What Are the Piaget Stages of Development?
Piaget's stages of development are part of
a theory about the phases of normal intellectual development, from infancy
through adulthood. This includes thought, judgment, and knowledge. The stages
were named after psychologist and developmental biologist Jean
Piaget, who recorded the intellectual development and abilities of infants,
children, and teens.
Piaget's four stages of intellectual (or
cognitive) development are:
- Sensorimotor.
Birth through ages 18-24 months
- Preoperational.
Toddlerhood (18-24 months) through early childhood (age 7)
- Concrete
operational. Ages 7 to 11
- Formal
operational. Adolescence through adulthood
Piaget acknowledged that some children may
pass through the stages at different ages than the averages noted above. He
also said some children may show characteristics of more than one stage at a
given time.
But he insisted that:
- Cognitive
development always follows this sequence.
- Stages
cannot be skipped.
- Each stage
is marked by new intellectual abilities and a more complex understanding
of the world.
Piaget's 1936 theory broke new ground
because he found that children's brains work in very different ways than
adults'. Before his theory, many believed that children were not yet capable of
thinking as well as grown-ups.
Some experts disagree with his idea of
stages. Instead, they see development as continuous. Another criticism is that
Piaget didn't consider how a child's culture and social environment affect
their development.
Sensorimotor
Stage
During the early stages, according to
Piaget, infants are only aware of what is right in front of them. They focus on
what they see, what they are doing, and physical interactions with their
immediate environment.
Because they don't yet know how things react,
they're constantly experimenting. They shake or throw things, put things in
their mouth, and learn about the world through trial and error. The later
stages include goal-oriented behavior that leads to a desired result.
Between ages 7 and 9 months, infants begin
to realize that an object exists even though they can no longer see it. This
important milestone -- known as object permanence -- is a sign that memory is
developing.
After infants start crawling, standing, and walking, their increased
physical mobility leads to more cognitive development. Near the end of the
sensorimotor stage (18-24 months), infants reach another important milestone --
early language development, a sign that they are developing some symbolic
abilities.
Preoperational Stage
During this stage (toddler through
age 7), young children are able to think about things symbolically. Their
language use becomes more mature. They also develop memory and imagination,
which allows them to understand the difference between past and future, and
engage in make-believe.
But their thinking is based on
intuition and still not completely logical. They cannot yet grasp more complex
concepts such as cause and effect, time, and comparison
Concrete
Operational Stage
At this time, elementary-age and
preadolescent children -- ages 7 to 11 -- show logical, concrete reasoning.
Children's thinking becomes less focused on
themselves. They're increasingly aware of external events. They begin to
realize that their own thoughts and feelings are unique and may not be shared
by others or may not even be part of reality.
Formal
Operational Stage
Adolescents who reach this fourth stage of
intellectual development -- usually at age 11-plus -- are able to use symbols
related to abstract concepts, such as algebra and science. They can think about
things in systematic ways, come up with theories, and consider possibilities.
They also can ponder abstract relationships and concepts such as justice.
Although Piaget believed in lifelong
intellectual growth, he insisted that the formal operational stage is the final
stage of cognitive development. He also said that continued intellectual
development in adults depends on the buildup of knowledge.
Concepts
of Piaget's Stages of Development
Along with the stages of development,
Piaget's theory has several other main concepts.
Schemas are thought processes that are essentially building
blocks of knowledge. A baby, for example, knows that it must make a
sucking motion to eat. That's a schema.
Assimilation is how you use your existing schemas to interpret a new
situation or object. For example, a child seeing a skunk for the first time
might call it a cat.
Accommodation is what happens when you change a
schema, or create a new one, to fit new information you learn. The child accommodates
when they understand that not all furry, four-legged creatures are cats.
Equilibrium happens when you're able
to use assimilation to fit in most of the new information you learn. So you're
not constantly adding new schemas.
Using Piaget's Stages of Development
Piaget's theory has influenced
education and parenting. Here are some practical ways teachers and parents
can put his ideas to work:
- Remember that kids often learn best by doing things,
rather than hearing about them. Learning to solve problems isn't something
that can be taught. It must be discovered.
- The process of learning is as important (or more so)
than the end result.
- Don't try to teach a child something they aren’t ready
to learn. According to Piaget's stages, kids must master one level before
they move on to the next.
- Kids learn as much from each other as from parents or
teachers. Give them projects to do together, as well as individual tasks.
(Tahir shah)
