Notes
Outline
The Works of Jean Piaget
1896 – 1980
Barry Schiller
www.ucn-web.info
"“ Children have real understanding..."
 “ Children have real understanding only of that which they invent themselves, and each time  that we try to teach them something too quickly, we prevent them from reinventing it themselves”
                                                      Jean Piaget
INTRODUCTION
The Man
Chronology
The work s
The Theories
Terminology
Bibliography
THE MAN
1896 Born August 9th Neufchatel, Switzerland
1906 Published first paper
1918 Obtained Doctorate in Zoology from Neufchatel and studied Psychology at Zurich
1923 The language and thought of the Child
1924 Judgement and Reasoning in the Child
The MAN (cont)
1925-29 Professor of philosophy at Neuchatel
1929 Professor of Child Psychology at Geneva and established centre of Genetic Epistemology
1939 – 1952 Chairperson of Sociology at Geneva
1940 – 1971 Chairperson of Genetic and experimental psychology at Geneva
1948 Published “The Origins of Intelligence in Children” Revised 1952
THE MAN (cont)
1955-1980 Director of International Centre for Genetic Epistemology
1964 The early Growth of Logic in the Child
1970 Science of Education and the psychology of the Child
September 16th 1980 Died at age 84
THE WORKS
Observations of an Albino Sparrow
Identified the child’s four stages of mental growth
Standardized Burt’s test of intelligence
Interest in cognitive development begins
Becomes interested in child language development
THE WORKS (cont)
Based much of work on observation of limited numbers
Interned in Genetic Epistomology , established Centre for Genetic Epistemology
EPISTOMOLOGY
Term for part of Cognition Theory
Endeavours to investigate cognition in the most varied fields of knowledge by throwing a critical light on the objects of investigation








 “Epistemology itself can be science when it is concerned with research into mechanisms of scientific knowledge”
                                                Jean Piaget










Piaget: What makes the wind?
Julia: The trees.
Piaget: How do you know?
Julia: I saw them waving their arms.
Piaget: How does that make the wind?
Julia: I saw them waving their arms.
Piaget: How does that make the wind?
 Julia: (Waving her hand in front of his face): Like this. Only they are
bigger. And there are lots of trees.
Piaget: What makes the wind on the ocean?
Julia: It blows there from the land. No it’s the waves….
THE WORKS (cont)
Beliefs not correct by adult criterion but are not incorrect either
classifying them as ‘true’ and ‘false’ we miss the real point and show a lack of respect for the child.
young children are in very good stead when they do not know enough or have enough skill to handle the kind of explanation that elders would prefer to have known.
THE WORKS (cont)
The Language and Thought of the Child, published in 1923,
Judgment and Reasoning in the Child; published in 1924;
The Child’s conception of the world, published in 1926,
The Child’s Conception of Physical Causality, published in 1930
The Moral Judgment of Child, published in 1932
 

"The adult thinks socially, even when he is alone and the child under seven thinks egocentrically, even in the society of others”

 "They form logic of action but not yet a logic of thought."
THE WORKS (cont)
Moral Judgment of the Child (1932). four stages of moral development of child
Logic and Epistemology (1953). four stages of cognitive development :Genetic Epistemology
laid foundations for the development of another set or schema
Theory included large number of different skill sets of schemas influenced by Gestaltists
THE THEORIES
THE THEORY OF COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT
INFORMATION PROCESSING COGNITIVE THEORY
THE THEORY OF COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT
series of 4 distinct stages in intellectual development
(1) Motor or Individual Stage : (Birth to 2 years)
In this stage, motor habits assume a ritual character or he responds according to his own desires.
(2) Co-operative Stage : (2 to 7 years of age)
In this stage, the child’s play is with a disregard for rules.
(3) Codification of Rules Stage : (7 to 11 years of age)
In this stage, rules are respected through the notion of them is vague.
(4) Egocentric Stage : (11 to 12 years of age)
In this stage, the child observes the society’s rules, customs, etc.
THE PIAGETIAN STAGE
(BIRTH TO 2 YEARS)
infants (small child) construct an understanding of the world by coordinating sensory experiences
infant progresses from reflective, instinctual action at birth to the beginning of symbolic thought
 understanding that objects continue to exist when they are out of sight emerges at this time
THE SECOND PIAGETIAN STAGE (2 to 7 YEARS)
children begin to think symbolically and they use language
children begin to represent the world with words, images and drawings
use of language is not always as sophisticated, as it might seem
unable to take the viewpoint of other one
doesn’t realize that your views differ from his.
THIRD PIAGETIAN STAGE
(7 to 11 YEARS)
can perform operations, and logical reasoning
replace intuitive thought as long as reasoning can be applied to specific or concrete examples
mastery of Conservation
begin to use concepts of time, space and number.
FINAL PIAGETIAN STAGE
(11 to 15 YEARS)
think in abstract and more logical terms
learns in this final stage to manipulate abstract ideas, make hypothesis, and is also able to see the implications of his own thinking and that of others
able to compare their parents with ideal parents with the ideal standard.
full adult intellectual ability is attained to formal operations
                                                                      cont.
FINAL PIAGETIAN STAGE
(11 to 15 YEARS)
Older adolescents are capable to reason inductive and deductive way of logic
able to learn algebra, mathematics, physics, philosophy, psychology and other abstract subjects
children continuously gain specific knowledge
INFORMATION PROCESSING COGNITIVE THEORY
How individuals process information about their world
Moral Development
(1) Motor or Individual Stage : (Birth to 2 years)
(2) Co-operative Stage : (2 to 7 years of age)
3) Codification of Rules Stage : (7 to 11 years of age)
4) Egocentric Stage : (11 to 12 years of age)
)
Motor or Individual Stage (Birth to 2 year)
In this stage, motor habits assume a ritual character or he responds according to his own desires.
Co-operative Stage : (2 to 7 years of age)
In this stage, the child’s play is with a disregard for rules.
Codification of Rules Stage : (7 to 11 years of age)
In this stage, rules are respected though the notion of them is vague.
Egocentric Stage : (11 to 12 years of age)
In this stage, the child observes the society’s rules, customs, etc.
Intellectual Development
there is a growth of intellect in childhood
all children pass through a series of distinct stages
intellect grows through the process of Assimilation Fitting new information into existing schemes. and
Accommodation. Altering existing schemes or creating new ones in response to new information.
Language Development
By 6 months environmental influences have great importance
At about the age of 1 The first word is spoken
By the age of 1½ to 2 years, their vocabulary may include from 24 to 270 words,
This increases up to 2600 or more words at the age of six.
Starting primary school the children understand around 8,000 words and use about 4000
Slide 28
Parent’s role in the Child’s Language Development
Slide 30

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Bee, H. 2002. Lifespan Development. Boston
Bringuier, J-C, 1980. Conversations with Jean Piaget. United States of America.
Flanagan, C. 1994. A Level Psychology, Letts Study Guide. London.
Stubbotsky. 1992. Foundations of the Mind. Hertfordshire.
Vygotsky, L. 1997. Thought and language. United States of America.
Flavell, J. Developmental Psychology of Jean Piaget. Pricetown NJ
www.top-psychology.com October 2002
www.Piaget.org October 2002