Jean Piaget’s Cognitive

Stage Theory
OBJECTIVES
Objective 1
Understand the Cognitive-stage theory and the concepts under it

Objective 2
Explain the different development milestones in the different
stages of Piaget’s theory
OBJECTIVES
Objective 3
Explain Piaget’s explanation and theory on memory

Objective 4
Differentiate between the different mechanisms of development
General Structure
of the Theory
General ● Epistemology - how humans comprehend the world

○ Genetic Epistemology - how humans develop and progress to come to

Structure understand the world

○ Though generally philosophical, Piaget used experiments for his approach

○ Actively engage with the world to construct knowledge

○ The capability of the person or child dictates what he/she knows at any

given point in time

General ● Biological Approach - Started out with mollusks and how they actively

assimilated to the environment around them

Structure ○ Believed that cognitive growth is an organized structure (“mental

embryology”)

○ Have analogies for how intelligence works

● Structuralism - believed in underlying operation governed how we think

○ Scheme - organized pattern of behavior and a way one interacts with the

environment

○ Children actively construct the structures and have a feeling of necessity

that accompanies the acquisition of a cognitive structure

General ● Stage Approach - period of time during which the child’s thinking and

behavior reflects a particular type of underlying mental structure

Structure a. A stage is a structured whole in a state of equilibrium.

b. Each stage derives from the previous stage, incorporates and transforms

that stage, and prepares for the next stage.

c. The stages follow an invariant sequence.

d. Stages are universal.

e. Each stage includes a coming-into-being and a being.

Stages of
Developlment
 1. Sensorimotor period (birth - 2 y.o.) - understand based on what their senses
Stages of can perceive.

Development a. Stage 1: Modification of Reflexes (~0 - 1 mos.)- A newborn is a bundle of

reflexes. Reflexes are developed and generalized to other behaviors.

Schemes develop, strengthen and differentiate

b. Stage 2: Primary Circular Reactions (~ 1 to 4 mos.) - behaviors are

repeated until a “habit” is formed. Primary because it’s focused on

consequences in and around the infant’s body rather than outside objects

c. Stage 3: Secondary Circular Reactions (~ 4 to 8 mos.) - now oriented to

the external world

 1. Sensorimotor period (birth - 2 y.o.) - understand based on what their senses
Stages of can perceive.

Development d. Stage 4: Coordination of Secondary Schemes (~ 8 to 12 mos.)- can now

combine schemes; planning and intentionality emerge to achieve various

goals/desires. Can manipulate objects to achieve this

e. Stage 5: Tertiary Circular Reactions (~ 12 to 18 Months) - “infant

scientist”

f. Stage 6: Invention of New Means Through Mental Combinations (~ 18 to

24 Months) - can do crude mental operations (representation)

 1. Sensorimotor period (birth - 2 y.o.) - understand based on what their senses
Stages of can perceive.

Development ● Object permanence - an objects exists even when the child can’t actively

perceive it
 2. Preoperational Period (~ 2 to 7 Years)

● Mental Representation - Precursor is imitation. Requirement for language

Stages of development

Development i. Symbols - have similarity to what they are representing

ii. Signs - arbitrarily related to what they are representing

● Characterized by:

i. Egocentrism - may be slightly disproven by theory of mind

ii. Rigidity of thought - can only focus on one salient feature, states,

appearance; and has a lack of reversibility

iii. Semilogical reasoning - child tries to explain events

iv. Limited Social Cognition - evaluation is based on external

consequences or personal experience

 3. Concrete Operational Period (~ 7 to 11 Years)
Stages of ● An operation is an internalized mental action that is part of an organized

Development structure (“rules”)

i. Conservation - knowing amount is not only dictated by one factor

ii. Class inclusion - subcategories are part of a broader category

iii. Temporal-spatial representations

iv. Less egocentric but still not perfect with empathy. Take intentions into

account for actions

● All changes are gradual. The child develops thinking based on what they

can see to more of operations

 4. Formal Operational Period (~11 to 15 Years)- Thinking elevates to “scientific
Stages of method” - like level

Development ● more systematic than previous stage

● Conjunction - co-occurence of X and Y

● Disjunction - either X and Y, X and not Y, and not X

● Now able to address thoughts about the future and different possibilities

● Egocentrism is still evident

● Can now think about thoughts

● Adolescent is now logical, abstract and flexible but thinking continues to

develop and egocentrism declines as one gets older

Memory
 ● Memory is active understanding

Memory ● A child remembers what is front of them based on their current cognitive

capacity

● Unusually believed that memory tended to improve as time went on

Mechanisms of
Development
 ● Functional invariants - essentially what spurs the small steps of development
Mechanisms ○ Cognitive organization - the tendency for thought to consist of systems

of whose parts are integrated to form a whole

Schemes Regulations Functions Concrete operations Formal

Development operations

○ Cognitive Adaptation - change in response to environment

■ Assimilation - fitting reality into one’s current cognitive organization

■ Accomodation - adjustments in cognitive organization that result from

the demands of reality

 ● Functional invariants - essentially what spurs the small steps of development
Mechanisms ○ Cognitive Equilibration - every person strives for equilibrium with the

of environment and within itself

■ Can be:
Development ● Moment- to - moment

● Moving toward the final level of a stage

● The entire course of cognitive development

Position on
Developmental
Issues
 ● Human nature - organismic
Position on ● Qualitative changes

Issues ● Interactionist

● What Develops: Structural Change

 ● How can “meeting people where they are” be helpful in nutrition education?
Analysis ● Format:

Paper ○ MAXIMUM 2 pages

○ Font Size 12

○ 1.5 spacing
Reference:
Miller, P. 2011. Theories of
Developmental Psychology. 5th ed.
Worth Publishers