Children have a simplified and limited understanding of their own mental states as well as others' thinking. The idea of 'mindreading' or being able to imagine how another person feels begins at 3 or 4. Research states that earlier that children develop a theory of mind the more friends they have at school and the later a child develops theory of mind often are victims of bullies or rejected by their peers.
Helpful Links:
Theory of Mind
Theory of Mind - False Belief Test
Intro to Vygotsky
Intro to Piaget
