Jean Piagets Theory Essay

Piagets supposition is based on storeys, whereby each stage represents a qualitatively different type of thinking. Children in stage one nookynot think the same as boorren in stage 2, 3 or 4 etcetera Transitions from one stage to early(a) ar gener bothy very fast, and the stages al government agencys follow an invariant sequence. another(prenominal) alpha characteristic of his stage guess is that they be popular the stages impart go bad for everyone in the world regardless of their differences (except their age, of course, which is what the stages are based on) Piaget acknowledged that there is an interaction between a child and the environment, and this is a focal point for his theory.He believed a child tin cannot square off unless they are constantly interacting with their environment, making mistakes and hence encyclopedism from them. He defined children as lone scientists he did not identify any need for teachers or handsomes in cognitive breeding. Children commit all the cognitive mechanisms to learn on their own, and the interaction with their environment allows them to do so. To put this in perspective, another theory by Lev Vygotsky suggested that the interaction is not important at all the child give learn when encouraged to with an adults assistance. I will be explaining then contrasting Vygotskys theory to Piagets in my next post so be sure to check venture for that With the background of his theory explained, lets look at The primeval Concepts of Piagets theoryBefore explaining the main part of Piagets theory (the four stages), its very important to look at slightly of the underlying principles behind it. Rather than write a stupidly large paragraph explaining it all, I will write the key terms in bold, then explain them in bullet points just to keep things dewy-eyed Schema (pl. Schemata, although some say Schemas for the plural) Possibly one of the most important concepts put forward by Piaget, Schemata help soulful nesss understand the world they inhabit. They are cognitive structures that represent a certain aspect of the world, and can be advertn as categories which have certain pre-conceived ideas in them. For subject, my schema for Christmas includes Christmas trees, presents, giving, money, green, red, gold, winter, Santa Claus etc. individual else may have an entirely different schema, such(prenominal) as Jesus, birth, Church, holiday, Christianity etc.Of course, there are schemata for all kinds of things yourself (self schemata), other people (people schemata), hithertots/situations (event schemata) and fictitious characters/occupations (role schemata). With regards to Piagets theory, a child might have a pre-conceived schema for a drop back. If the business firm has a small West Highland White Terrier as a dog, the schema might be small, furred, four legs, white. When the child interacts with a impudent dog perhaps a Labrador, it will change to comprise the natural in bod ation, such as big, golden, smooth etc. This is known asAssimilationSimply the crop of incorporating bran-new information into a pre-existing schema. So with the dog example, the child assimilated the Labradors information into the old dog schema. Assimilation is essentially fitting new information into schemata we already have in place. Unfortunately, this can lead to stereotyping. For example, if an old lady tick offs a teen mug another person, she might assimilate violence or plague into her teenage schema. Next time she sees a teenager, her schema will be applied to them and although they may be a kind person, she will plausibly show prejudice. Assimilation is normally a simple process, as new information already fits the pre-exisiting categories.AccommodationWhen coming across a new object for the first time, a child will attempt to cod an old schema to the object. For consistency, lets use the dog example again. The child may have four legs, furry in their dog schema. When coming across another similar animal, such as a cat, they might say Look, a dog thats neighborlyisation. However, when told that its in reality a cat not a dog they will conciliate the new information into another schema. They will now form a cat schema not all four legged furry animals are dogs some are cats too. They have accommodated the new information. The process just mentioned of assimilation then accommodation is known as interlingual renditionAssimilation and accommodation are the two parts of edition which is evidently what it says adapting our schemata to make an accurate (enough) model of the world we live in. It is a form of skill, but an entirely different form to the kind youd see in behaviourist psychology for example (such as operant/ perfect conditioning).EquilibriumPiaget suggested that humans naturally strive to achieve a cognitive balance there must be a balance between applying prior knowledge (assimilation) and changing schemata to account for new information (accommodation). Piaget suggested that when a child has a schema which doesnt fit reality, there is accent in the mind. By balancing the use of assimilation and accommodation, this tension is trim back and we can proceed to higher levels of thought and acquire (equilibration).QUICK summary Children have schemata (cognitive structures that contain pre-existing ideas of the world), which are constantly changing. Schemata constantly abide edition, through the processes of assimilation and accommodation. When seeing new objects there is a state of tension, and a child will attempt to assimilate the information to see if it fits into prior schemata. If this fails, the information must be accommodated by either adding new schemata or modifying the existing ones to accommodate the information. By balancing the use of assimilation and accommodation, an equilibrium is created, reducing cognitive tension (equilibration).Vygotskys theories stress the sound role of social interaction in the get downment of cognition Vygotsky, 1978), as he believed strongly that community plays a central role in the process of making meaning. Unlike Piagets notion that childrens development must necessarily precede their knowledge, Vygotsky argued, learning is a necessary and universal aspect of the process of developing culturally organized, specifically human mental function (1978, p. 90). In other words, social learning tends to precede (i.e. come after before) development. Vygotsky has real a socio-cultural approach to cognitive development. He developed his theories at around the same time as Jean Piaget was starting to develop his theories (1920s and 30s), but he died at the age of 38 and so his theories are incomplete although some of his writings are still being translated from Russian. No single principle (such as Piagets equilibration) can account for development.Individual development cannot be understood without reference to the social and cu ltural context at bottom which it is embedded. high mental processes in the individual have their origin in social processes. Vygotskys theory differs from that of Piaget in a number of important ways 1 Vygotsky places much emphasis on culture affecting/shaping cognitive development this contradicts Piagets view of universal stages and content of development. (Vygotsky does not refer to stages in the way that Piaget does). 2 Vygotsky places considerably more emphasis on social factors modify to cognitive development (Piaget is criticised for underestimating this). 3 Vygotsky places more (and different) emphasis on the role of language in cognitive development (again Piaget is criticised for lack of emphasis on this).Effects of Culture Tools of intellectual readjustmentLike Piaget, Vygotsky claimed that infants are born(p) with the basic materials/abilities for intellectual development Piaget focuses on motor reflexes and sensory abilities. Vygotsky refers to childlike Men tal Functions o Attentiono Sensationo intelligenceo MemoryEventually, through interaction within the socio-cultural environment, these are developed into more sophisticated and effective mental processes/strategies which he refers to as Higher Mental Functions. For example, entrepot in issue children this is limited by biologic factors. However, culture determines the type of memory strategy we develop. E.g., in our culture we learn note-taking to aid memory, but in pre-literate societies other strategies must be developed, such as tying knots in string to remember, or carrying pebbles, or repeat of the names of ancestors until large numbers can be repeated.Vygotsky refers to tools of intellectual adaptation these allow children to use the basic mental functions more effectively/adaptively, and these are culturally determined (e.g. memory mnemonics, mind maps). Vygotsky therefore sees cognitive functions, even those carried out alone, as affected by the beliefs, values and tool s of intellectual adaptation of the culture in which a person develops and therefore socio-culturally determined. The tools of intellectual adaptation therefore vary from culture to culture as in the memory exampleSocial Influences on Cognitive DevelopmentLike Piaget, Vygotsky believes that young children are curious and actively involved in their own learning and the discovery and development of new understandings/schema. However, Vygotsky placed more emphasis on social contributions to the process of development, whereas Piaget emphasised self-initiated discovery. According to Vygotsky (1978), much important learning by the child occurs through social interaction with a secure tutor. The tutor may model behaviours and/or provide verbal instruction manual for the child. Vygotsky refers to this as co-operative or collaborative dialogue. The child seeks to understand the actions or book of instructions provided by the tutor (often the parent or teacher) then internalizes the info rmation, using it to extend or regulate their own performance. Shaffer (1996) gives the example of a young girl who is given her first saber saw.Alone, she performs poorly in attempting to answer the puzzle. The father then sits with her and describes or demonstrates some basic strategies, such as finding all the comer/edge pieces and provides a couple of pieces for the child to put unneurotic herself and offers encouragement when she does so. As the child becomes more competent, the father allows the child to work more independently. According to Vygotsky, this type of social interaction involving co-operative or collaborative dialogue promotes cognitive development. In order to gain an understanding of Vygotskys theories on cognitive development, one must understand two of the main principles of Vygotskys work the More Knowledgeable Other (MKO) and the govern of proximal Development (ZPD).More Knowledgeable OtherThe more knowledgeable other (MKO) is somewhat self-explanatory it refers to someone who has a better understanding or a higher ability level than the learner, with respect to a extra task, process, or concept. Although the implication is that the MKO is a teacher or an older adult, this is not necessarily the case. Many times, a childs peers or an adults children may be the individuals with more knowledge or experience. For example, who is more likely to know more about the newest teen-age music groups, how to win at the most recent PlayStation game, or how to correctly perform the newest dance furor a child or their parents? In fact, the MKO need not be a person at all.Some companies, to support employees in their learning process, are now using electronic performance support systems. electronic tutors have also been used in educational settings to facilitate and submit students through the learning process. The key to MKOs is that they must have (or be programmed with) more knowledge about the topic being learned than the learner does.Zo ne of proximal DevelopmentThe concept of the More Knowledgeable Other is integrally related to the second important principle of Vygotskys work, the Zone of Proximal Development. This is an important concept that relates to the difference between what a child can achieve independently and what a child can achieve with centering and encouragement from a skilled partner. For example, the child could not solve the jigsaw puzzle (in the example above) by itself and would have taken a considerable time to do so (if at all), but was able to solve it following interaction with the father, and has developed competence at this skill that will be applied to future jigsaws.Vygotsky (1978) sees the Zone of Proximal Development as the area where the most sensitive instruction or guidance should be given allowing the child to develop skills they will then use on their own developing higher mental functions. Vygotsky also views interaction with peers as an effective way of developing skills an d strategies. He suggests that teachers use cooperative learning exercises where less competent children develop with help from more skillful peers within the zone of proximal development.