Reference no: EM13340366

Piaget’s Stages of Cognitive Development

Jean Piaget’s observations of children led to a revolutionary theory of cognitive development that encompasses four qualitatively different stages: the sensorimotor, the preoperational, concrete operations, and formal operations. At each stage, children face different challenges and use different processes as they assimilate and accommodate new experiences. Read the six scenarios listed below and answer the questions that follow each scenario; be sure to answer all parts of the question, as each one requires multiple components to complete the answer. Give brief answers that show your understanding of the concepts.

1. A girl who knows how to roller skate goes ice skating for the first time. She keeps trying to stand and move the same way she did on roller skates, but she keeps falling. According to Piaget, what is the process she is mistakenly following and what other process does she need to use in order to master this new skill? You must indicate which one isn’t working, which one would work, and why.

2. Emma is a four-year-old girl who, on a recent vacation, forgot to bring her favorite doll, Dora, from Dora the Explorer. She told her mother that Dora the doll would be sad all week since Emma wasn’t home to have a tea party with her. Identify Emma’s cognitive stage and the flawed thought process she is using.

3. Preschool-aged Bobby grabs a toy from his baby sister. She starts to cry and Bobby is quite surprised by this. He wanted the toy and is now very happy to have it. He doesn’t understand why she isn’t happy, too. What is Bobby’s cognitive stage and what flaw in his thinking explains why he doesn’t understand his sister’s feelings?

4. Previously, whenever Jeremy banged on his high chair with a spoon, his mother would put the spoon in a drawer and Jeremy would quickly forget about it and move on to something else. Now that he is eight months old, this isn’t working. Jeremy continues to demand the spoon even though he can’t see it. Identify the cognitive stage of this child, explain the cognitive ability he has gained, and say why that makes a difference.

5. Arturo’s grandfather has died, and although he is very sad, Arturo thinks about what it must be like for his grandfather in heaven. He hopes that there is a beautiful lake where his grandfather can fish all day. What is Arturo’s cognitive stage and is he more likely to be 8 years old or 14 years old? Why?

6. Two brothers were each given a “fun size” Snickers bar; one bar was intact, but the other had been accidentally squashed and flattened in their mother’s purse. The younger brother got mad when he was given the intact Snickers bar, because he said that the flattened one was bigger. The older brother was happy to switch, since he knew that they were both the same size. Identify each of the brothers’ cognitive stages and the cognitive ability that the younger brother needs to gain.