Jean
Piaget
What is
intelligence? It is impossible to give an exact definition but experts have a
variable opinion of it . Jean Piaget made a systematic study of Intelligence in a child & cognitive
development. He describes there is a growing
structure from childhood to adolescence & has a different cognitive
abilities. He was employed at the Binet
Institute in the 1920s to develop french version of the question on the English
intelligence test. His job was to discover
at what stage child could answer these questions correctly. But he
discovered the wrong answers children gave has a logical pattern.These logical
patterns of thinking made him to believe that there are significant differences
between the point of view of adults and children.
Jean
Piaget(1896-1980), a Swiss scientist who originally studied Molluscs. The short
notice he wrote about Albino Sparrow at age 11 made a great scientific career
of over sixty books and several hundred articles. He obtains a P.H.D at
university of Nchatel. Before Piaget, supposition of psychology was children
thinking pattern same as adults & they all had an identical theory of
development regardless of age. They
believed "child is a small adult" and the perspective about the
environment (the world) was same among children and adults . Piaget's question
was how does knowledge grow. Primarily he observed his own three children &
later other children such as his friends & families. He has recorded their
intellectual development from infancy to language. According to him there was a
reorganizing mental process due to the environment and biological maturation
experiences. He explained these patterns cognitively develop and has a
flexibility. Intelligence grows when these patterns called schema become
complex and expand. Result of Biological
development and social development, experiences of the external environment and
maturation of the child, develop the quantity and quality of intelligence. Moreover
he described intelligence has a two basic which are biological and logical.
It's begins with a biological background and
continuous interaction with environment build a logical thinking
pattern. Maturation and the movements with environment build a deep cognitive
development.
Piaget theory
of Cognitive express child development is the interaction between a child and
the environment. Every child has periods of cognitive development without any
cultural effect & every period has a
progress of early stage. Children have a unique pattern of developing these
stages. But the age to start these periods differ from each other. In his research
at Binet institute he realized one age group has same wrong answers. Then he
stated we need to worry about the quality of child intelligence instead of how
many questions he answered. They have their own logical patterns of solving
problems. His research pattern differed from others, instead of researching preset hypothesis he observed the natural behavior and
asked open questions. It is concerned about children rather than all learners.
There are
three basic components to this theory
·
Schemas
·
Adaptation
, Assimilation, Accommodation
·
Stages
of Development
Schema
Piaget called the schemas the basic building
block of intelligent behavior. It is a linked mental demonstration of the world. It is controlled External
behaviors and thinking pattern. New born baby has a some natural talent to solve
some problems. These interaction happened due to an external environmental behavior.
Respond to these circumstances build a
unit of knowledge. This is a process of developing schemas. The first stage of
the schema is an individual unit of knowledge. Ex: Schema of sucking milk. By
progressing this action permanent the schema in his mind. Then the child could
find what is the difference between sucking other object such as a finger or
bottle nipple. Now he knows the difference between object. In second level
child identify which one is taste better. In third stage different schemas now
set together. This is a special development of
the Schema. Now he identifies the bottle and has a knowledge how to hold
it and drink it. Three Schemas put together. Repeating these activities build
intelligence & expand it to other activities. This is cognitive
development.
Adaptation, Assimilation
and Accommodation.
Once the child had a new experience he
coordinated his schema with the previous one. If it is close to the previous
schema he assimilates new schema. Assimilation refers to using existing mental
patterns in new situations. Ex: Child has a schema of a Monkey and once he saw
a gorilla he realized this is a Monkey but a mother can describes he is a gorilla little different
than Monkey. Teaching them help to develop new schemas. In Accommodation, Existing
ideas modified to fit the new requirements. Equilibrium occurs when a child's
schema can deal with the most new information though assimilation.
Stages of Development
·
The
Sensorimotor Stage (0-2 Years)
At this stage intellectual development will
be largely nonverbal.Infants leaning to coordinate her movements with
information from their sense.Also object permanence ,understating that object
continue to exist when they are out if sight.Child formation are becoming more
stable at this stage.
·
The
Preoperational Stage (2-7 Years)
During
this stage children begin to think symbolically and use language. But still his
thinking is intuitive. Children think magically and poetically. The child is
quite egocentric.
·
The
Concrete Operational Stage (7-11Years)
The
important development during this stage is mastery of conservation. Children understand
and apply logical operations or principles. They begin to use the concept of
time,space and number. They have an ability to reverse thought or mental
operations.
·
The
formal operational Stage (11years and up)
Children begin to break away from concrete
objects and specific examples.Thinking is based on "democracy","
honor" or "correlation".This can think about their thought &
become less egocentric.They can think about hypothetical possibilities.
Today Piaget theory using for most
educational institutions. His theory guide to a parent not to force the child
since there are specific stages of development. Piaget has been widely influenced
in developing educational policy and Teaching. As an example- According to the
publication of the Plowden report(1967) a review of primary education by the UK
government in 1966 was based strongly on the theory. There are some weaknesses
in his theory such as stages , an age group which are not described by other
theorist. The concept of every child develops in a same order regardless of
cultural setting (social setting).
His research method more open to have false
factors. His researches based on a few participations such as his three
infants.
Today Piaget theory help to determine how
children think. But Piaget underestimate
infant's thinking pattern. There is a gap between Piaget theory and present
learning theories. Some children answered questions correctly before the period
he explain. This because of the environment where the child lives. Infant also
can understand , memorized certain concept & people.Anyhow Piaget cognitive
theory highly influence to change the assumption of children's thinking pattern. Child is not
a small adult anymore.
References
Ginsburg H.G.A Sylvia -Piaget's theory of
Intellectual development,Englewood Cliffs-Prantice Hall 1963
Coon Dennis -Psychology a modular approach to
mind and behavior 2006
McLeod,
S. A. (2009). Jean Piaget | Cognitive Stages
of Development. Retrieved
fromhttp://www.simplypsychology.org/piaget.html
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