1

Piaget
A proponent of the belief that
intelligence develops
qualitatively with age, as well
as quantitatively
Genetic Epistemology
Intellect develops in gradual
stages, much as the body does
Hence the term genetic does not
refer to our genes influence on
our intelligence but rather as a
reference to development
2
Jean Piaget and Cognitive
Development
Piaget believed that all children passed through a set series
of stages during their cognitive development; like Freud, he
was a Stage Theorist
Transformations: Mentally changing the shape or form of a
substance; children younger than 6 or 7 cannot do this
Assimilation: Application of existing mental patterns to new
situations
Accommodation: Existing ideas are changed to
accommodate new information or experiences
Table of Contents Exit
3
Jean Piaget and the First Stage of
Cognitive Development
Sensorimotor (0-2 Years):
All sensory input and motor responses are
coordinated;
most intellectual development here is
nonverbal
Object Permanence: Concept that objects still
exist when they are out of sight
Table of Contents Exit
4
Object Permanence

5
Jean Piaget and the Second Stage of
Cognitive Development
Preoperational Stage (2-7 Years):
Children begin to use language and think
symbolically, BUT their thinking is still intuitive
and egocentric

Intuitive: Makes little use of reasoning and logic
Egocentric: Child is unable to accommodate
viewpoints of others
Table of Contents Exit
6
Conservation
7
Fig. 3.17 Children under age 7 intuitively assume that a volume of liquid increases when it is poured from a short,
wide container into a taller, thinner one. This boy thinks the tall container holds more than the short one. Actually
each holds the same amount of liquid. Children make such judgments based on the height of the liquid, not its
volume.
Table of Contents Exit
8
Water task
A B
Figure A shows
a bottle with
some water in
it.
In B, the
bottle has
been tilted.
Draw a line to
show how the
water line
would look.
9
Jean Piaget and the Third Stage of
Cognitive Development
Concrete Operational Stage (7-11Years):
Children become able to use concepts of time, space,
volume, and number BUT in ways that remain
simplified and concrete, not abstract

Conservation: Mass, weight, and volume remain
unchanged when the shape of objects changes

Reversibility of Thought: Relationships involving
equality or identity can be reversed
Table of Contents Exit
10
Jean Piaget and the Last Stage of
Cognitive Development
Formal Operations Stage (11 Years and Up):
Thinking now includes abstract, theoretical,
and hypothetical ideas

Abstract Ideas: Concepts and examples removed
from specific examples and concrete situations

Hypothetical Possibilities: Suppositions, guesses,
or projections
Table of Contents Exit
11
IMPLICATIONS OF TEACHING AND
LEARNING : Jean Piaget
STAGE IMPLICATIONS
Preoperational Use concrete teaching aids
Instructions short follow with examples
Provide opportunities for hands on activities
Provide wide range of experiences
Operational Continue with concrete materials
Provide opportunities to manipulate objects
Presentations brief and well organised
Use familiar examples
Use logical and analytical thinking
Formal
operational
Provide opportunities to explore alternative answers and
develop hypothesis
Give opportunities to solve problems and provide reasons
scientifically
Teach broad concept and dont concentrate on facts
12
Lev Vygotskys Sociocultural Theory
Childrens cognitive development is heavily influenced by
social and cultural factors
Childrens thinking develops through dialogues with more
capable people
Zone of Proximal Development: Range of tasks a child cannot
master alone even though they are close to having the
necessary mental skills; they need guidance in order to
complete the task
Scaffolding: Framework or temporary support. Adults help
children learn how to think by scaffolding, or supporting, their
attempts to solve a problem or to discover principles
Scaffolding must be responsive to a childs needs
Table of Contents Exit
13
LEV VYGOTSKY
Vygotsky awakes our eyes to the
powerful role of culture and community
in learning.

His theory presents the radical idea
that our very thought and intelligence
is really not our own. Its the product of
history and culture.

14
ZONE OF PROXIMAL
DEVELOPMENT

the distance between the actual
developmental level as determined by
independent problem solving and the level of
potential development as determined through
problem solving under adult guidance, or in
collaboration with more capable peers

15
ZPD
Tasks I cannot do
even with help
Tasks I can do only
with help
Tasks I can do all by
myself
16
Use abstract language
Use language
Babble
ZPD
ZPD
What mental tool has
been internalized?
17
SCAFFOLDING
Scaffolding [is] the way the adult guides the
child's learning via focused questions and
positive interactions.

The Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD), in Education refers
to the distance between what a child can do on his/her own
and what the child can complete with adult assistance.

Vygotsky believed during the learning process children first
learn by imitating adults. In the beginning children are unable
to complete a particular task without assistance. Overtime
this child may be able to complete more complex tasks with
adult assistance. The distinction between these two examples
above is coined the ZPD.

18
IMPLICATIONS OF TEACHING AND
LEARNING : Lev Vygostsky
Assessment focussed on the zone of proximal
development (ZPD). Teachers give exercises of
varying difficulties to determine level of instruction
Teaching to begin on upper limit of ZPD. Give support
and motivation
Encourage help from skilled peers
Monitor and encourage use of private speech. Guide
self talking
Give meaningful instructions and relate to
experience
19
LANGUAGE ACQUISITION
Cooing: Repetition of vowel sounds by infants;
typically starts at 6-8 weeks
Babbling: Repetition of meaningless language
sounds (e.g., babababa); uses consonants B, D, M,
and G; starts at 7 months
Single-Word Stage: The child says one word at a
time
Telegraphic Speech: Two word sentences that
communicate a single idea (e.g., Want cookie)
Table of Contents Exit
20
Stages of Language Development
Birth to Year 1
o infants use different cries, use movement to express
pleasure or pain
o 8 to 10 months babbling becomes more sophisticated
o 8 to 12 months their understanding exceeds ability to
produce it
Age 1 to 2
o child utters many sounds - as if speaking in sentences
o utterances not understandable to adults
o begin to use telegraphic speech, first evidence of their
knowledge of syntax
o by 18 months many pronounce 80% of English phonemes
21
Stages of Language Development cont.
Age 2 to 3
o most dramatic in terms of language development
o typically grows from 300 to 1000 words
o enjoy rhyme, language patterns, and repetition
o repeat new words/phrases and make up new words
Age 3 to 4
o vocabulary and knowledge of sentence structure
continue to develop rapidly
o seem to have acquired all elements of adult language
o talk about what they do as they are doing it
o often talk to themselves as they play
22
Stages of Language Development cont.
Age 5 to 6
o sound like adults when they speak
o vocabulary and syntactic complexity is always
increasing
o supply their own word when they don't know one for a
particular situation
Age 7 to 8
o have developed a grammar that is almost equivalent to
adults
o good conversationalists, talk primarily about what they
do
23
NOAM CHOMSKY AND
THE ROOTS OF LANGUAGE
Biological Disposition: Presumed readiness of ALL
humans to learn certain skills such as how to use
language
Chomsky: Language patterns are inborn
Parentese (Motherese): Pattern of speech used when
talking to infants
Marked by raised voice; short, simple sentences and
repetition
24