Thinking Assignment 3 Piagets Developmental stages

Piagets developmental stages Psychology Class

Abstract

Thinking Assignment 3 Piagets Developmental stages

Cognition and mental abilities on linguistic relativity hypotheses and the language and thought process on linguistic relativity, will be explained. Also, Piagets stages of cognitive development will be explained in full detail and how it is related to the grow and stages in ones life.

Linguistic Relativity

Thinking Assignment 3 Piagets Developmental stages

Linguistic relativity hypothesis is the thought that language of a particular culture determines the content of thoughts among members of that culture, and the way these people perceive and think about their world. Human beings do not live in the objective world alone, nor alone in the world of social activity as ordinarily understood, but are very much at the mercy of the particular language which has become the medium of expression for their society. It is quite an illusion to imagine that one adjusts to reality essentially without the use of language and that language is merely an incidental means of solving specific problems of communication or reflection. The fact of the matter is that the real world' is to a large extent unconsciously built up on the language habits of the group. No two languages are ever sufficiently similar to be considered as representing the same social reality. Languages, of course, are human creations, tools we invent and to suit our needs. Simply showing that speakers of different languages think differently doesn't tell us whether it's language that shapes thought or the other way around. To demonstrate the causal role of language, what's needed are studies that directly manipulate language and look for effects in cognition.

Thinking Assignment 3 Piagets Developmental stages

Piagets cognitive development

In Piagets Cognitive Development, there are four stages. The first is Sensorimotor development, in this stage the person is birth to twenty for months. This level the child learns by sensing and doing. They learn by their actions. Even as a small baby, they learn from their actions. Their actions eventually evolve from reflexes to behavior that is more purposeful. During the sensorimotor stage, an infants knowledge of the world is limited to their sensory perceptions and motor activities. Behaviors are limited to simple motor responses caused by sensory stimuli. Children utilize skills and abilities they were born with, such as looking, sucking, grasping, and listening, to learn more about the environment. Babies use imitation often, by watching the adults around them they try to express their facial expressions. Another important aspect of this stage is, object permanence, this is when the child realizes that an object or person is still around even if they cant see them. Here are some break downs of this stage and what develops in it:

Reflexes (0-1 month):

During this substage, the child understands the environment purely through inborn reflexes such as sucking and looking.

Primary Circular Reactions (1-4 months):

This substage involves coordinating sensation and new schemas. For example, a child may such his or her thumb by accident and then later intentionally repeat the action. These actions are repeated because the infant finds them pleasurable.

Thinking Assignment 3 Piagets Developmental stages

Secondary Circular Reactions (4-8 months):

During this substage, the child becomes more focused on the world and begins to intentionally repeat an action in order to trigger a response in the environment. For example, a child will purposefully pick up a toy in order to put it in his or her mouth.

Coordination of Reactions (8-12 months):

During this substage, the child starts to show clearly intentional actions. The child may also combine schemas in order to achieve a desired effect. Children begin exploring the environment around them and will often imitate the observed behavior of others. The understanding of objects also begins during this time and children begin to recognize certain objects as having specific qualities. For example, a child might realize that a rattle will make a sound when shaken.

Tertiary Circular Reactions (12-18 months):

Children begin a period of trial-and-error experimentation during the fifth substage. For example, a child may try out different sounds or actions as a way of getting attention from a caregiver.

Early Representational Thought (18-24 months):

Children begin to develop symbols to represent events or objects in the world in the final sensorimotor substage. During this time, children begin to move towards understanding the world through mental operations rather than purely through actions. Next stage is the preoperational stage of development; this age ranges from two years to seven years. The child is able to use symbols to represent people, objects, and events. The child
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Thinking Assignment 3 Piagets Developmental stages

cant comprehend in this stage that there is more in the world than whats around it, and that there is more perceptions than just theres. Piaget noted that children in this stage do not yet understand concrete logic, cannot mentally manipulate information, and are unable to take the point of view of other people, which he termed egocentrism. During the preoperational stage, children start playing and pretending more. For example, a child is able to use an object to represent something else, such as pretending a broom is a horse. Role playing also becomes important during the preoperational stage.

The next stage is the concrete operations stage; children from age seven to twelve are in this stage of their life according to Piaget. During this time, children gain a better understanding of mental operations. Children begin thinking logically about concrete events, but have difficulty understanding abstract or hypothetical concepts. Piaget determined that children in the concrete operational stage were good at the use of inductive logic. Inductive logic involves going from a specific experience to a general principle. On the other hand, children at this age have difficulty using deductive logic, which involves using a general principle to determine the outcome of a specific event. A child in this stage is not yet dealing with the question what if. There are competent enough to understand things and how they work, they just compare things to what they already know and explain their reasoning that way.

Final stage of Piaget cognitive development is formal operations; this age ranges from twelve and older. During this time, people develop the ability to think about abstract concepts. Skills such as logical thought, deductive reasoning, and systematic planning also emerge during this stage. Piaget believed that deductive logic becomes important during the formal operational stage. Deductive logic requires the ability to use a general principle to determine a specific

Thinking Assignment 3 Piagets Developmental stages

outcome. This type of thinking involves hypothetical situations and is often required in science and mathematics. While children tend to think very concretely and specifically in earlier stages, the ability to think about abstract concepts emerges during the formal operational stage. Instead of relying solely on previous experiences, children begin to consider possible outcomes and consequences of actions. This type of thinking is important in long-term planning. In earlier stages, children used trial-and-error to solve problems. During the formal operational stage, the ability to systematically solve a problem in a logical and methodical way emerges. Children at the formal operational stage of cognitive development are often able to plan a organized approach to solving a problem. Piaget believed that any further advances that children, teenagers or adults achieved was just refinements in the ability to think logically and reason abstractly.

Piaget's theory of cognitive develop is well known within the fields of psychology and education, but it has also been the subject of considerable criticism. While presented in a series of progressive stages, even Piaget believed that development does not always follow such a smooth and predictable path. In spite of the criticism, the theory has had a considerable impact on our understanding of child development. One problem with his research is the major fact that he only did research on his own children, this in terms makes his research not as credible. Most researchers agree that children possess many of the abilities at an earlier age than Piaget suspected. Recent theory of mind research has found that four and five year old children have a rather sophisticated understanding of their own mental processes as well as those of other people. A continuous process would have to be ongoing and researched on many children to conclude that it is continuous. However, our lives are continuous so, these stages are continuous but in todays world with the environment around them, children are going to go through these stages at different times and adjust to things differently. Recent research states that growth spurs that
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Thinking Assignment 3 Piagets Developmental stages

occur in the development of human cerebral hemispheres tends to overlap at times within Piagets developmental stages. Proving that this is continuous, but maybe not in the exact way or time frames he described them. Either way Piaget research provided a great deal of information on development that we still use today.

Thinking Assignment 3 Piagets Developmental stages

References

Ettinger, R.H. (2011), Psychology, The science of behavior 4/E Deutscher, G. Aug. 26,2010, "Does Your Language Shape How You Think?" The New York Times Magazine, Retrieved from: http://grammar.about.com/od/rs/g/SapirWhorf.htm

Cliffnotes, (2012)Issues in developmental Psychology Retrieved from: http://www.cliffsnotes.com/study_guide/Issues-in-Developmental-Psychology.topicArticleId26831,articleId-26750.html

Santrock, John W. (2008). A topical approach to life-span development (4 ed.). New York City: McGraw-Hill. Retrieved from: http://psychology.about.com/od/piagetstheory/p/formaloperation.htm

Piaget, J. (1977). Gruber, H.E.; Voneche, J.J. eds. The essential Piaget. New York: Basic Books. Retrieved from : http://psychology.about.com/od/piagetstheory/p/formaloperation.htm

Piaget, J. (1983). Piaget's theory. In P. Mussen (ed). Handbook of Child Psychology. 4th edition. Vol. 1. New York: Wiley. Retrieved from: http://psychology.about.com/od/piagetstheory/p/formaloperation.htm