THEORY OF COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT BY
They will continue to build on this
JEAN PIAGET
Piaget’s Cognitive Development Theory
suggests that as children grow, their
Intelligence varies. Children's cognitive development
is not simply about learning knowledge; they also
need to build or develop a mental model of their
surroundings (Miller, 2011). His work is recognized as
the foundation of developmental psychology. Piaget
proposed a new set of assumptions about the
intelligence of children:
 Children think differently and see the world
differently from adults.
 Children are not passive learners, they
actively build up their knowledge about the
surrounding.
The most effective way to understand children’s
reasoning is to think from children's point of view.
Piaget's theory of cognitive development is founded
on the premise that children develop in four phases,
each with its own set of features and abilities. The
sensorimotor stage, which lasts from birth to roughly
two years old, is defined by the child's comprehension
of the environment through sensory experiences and
motor movements. The second stage, the
preoperational stage, occurs between the ages of two
and seven years old and is distinguished by the
child's ability to depict objects and events using
symbols.
The concrete operational stage, which occurs
between the ages of seven and twelve, is
distinguished by the child's ability to think logically
about tangible things and events. Finally, the fourth
stage, the formal operational stage, begins at the age
of twelve and is distinguished by the child's ability to
think abstractly and hypothetically. According to Jean
Piaget, developmental phases occur through the
combination of natural capacities and external events,
and children go through a succession of stages
(Wellman, 2011). The order of these stages is
consistent across cultures. Each child experiences
the same phases of cognitive development
throughout life, although at a different rate. The
following are Piaget’s stages of cognitive
development:
 Sensorimotor stage (Object permanence)
From birth to 18-24 months
Children gain object permanence during this stage,
which means they understand that items exist even
when they can't see them. This is a critical stage in
cognitive development because it permits youngsters
to begin constructing mental representations of their
surroundings.
foundation of knowledge as they go through the
phases, eventually gaining more complex cognitive
capacities. At this period, a wide range of
cognitive capacities emerge, including
representational play, object permanence,
postponed imitation, and self-recognition. Infants
at this stage only exist in the present. They don't have
anything from this world in their memories. At 8
months, the infant will understand the permanence of
certain items and will look for them when they are not
there. Infants' broad symbolic function begins to
emerge near the conclusion of this period, and they
can utilize two items to stand in for each other.
Language emerges when kids realize they can use
words to depict feelings and objects. The
youngster begins to categorize and retain
facts he has learned about the world
 Pre-Operational Stage (Symbolic thought)
From 2 to 7 years
The pre-operational stage is critical in the
cognitive development of children. Children's
thinking is not yet rational or concrete at this
stage, and they struggle with ideas such as
cause and effect. They also have difficulties
understanding other people's points of view,
which contributes to their egocentric
thinking. Furthermore, their reasoning is
dependent on intuition rather than logic, which
might lead to judgment errors. Despite these
constraints, children in the pre-operational period
are capable of remarkable growth and learning,
and it is critical for parents and educators to give
them with the support and direction they require
to succeed. Young children and toddlers have the
ability to internally describe the world through
mental imagery and language. At this age,
children think about things symbolically. They can
make one thing, such as an object or a
word, stand in for something completely
different. A youngster is preoccupied with
how the world appears rather than how it
is. Children do not demonstrate problem-
solving or logical reasoning at the preoperative
stage. Infants of his age also exhibit animism,
which means they believe toys and other non-
living items have feelings and live like people.
Toddlers can isolate their cognitive process from
the physical environment by the age of two.
However, they are still unable to develop later-
stage operational or logical thinking skills. Their
reasoning is still egocentric (focused on their
own worldview) and intuitive (based on
children's subjective assessments of
occurrences)
 Concrete Operational Stage (Logical
thought) From 7 to 11 years
At this age, children begin to demonstrate logical
thinking regarding concrete experiences. They
begin to understand the concept of conservation.
They recognize that even if things alter in
appearance, certain characteristics remain
constant. Mentally, children at this age can turn
things around. They begin to consider other
people’s feelings and thoughts, and they become
less egocentric. As children begin to reason
logically, they reach the concrete stage. This
stage, according to Piaget, is a major turning
point in a child's cognitive development
since it signals the beginning of
Operational or logical thinking. A youngster is
capable of internally working things out in their
thoughts at this stage (rather than testing things
out in reality). The development of deductive
thinking is another important feature of the
Concrete Operational Stage. At this age,
children can apply logic to form
conclusions and solve issues. They
understand that if an equals B and B equals C,
then A must also equal C. This sort of reasoning
enables kids to comprehend more complicated
thoughts and ideas, preparing them for academic
and personal success. When asked to reason
about hypothetical or abstract problems,
children at this stage may feel overwhelmed or
make blunders. Conservation implies that the
youngster realizes that while certain objects may
change in appearance, their properties may not.
Children can conserve number at the age of six,
mass at the age of seven, and weight at the age
of nine. However, logical reasoning is only used
when children are asked to reason about
physically existent materials
 Formal Operational Stage (Symbolic
reasoning) From Age 12 and above
Individuals at this stage do concrete operations
on things and formal operations on concepts.
Formal logical reasoning is completely free of
perceptual and physical constraints. Adolescents
can understand abstract concepts at this point.
They can follow any given type of argument
without thinking about specific examples.
Children begin to develop the ability to think
abstractly and use symbolic reasoning during the
Formal Operational Stage. This means they can
think beyond concrete, physical objects and
notions to comprehend more complicated and
abstract concepts. They are capable of solving
hypothetical issues and comprehending
metaphors, analogies, and other abstract
concepts. This stage usually occurs between the
ages of 11 and 16, but it might vary based on
the development of the individual child.
Adolescents can deal with hypothetical
situations with multiple alternative outcomes.
This stage allows for the emergence of scientific
thinking, the formulation of hypotheses and
abstract theories as needed
TEACHING STRATEGIES
1. When teaching infants and toddlers, it is
preferable to read simple stories from books
with lots of pictures, use simple audiotapes with
music and videotapes with cartoon characters,
perform procedures on a doll to help the child
understand what an experience would be like,
and keep teaching sessions brief (5 minutes)
and close together.
2. For preschoolers, ask questions about the
child's experiences or interests. Model new
language by adding words or questions to what
the youngster says or does. Allow enough time
for the child to answer.
3. School aged children learn best
when activities such as games, role
playing, showing items and objects,
using puppets and artwork, and telling
stories and reading books are used for
teaching.
4. When teaching adolescents, employ
face-to-face or computer-based group
discussion, role-playing, and gaming to
clarify beliefs and problem solve, all of
which feed into the teenager's urge to
belong and be actively involved.5. Children
learn best through their senses; select
learning activities that engage multiple
senses