Piaget theory of Cognitive Development

Piaget theory of Cognitive Development

In Piaget theory of Cognitive Development, Piaget observed that children think in a different way from adults. Piaget put an idea that "Thought not only determines language, but also precedes it". Following are the brief of Piaget theory of Cognitive Development :- 

Piaget’s Cognitive Development 

Stages of Development by Piaget

a) Sensori –Motor Stage(birth- 2 years)


b) Pre-Operational Stage(2 -7 years)

c) Concrete Operational Stage(7-11 years)

d) Formal Operational Stage(11- 15 years and above)

[Read: Learning Disabilities - for CTET and all other State TETs Exam Preparation]

Sensori-Motor Stage (birth -2 years)

• Infants and toddlers acquire knowledge through senses(i.e. through eyes, nose, ears, mouth and touch) and manipulation of object, build an understanding of the world

• Absence of language convey through senses and motor activity

• Object permanence –infants developing the understanding that objects continue to exist even when out of sight

• Infants show goal oriented behaviour

Motivation and Types of Motivation - for CTET, KVS, HTET, PSTET, UPTET, MPTET and RAJTET Preparation

Pre-operational Stage(2 -7 years)

• Begins to use language, symbols and gestures.

• In this stage children learn through pretend and play.

• Children becomes more imaginative, good at remembering object.

• Egocentric thinking/nature

• Object identification start

• Child thinks intuitively not logically

• illogical Thinking or transductive reasoning

• Animism-inanimate objects like toys have feeling and emotion.

• Vocabulary increases from about 200 words at 2 years to about 2000 words at 7 years.

• Absence of Reversibility and conservation.

[Read: Principles of Growth and Development - for CTET, KVS, HTET, PSTET, UPTET, MPTET and RAJTET Preparation]

Concrete Operational Stage(7-11 years)

• In this children start to think more logically and systematically but continue to be rigid

• Start exploring and wandering

• Concept formation begins, childrens start classification of objects

• Becomes less centered on themselves i.e. no longer egocentric

• Conservation-Imagination of the previous stage is replaced with actual facts.

• Start solving mathematical problems by using fingers, building block etc

• Start to share thoughts, feelings and opinions

[Read: Divisibility Rules of 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6]

Formal Operational Stage(11-15 years and above)

• At this of development childrens learn to deals with abstraction by logical thinking

• Become Creative, idealistic, and use deductive reasoning 

• Think more scientifically and logically about things around them

• At this stage child solve problem using their logical mind and hypothetical reasoning.

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