Psychology - cognition
and development
Piaget’s theory of cognitive development
● Schemas: An understanding of an object, person or idea.A cluster
of related facts usually based on previous experiences and used
to generate future expectations.
● Assimilation: The process of fitting new experiences into existing schemas
without making any change.A child tries to understand new information in terms
of their existing knowledge about the world.
● Accommodation: The process of adjusting or changing existing schemas
because new, conflicting information creates a disequilibrium. This Occurs when
a child adapts an existing schema in order to understand new information that
doesn’t appear to fit.
● Equilibration: This is experiencing a balance between existing schemas and new
experiences. Equilibrium is the driving force beyond these changes or “adaption”.
The intellect strives to maintain a sense of balance.If an experience cannot be
assimilated into existing schemas, then there is a state of imbalance which is
experienced as an unpleasant state and the individual seeks to restore the
balance through the process of equilibration.
● Lifespan learning: This process takes place throughout life as our experiences
present us with knowledge. Such knowledge can either be assimilated or we
must accommodate by creating new schemas.
, 2
✔️ There is evidence to support the existence of innate
schemas. Fantz showed that infants as young as 4 days old
show a preference for a schematic face rather than the same
features all jumbled up. This shows that it is the unique
configuration of a face rather than a complex pattern that is preferred. This
supports Piaget’s view that when a child’s born they already have a few
schemas.
✔️ The ‘facial preference’ finding has been replicated in a number of studies,
such as Goren et al. Although none of the studies make it unclear whether this is
just a lining for things that are symmetricalI in general an innate face preference
makes sense because such a preference would have adaptive significance as a
new-born who can recognise and respond to its own species will better elicit
attachment and caring. This additional evidence of innate schemas increases
the external reliability of Piaget’s theory of cognitive development.
❌ There is actually little research to support Piaget’s ideas about the effects of
disequilibrium. Some of Piaget’s co-workers did show that children’s learning
was helped when there was a mild conflict between what they expected to
happen and what did happen, but Bryant argues that this isn’t the type of conflict
that Piaget was talking about as Piaget’s conflict was a more major dissonance
between two things. Some of the aspects of the theory are not really testable
because the concepts are difficult to operationalise meaning this theory lacks
falsifiability.
✔️ Piaget produced the first comprehensive theory of children’s cognitive
development. The theory has been more extensively developed than any other. It
has changed our ideas about children and has had a general influence on
educational practice.
Piaget’s stages of intellectual development
● Stage 1 - sensorimotor stage 0-2 years:
○ The infant learns to coordinate sensory input with motor
actions (circular reactions)
and development
Piaget’s theory of cognitive development
● Schemas: An understanding of an object, person or idea.A cluster
of related facts usually based on previous experiences and used
to generate future expectations.
● Assimilation: The process of fitting new experiences into existing schemas
without making any change.A child tries to understand new information in terms
of their existing knowledge about the world.
● Accommodation: The process of adjusting or changing existing schemas
because new, conflicting information creates a disequilibrium. This Occurs when
a child adapts an existing schema in order to understand new information that
doesn’t appear to fit.
● Equilibration: This is experiencing a balance between existing schemas and new
experiences. Equilibrium is the driving force beyond these changes or “adaption”.
The intellect strives to maintain a sense of balance.If an experience cannot be
assimilated into existing schemas, then there is a state of imbalance which is
experienced as an unpleasant state and the individual seeks to restore the
balance through the process of equilibration.
● Lifespan learning: This process takes place throughout life as our experiences
present us with knowledge. Such knowledge can either be assimilated or we
must accommodate by creating new schemas.
, 2
✔️ There is evidence to support the existence of innate
schemas. Fantz showed that infants as young as 4 days old
show a preference for a schematic face rather than the same
features all jumbled up. This shows that it is the unique
configuration of a face rather than a complex pattern that is preferred. This
supports Piaget’s view that when a child’s born they already have a few
schemas.
✔️ The ‘facial preference’ finding has been replicated in a number of studies,
such as Goren et al. Although none of the studies make it unclear whether this is
just a lining for things that are symmetricalI in general an innate face preference
makes sense because such a preference would have adaptive significance as a
new-born who can recognise and respond to its own species will better elicit
attachment and caring. This additional evidence of innate schemas increases
the external reliability of Piaget’s theory of cognitive development.
❌ There is actually little research to support Piaget’s ideas about the effects of
disequilibrium. Some of Piaget’s co-workers did show that children’s learning
was helped when there was a mild conflict between what they expected to
happen and what did happen, but Bryant argues that this isn’t the type of conflict
that Piaget was talking about as Piaget’s conflict was a more major dissonance
between two things. Some of the aspects of the theory are not really testable
because the concepts are difficult to operationalise meaning this theory lacks
falsifiability.
✔️ Piaget produced the first comprehensive theory of children’s cognitive
development. The theory has been more extensively developed than any other. It
has changed our ideas about children and has had a general influence on
educational practice.
Piaget’s stages of intellectual development
● Stage 1 - sensorimotor stage 0-2 years:
○ The infant learns to coordinate sensory input with motor
actions (circular reactions)
