Developmental Psychology

1.17 Cognitive Theory Jean Piaget is yet another influential individual in the field of psychology. He created the cognitive stages of development. On the next page is the stages of cognitive development. Stages of Cognitive Development: Stage Sensorimotor Birth through 2 years 1. Preoperational 2 through 7 years Concrete Operational 7 through 11 years 1. Formal Operational 11 years and beyond 1. *Post-Formal Operational Stage Adults 1. This stage was added later after the original theory was developed 2. Adults who completed college or a graduate education *This stage was added later after the original development of the stages of cognitive development. Just like other theorists, Piaget’s stages were also criticized. Here are some of the issues that people had with these developmental stages. • It underestimated the abilities of preschool aged children • It overestimated individuals within the formal operational stage • Some believed that children would not move easily through the stages • Some believed that cultural influences were not considered in the development of this stage Another cognitive theorist was a man by the name of Lev Vygotsky. He focused on the social aspect of cognitive development. He believed that language was highly important and was needed for learning. He created the zone of proximal development or ZPD for short. He believed that this idea was the best way for someone to learn how to balance previous knowledge with knowledge that had not yet been acquired. An example of this may be a child having the ability to read a book on their own if it is an easy read. Books that are more complex may be more difficult for a child to read. The Zone of Proximal Age Description Children will learn by using their senses 2. Some children will repeat their actions multiple times. 1. Children learn life operations 2. Begin to understand symbolic functions Children engage in complex thoughts and behaviors 2. Concrete = Tangible 3. Begin to understand cause and effect Begin to learn logic and have abstract thoughts 2. Have the ability to have hypothetical thoughts about the future

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