User:Rmbillings2/Piaget's theory of cognitive development

"Piaget did not accept the belief that children are "little adults" who have less knowledge; instead he believed children think and speak differently than adults. By thinking that children have great cognitive abilities, Piaget came up with four different cognitive development stages, which he put out into testing. Within those four stages he managed to group them with different ages. In each stage, he described how children manage to develop their cognitive skills. For example, he believed that children experience the world through actions, representing things with words, thinking logically, and using reasoning.""

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Piaget viewed children as constantly learning and adjusting to their environment over time. He theorized that over a natural timetable, children progressed to comprehend their environment better by mastering simple concepts and adding more difficult ones over time. He noticed four distinct stages where children gain a new way of interpreting the world around them: sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operations. The first stage covers children from birth to two years old. In this stage, children learn to control their bodies and reflexes to have interactions with the world around them. Children in this stage also recognize that they are separate from other people and objects around them. The second or preoperational stage covers children two years old to six or seven years old. During this stage, children use their reflexes and bodies well. They also begin to realize that inner thoughts and behaviors impact the outside world. They also gain better control of language. The third or concrete operational stage covers ages six through twelve years old. These children have begun to master inner thought and begin to look at the world logically. They also are able to classify and compare objects. The fourth or formal operations stage covers ages 12 through adulthood. These children now understand logical thinking and are able to expand their thought processes to explore theories, and thought processes within and outside of the child, and can ponder concepts. These four stages make up the whole of Piaget's theory of development.

source for information: Duignan, B., Gaur, A., Higgins, J., Lotha, G., Rodriguez, E., Tikkanen, A., & Young, G. (2021, September 12). Jean Piaget. Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved June 8, 2022, from https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jean-Piaget