Course Title: Child Adolescent Learner and Learning Principles

Course No: Ed. 101

Module 2

Theories on Human
Development

A. Cognitive and Psycho- social Theories

LESSON 2
Piaget’s Cognitive
Development Theory
MODULE 2. Theories on Human Development

LESSON 2. PIAGET’S COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT THEORY

Learning Topic Resource Materials Assessment

Outcomes Tasks

During and Corpuz, B., et al (2010).

Child and adolescent
upon
development. Quezon City:
completion of Topic. Theories on Lorimar Publishing Worksheet 3:
the course the Graphic Organizer
Human Development
students should Berger, K. (1994). The
developing person through (Matching/ relating
have:
the life span. New York: a family member’s
Lesson 2. Worth Publishers
2.2.1. described Piaget’s Cognitive character or behavior
to Piagetian stage of
Piaget’s Development Theory Corpuz B., et al.(2013). development. )
stages in Facilitating Learning a
your own Metacognitive Process
words. Quezon City: Lorimar
Publishing Inc.

2.2.2. matched
learning
activities
to the
learners’
cognitive
stage.
Learning Outcomes:

During and upon completion of the course the students should have:

1. Describe Piaget’s Basic Cognitive Concepts and the 4 stages of Cognitive

Development;

2. Drawn implications of Piaget’s theory to education.

THEORIES AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

“The principle goal of education is to create men who are capable of doing new things, not
simply of repeating what other generations have done – men who are creative, inventive and
discoverers.”
. (Jean Piaget)

Introduction

Jean’s Piaget’s Cognitive Theory of Development is truly a classic in the field of

educational psychology. This theory fuelled other researches and theories of development and
learning. Its focus is on how individuals construct knowledge.

2.2. PIAGET’S STAGES OF COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT

Piaget called his general theoretical framework “ genetic epistemology” because he

was interested in how knowledge developed in human organisms. Piaget was initially into
biology and he also had a background in philosophy. Knowledge from both these disciplines
influenced his theories and research of child development. Out of his researches, Piaget
came up with the stages of cognitive development.

Piaget examined the implications of his theory not only to aspects of cognition but
also to intelligence and moral development. His theory had been applied widely to teaching
and curriculum design especially in the preschool and elementary curricula.

BASIC COGNITIVE CONCEPTS

Schema- refers to the cognitive structures by which individuals intellectually adapt to and
organize their environment. It is an individual’s way to understand or create meaning about a
thing or experience.
 e.g. If a child sees a dog for the first time, he creates his own schema what a dog is. It
has four legs and a tail. It barks and it’s furry. The child then put this description of a dog on
a file in his mind . When he sees similar dog, he “pulls” out the file (his schema of a dog) in
his mind, looks at the animal and says “four legs, tail, barks, furry…That’s a dog!

Assimilation- this is the process of fitting a new experience into an existing or previously
created cognitive structure or schema.

e.g. If the child sees another dog, this time with spots , he would make sense of what
he is seeing by adding this new information (a different-looking dog) into his schema of a dog.

Accommodation- this is the process of creating a new schema.

e.g. if the same child now sees another animal that looks a little bit like of a dog , but
somehow different. He might try to fit it into his schema of a dog and say “Look, Mommy, what
a funny looking dog. It barks and is funny too.” Then the mommy explains, “that’s not a funny
looking dog. That’s a goat?” With mommy’s further descriptions, the child will now create a
new schema, that of a goat. He now adds a new file in his filing cabinet.

Equilibration- is achieving proper balance between assimilation and accommodation. When

our experiences do not match our schemata or cognitive structures, we experience cognitive
disequilibrium.

Cognitive Disequilibrium – This means there is a discrepancy between “what is perceived”

and “what is understood”.

PIAGET’S 4 STAGES OF COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT

Stage 1. Sensori-motor stage

This stage corresponds from birth to infancy (age 0-2). This stage when a child who is
initially reflexive in grasping, sucking, and reaching becomes more organized in his movement
and activity. It also focuses on the prominence of the senses and muscle movement through
which the infant comes to learn about himself and the world.

Object Permanence – This is the ability of the child to know that an object still exists
even out of sight.

Stage 2. Pre-Operational Stage

It covers from about (2-7 years old). Intelligence at this stage is intuitive in nature. At
this stage, child can now make mental representations and is able to pretend, the child is ever
closer to the use of symbols. It is highlighted by the following:
 Symbolic function- this is the ability to present objects and events. A symbol is a thing
that presents something. A drawing, a written word, or a spoken word comes to be understood
as representing a real object.

Egocentrism- this is the tendency of the child to only see his point of view and to
assume that everyone also has his same point of view.

Centration- this refers to the tendency of the child to only focus on one aspect.

Irreversibility- pre-operational children still have the inability to reverse their thinking.
They can understand 2+3 is 5 but cannot understand that 5-3 is 2.

Animism- this is the tendency of children to attribute human like traits or characteristics
to inanimate objects, when at night, the child is asked, where the sun is, she will reply, “Mr.
Sun is asleep”

Transductive Reasoning- when a child fails to understand the true relationship

between cause and effect.

Stage 3. Concrete-Operational Stage

This stage is characterized by the ability of the child to think logically but only in terms
of concrete objects. This covers approximately between 8-11 years old or the elementary school
years. This stage is marked by the following:

Decentering- refers to the ability of the child to perceive the different features of
objects and situations. No longer is the child focused or limited to one aspect. This allows the
child to be more logical when dealing with concrete objects and situations.

Reversibility- during the stage of concrete operations, the child can now follow that
certain operations can be done in reverse.

Conservation- ability to know that certain properties of objects like numbers, mass,
volume, or area do not change even if there is a change in appearance. Because of the
development of the child’s ability of decentering and also reversibility, the concrete operational
child can now judge rightly that the amount of water in a taller but narrower container is still
the same as when the water was in the shorter but wider glass.

Seriation. This refers to the ability to order or arrange things in a series based on one
dimension such as weight, volume or size.
Stage 4. Formal Operational Stage

In the final stage of formal operations, covering ages between 12 and 15 years, thinking
becomes more logical, they can now solve abstract problems and can hypothesize. This stage
is characterized by the following:

Hypothetical Reasoning- the ability to come up with different hypothesis about a

problem and to gather and weigh data in order to make a final decision or judgment. The
individual can now deal with “What if” questions.

Analogical Reasoning- the ability to perceive relationship in one instance and then use
that relationship to narrow down possible answers in another similar situation or problem.

Deductive Reasoning- the ability to think logically by applying a general rule to a

particular instance or situation.

From the findings of Piaget and comprehensive theory, the following principles can be
derived:

1. Children will provide different explanations of reality at different stages of cognitive

development

2. Cognitive development is facilitated by providing activities or situations that engage

learners and require adaptation (i.e. assimilation and accommodation)

3. Learning materials and activities should involve the appropriate level of motor or mental
operations for a child of given age; avoid asking students to perform tasks that are beyond
their current cognitive capabilities.

4. Use teaching methods that actively involve students and present challenges.
 Key Points to Remember

1. Schema- refers to the cognitive structures by which individuals intellectually adapt to

and organize their environment.
2. Assimilation- this is the process of fitting a new experience into an existing or
previously created cognitive structure or schema.
3. Equilibration- is achieving proper balance between assimilation and accommodation.
4. Cognitive Disequilibrium – This means there is a discrepancy between “what is
perceive” and “what is understood.
5. Piaget’s 4 Stages of Cognitive Development: Sensori-motor Stage, PreOperational
Stage, Concrete-Operational Stage and Formal Operational Stage.
6. Symbolic function- this is the ability to present objects and events.
7. Egocentrism- this is the tendency of the child to only see of his point of view and to
assume that everyone also has his same point of view.
8. Centration- this refers to the tendency of the child to only focus on one aspects.
9. Irreversibility- pre-operational children still have the inability to reverse their
thinking.
10. Animism- this is the tendency of children to attribute human like traits or
characteristics to inanimate objects, when at night, the child is asked, where the sun
is, she will reply, “Mr. Sun is asleep”.
11. Transductive Reasoning- when a child fails to understand the true relationship
between cause and effect.

12. Decentering- refers to the ability of the child to perceive the different features of
objects and situations.
13. Reversibility- during the stage of concrete operations, the child can now follow that
certain operations can be done in reverse.
14. Conservation- ability to know that certain properties of objects like numbers, mass,
volume, or area do not change even if there is a change in appearance.
15. Hypothetical Reasoning- the ability to come up with different hypothesis about a
problem and to gather and weigh data in order to make a final decision or judgement.it
can now deal with “What if” questions.
16. Analogical Reasoning- the ability to perceive relationship in one instance and then
use that relationship to narrow down possible answers in another similar situation or
problem.
17. Deductive Reasoning- the ability to think logically by applying a general rule to a
particular instance or situation.
Worksheet 2. (Write your answer on a separate sheet.)
CHARACTER PIAGETIAN CONNECTIONISM
Father What is his stage of cognitive development?
Examples: Cite instances why you say he is in this
stage. (What he thought of, how he thought , his
reactions and attitudes.
Mother What is her stage of cognitive development?
Examples: Cite instances why you say she is in this
stage. (What she thought of, how he thought , his
reactions and attitudes.
Children 1. What is his/her stage of cognitive development?
Examples: Cite instances why you say he/she is in
this stage. (What he/she thought of, how he/she
thought , his/her reactions and attitudes.
2. What is his/her stage of cognitive development?
Examples: Cite instances why you say he/she is in
this stage. (What he/she thought of, how he/she
thought , his/her reactions and attitudes.