Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development

Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development

1. Jean Piaget

   • Swiss zoologist
   • Interested in child behaviour
   • Made a major contribution to the topic
     • Two main contributions
       • 1. The way children think changes qualitatively as they get older
       • 2. These changes are driven by biological development (maturation)
   • Changed the way psychologists viewed cognitive development

2. Theory

   • A self constructed mental structure (schema) can be behavioural or cognitive
     • At birth a child has a few schemas
       • These are developed over time through interactions with the environment
         • Adaptation takes place through the processes assimilation and accomodation
           • Assimilation is the process whereby a new experience is understood in terms of an existing schema
           • Accomodation is the process of modifying existing schemas to fit new experiences
           • Accomodation and assimilation occur simultaneously

3. Cognitive development influenced by...

   • Maturation - effects of aging
     • As children get older, certain mental operations become possible
   • Environment - interactions with the environment, understanding of the world becomes more complex