Piaget's Theory of Child Cognitive Development

Jean Piaget proposed a comprehensive theory identifying four major periods or stages of cognitive development. Each stage represents a different age range and cognitive capability in children.

Sensorimotor Stage (Birth - 2 years)

• Overview: This is the first stage of Piaget's theory where infants learn to coordinate sensory information with motor activity. Infants start to act purposefully on their environment and begin problem-solving.

• Innate Reflexes: Initially, infants' actions are based on reflexes such as sucking and grasping.

• Primary Circular Reactions

  • Focus on the infant's own body.
  • Example: Aiden, at one week old, accidentally moves his hand to his mouth and later repeats it purposefully.
  • Jess, at two months, finds it interesting to open and close her hands near her face.

• Secondary Circular Reactions (Occurs after primary)

  • Involves making interesting things happen in the external world by chance.
  • Example: Iceland, at six weeks, causes a toy to move and learns to keep it moving.
  • James, at five months, learns to play music by pressing a button on a toy.
  • Unlike primary, these are not reflex-based and represent the first acquired adaptations of new behaviors.

• Planned Intentional Behavior

  • Starts around 8 months.
  • Children show intention in behavior.
  • Example: Haydon, at nine months, learns to drop one toy to grasp another and moves obstacles to retrieve desired objects, indicating coordination of schemes.

• Tertiary Circular Reactions (12 - 18 months)

  • Infants actively experiment with their environment to explore outcomes.
  • Example: Tess tries different locations for a teething ring, eventually wearing it as a bracelet.

Development of Object Permanence

• 0-4 Months: Infants are unaware that objects continue to exist when not visible.

  • Example: Josefina, at two months, does not search for a hidden toy.

• 4-8 Months: Infants begin to retrieve objects that are partially hidden.

  • Example: Anthony, at six months, demonstrates this by retrieving a partially hidden object.

• 8-12 Months: Infants show clearer signs of object concept.

  • Consistently look for hidden objects.
  • Example: Tess, at 20 months, reaches around barriers for toys, demonstrating object permanence.

Importance of Object Permanence

• Represents a key cognitive development.
• Allows infants to mentally represent objects they can't see or touch.
• Enables problem-solving using insight and mental experimentation rather than just trial and error.