A Level Psychology Cognition: Piaget's Stages

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Questions and Answers

What are the four stages of intellectual development identified by Piaget?

Concrete operational (correct)

Formal operational (correct)

Pre-operational (correct)

Sensorimotor (correct)

What is object permanence?

The ability to realize that an object still exists when it passes out of the visual field.

Define conservation in terms of Piaget's theory.

The ability to realize that quantity remains the same even when the appearance of an object changes.

What does egocentrism mean in Piaget's stages?

The tendency to only see the world from one's own perspective. Signup and view all the answers

Explain class inclusion.

An advanced classification skill recognizing that classes of objects have subsets. Signup and view all the answers

What occurs during the sensorimotor stage (0-2 years)?

Children learn by trial and error and develop basic physical coordination. Signup and view all the answers

At what age does Piaget suggest a child understands object permanence?

Around 8 months. Signup and view all the answers

How do pre-operational children typically respond to number conservation tasks?

They often incorrectly state there are fewer counters when they are pushed closer together. Signup and view all the answers

Describe the three mountains task used by Piaget.

Children are shown three model mountains and asked to choose pictures that represent what a doll would see from its perspective. Signup and view all the answers

What does Piaget say about children's reasoning abilities during the concrete operations stage?

Children can conserve and perform better on egocentrism tasks, but only with concrete objects. Signup and view all the answers

What is formal reasoning according to Piaget?

The ability to focus on the form of an argument without being distracted by its content. Signup and view all the answers

What did McGarrigle and Donaldson's study suggest about children's ability to conserve?

Children aged 4-6 could conserve if the task was presented in a less distracting way. Signup and view all the answers

What did Hughes' study reveal about young children's ability to decentre?

Children as young as 3 and a half could position a doll where one police officer could not see it. Signup and view all the answers

According to Piaget, how do different aspects of cognition develop?

He believed that all aspects of cognition develop together. Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Piaget's Stages of Intellectual Development

Four stages are identified: sensorimotor, pre-operational, concrete operational, and formal operational, each characterized by varying reasoning abilities.
All children progress through these stages in the same order, though the exact timing may differ individually.

Sensorimotor Stage (0-2 years)

Children focus on physical sensations and develop basic motor coordination.
Learning occurs through trial and error, understanding that they can control their movements and other objects.
Object permanence develops around eight months; children recognize that objects continue to exist even when out of sight.

Pre-operational Stage (2-7 years)

Egocentrism is prominent; children see the world exclusively from their own perspective, as demonstrated in the three mountains task.
Conservation is a crucial concept; children struggle with understanding that quantity remains unchanged despite changes in appearance, shown through various experiments involving liquid and objects.
Class inclusion begins to develop; younger children may fail to understand that objects can belong to multiple categories simultaneously, such as distinguishing between types of animals and the broader category of animals.

Concrete Operational Stage (7-11 years)

Children can conserve and perform better on tasks involving egocentrism and class inclusion.
Operations are concrete, meaning reasoning applies only to physical objects present; abstract reasoning remains challenging.

Formal Operational Stage (11+ years)

Children develop formal reasoning skills, focusing on the structure of arguments rather than content.
Capable of advanced cognitive tasks, including scientific reasoning and understanding abstract concepts.

Evaluations of Piaget's Theory

Some studies suggest children’s performance in conservation tasks was influenced by experimental conditions rather than true cognitive limitations.
Research by McGarrigle and Donaldson (1974) indicated many younger children could demonstrate an understanding of conservation when prompted in a less direct manner.
Subsequent studies, such as those by Siegler and Svetina (2006), show that children can understand class inclusion earlier than Piaget suggested, given appropriate explanations and contexts.
Hughes (1975) demonstrated that younger children could understand multiple viewpoints better than Piaget believed, using scenarios familiar to them.
Critics argue Piaget underestimated younger children's potential and overestimated adolescent abilities in reasoning and classification skills.
Evidence suggests that cognitive development components, such as language and reasoning, may develop independently rather than in tandem, especially in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

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Description

Explore the stages of intellectual development as defined by Piaget in this A Level Psychology quiz. Each stage reflects a unique level of cognitive reasoning ability with variations in age among children. Test your knowledge with these flashcards!