 |
PIAGET’S THEORY |
Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget posited a theory of cognitive development that has had lasting effects on the world of child psychology. Piaget’ idea of cognitive structures involves adaptation through assimiliation and accommodation. Assimiliation is interpreting events or the environment based on existing knowledge, and accommodation refers to changing the cognitive structure to make sense of that environment. Kearsley notes, “Cognitive development consists of a constant effort to adapt to the environment in terms of assimilation and accommodation.” |
Piaget’s stages of cognitive development |
sensorimotor (ages 0-1) : learn to coordinate the activities of the senses with motor activities
preoperational (ages 2-7) : capable of symbolic representation, as in language, but limited ability to use mental operations (ability to manipulate objects mentally and reason about them in a way that accurately represents how the world works)
concrete operations (ages 7-11) : capable of using mental operations, but only in concrete, immediate experience
formal operations: (ages 11-15, reaching completion by age 20) : capable of thinking logically and abstractly, of formulating hypotheses and testing them systematically; complex thinking and metacognition (Arnett 66)
|
In this formal operation stage, the adolescent begins to think about his world in more abstract and complex ways. She also begins to engage in metacognition. |
Abstract thinking is strictly a mental process and cannot be experienced through the senses. It involves the conception of things such as time, friendship, and faith (Arnett 67). |
Complex thinking is seen in the adolescent’s increased capacity with metaphor, sarcasm, and satire (Arnett 68). This capacity for sarcasm or ridicule plays a part in the formation of adolescent cliques and crowds; the resultant dominance hierarchy helps teenagers sort through what they are and what they are not (Arnett 239). |
Metacognition — thinking about thinking — helps the adolescent to learn and to solve problems more efficiently. This new-found ability also enables the adolescent to form perceptions of himself and others (Arnett 69).
|
