Psych._Essay

Psychology thesis: Theory of Cognitive Development   Psychology thesis: Theory of Cognitive Development The theme of “Cognitive Development” and its theory will be explored in this thesis. It will be explored, whether the Theory is valid and can be applied in modern study. Cognitive Development is defined by the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh (2008) as, "Development of the ability to think and reason," or defined by a more recent definition by the ITS tutorial school (2009) as, "The growth of cognitive (thinking) abilities." The theory of Cognitive Development, which was proposed by Jean Piaget, states that children's thinking does not develop entirely smoothly, but rather it moves through different stages. (Atherton, 2009) The theory also states that a child would have to completely master one stage before it could move on to the next, and that the previous stage would act as a building block for the following one. Today, his theory helps scientists to better understand how children learn and develop. The Key Researcher and Theorist: Jean Piaget In the article entitled, “Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development,” Jean Piaget is regarded as, "One of the most influential researchers in the area of development psychology during the 20th century.” Perhaps, he is given of this name as he had developed a sophisticated and successful theory in explaining cognitive development. He devised four stages that he thought a human child would go through before reaching full competency. He also theorized that an infant is born with operating schemes that he called, “reflexes,” which were without volition, and would help the child adapt to the surrounding environment in order to procure constructed schemes. (Huitt & Hummel, 2003) He noticed that even infants have skills in regard to objects in their milieu. Perchance he could have been successful due to his understanding of his subject. In 1940, he became the chair of Experimental Psychology, also the Director of the psychology laboratory, and even the President of the Swiss Society of Psychology. (Boeree, 2006) He initially learned the areas of biology and philosophy, which may have motivated him into researching the biological reasons into why we learn. Theory of Cognitive Development: The four stages As mentioned before, Piaget theoretically mentioned four stages that a child had to undertake in cognitive development. He defined two procedures which a person would use in order to adapt to its environment and develop; Assimilation and accommodation. Assimilation is the process of transforming the environment so that it can be modified to fit into its antecedent mental configurations. Accommodation is the manner of altering cognitive configurations in order to admit the environment. The processes are used extensively in the stages. (Huitt, 2006) An example of a situation where a child would use these processes is when the child is sucking on a bottle; it would assimilate its sucking on a smaller bottle to a larger one. The four stages are as such: I. Sensorimotor stage II. Preoperational stage III. Concrete operational stage IV. Formal operational stage Stage 1: Sensorimotor stage; Infancy This period is staged around the child’s birth until it is two years old, but may vary according to the child’s ability to master each stage chronologically. As the name suggests, this period tells of the child using its senses and motor abilities to interact with the world, first beginning with simple reflexes and movements and developing into more complex combinations of sensorimotor abilities. (Boeree, 2006) Also, since the child is merely focusing on physical interaction with the world, its knowledge of it is limited. (Huitt, 1999) The sensorimotor stage consists of six sub-stages, of which are incremental steps towards greater cognizance. (Toothman, 2010) During the six sub-stages, the child will attain object permanence by the age of seven months, and will develop new intellectual abilities through physical development. At the end of this stage, the child would have developed some symbolic abilities in order to communicate with its environment. But, this sense of study does have some controversy. The Bower and Wishart experiment in 1972 showed that children did not follow suite exactly as Piaget had speculated. A six-month-old child would still be able to find an object hidden under a cup if the cup was transparent, thus disproving Piaget’s idea of a child not having object permanence. (Shinskey et al., 2000) Piaget could have better his idea on early motor abilities being the lead role in development; a child could simultaneously improve on another aspect of its cognizance as well. Stage 2: Preoperational stage; Toddler and Early Childhood This period lasts from the child being two months old until it is seven months old, again varying from the child’s competence. Throughout this stage, the child demonstrates its ability to interact with its environment using symbols and develops memory and imagination. (Huitt, 1999) An example of the child using symbolism is in creative play, where objects are represented as different objects; checkers are seen as cookies, papers are dishes, etc. (Boeree, 2006) The child’s thinking is done illogically, in a non-reversible manner and with egocentric predominating. This sense of egocentrism can be seen in Piaget’s mountain study. In the study, he would sit a child down at a table directly across him. The table would have different size and coloured mountains on it, and Piaget would ask the child to choose from a number of pictures what he would be seeing. Usually, the child would choose the view that s/he sees it form, not Piaget’s. Older children would pick the correct view. However, this may be disproved another study, called the Hughes’ experiment in 1975. That study explained that smaller children could de-centre if the tasks set to them were more humane. Thus this concept of egocentrism is generally correct, but still may be improved through further study and revision. Some children could be able to see the world through another one’s eyes. Stage 3: Concrete operational stage; Elementary and early adolescence This period lasts from the child being seven years until it is eleven years old. In this stage, the child has a greater understanding and ability to manipulate symbols in order to interact with the world. Here, the child’s mental actions are reversible, and its egocentrism reduces. (Huitt, 2006) At the start of the stage, the child begins to reduce its egocentrism. The child is characterized to be able to conserve seven types of things; numbers, length, liquid, mass, weight, area and volume. The child is able to understand that an object’s quantity is the same even though its appearance changes. (Huitt, 2006) However, this concept can be disproved by the McGarrigle and Donaldson study in 1974. They explained that a younger child would still be able to conserve objects if the experiment’s objectives were explained to him/her properly. (Dockrell, 1980) Therefore, this notion is generally correct, but still may be improved through additional amendment. Further study in age range could be assessed and implemented into his work. Stage 4: Formal operational stage; Adolescence and adulthood This final period lasts from the child been eleven years old until adulthood. This stage is usually not attained by adults; many people do not think formally during adulthood. (Huitt, 2006) In this period, the person has the ability to use symbols in order to interact with more abstract concepts, and there is a brief return to egocentric thought at the start of the period before the person matures. (Boeree, 2006) Evidence of study in this area can be found in the Pendulum task. The study showed that children were able to effectively communicate and discuss mature matters in order to assess a certain topic. This stage has had valid assessment, although more studies could have been conducted in order to confirm its legitimacy. Conclusion Through this notion, Piaget and his Theory of Cognitive Development have been thoroughly assessed. It has become evident that he has put some substantial effort into fulfilling his goal of finding a “biological explanation of knowledge.” Although there are some flaws and misconceptions, his work is a considerable ground work for modern scientists to better understand cognitive development in the people of today.   Reference Glossary – Child and Adolescent Mental Health. (2008). Retrieved from http://www.chp.edu/CHP/P02566 Psychology Dictionary. (2009). Retrieved from http://www.tuition.com.hk/psychology/c.htm Atherton, J. (2009). Learning and Teaching; Piaget’s developmental theory. Retrieved from http://www.learningandteaching.info/learning/piaget.htm Boeree, C. (2006). Jean Piaget. Retrieved from http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/piaget.html Huitt, W., & Hummel, J. (2003). Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development. Retrieved from http://www.edpsycinteractive.org/topics/cogsys/piaget.html Toothman, J. (2010). What are Piaget’s stages of cognitive development' Retrieved from http://health.howstuffworks.com/life-stages/parenting/child-development/piagets-stages-cognitive1.htm# Bremner, J. (2000). Developmental relationships between perception and action in infancy. Retrieved from http://www.psych.lancs.ac.uk/people/uploads/GavinBremner20050705T132856.pdf Dockrell, J. (1980). Conservation Accidents Revised. Retrieved from http://jbd.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/3/4/423