Piaget's Sensorimotor Substages

Questions and Answers

What happens during Substage 1: Simple Reflexes?

Reflexes determine the infant's interactions with the world.

In Substage 2: First Habits and Primary Circular Reactions, what do infants begin to do?

Infants begin to coordinate separate actions into single, integrated activities.

What major shift occurs during Substage 3: Secondary Circular Reactions?

Infants shift their cognitive horizons beyond themselves and begin to act on the outside world.

What do infants achieve in Substage 4: Coordination of Secondary Circular Reactions?

Object permanence. Signup and view all the answers

What characterizes Substage 5: Tertiary Circular Reactions?

Deliberate variation of actions that bring desirable consequences. Signup and view all the answers

What is the major achievement of Substage 6: Beginnings of Thought?

Capacity for mental representation or symbolic thought. Signup and view all the answers

How does the sucking reflex manifest in Substage 1?

The infant sucks at anything placed in its lips. Signup and view all the answers

Give an example of how an infant might combine actions in Substage 2.

An infant might grasp an object while sucking on it. Signup and view all the answers

In Substage 3, how does a child demonstrate cognitive modification?

By picking up a rattle and shaking it in different ways to hear the sound changes. Signup and view all the answers

What does an infant do in Substage 4 to reach another toy?

Pushes one toy out of the way to access another toy. Signup and view all the answers

What observation does a child make in Substage 5 when dropping a toy?

The child observes where the toy falls from different positions. Signup and view all the answers

What ability do children demonstrate in Substage 6 regarding unseen objects?

They can plot unseen trajectories of objects. Signup and view all the answers

What is the sensorimotor stage?

Piaget's initial major stage of cognitive development consisting of six substages. Signup and view all the answers

Define goal-directed behavior as per Substage 4.

Behavior combining several schemes to generate a single act to solve a problem. Signup and view all the answers

What is object permanence in the context of Substage 4?

The realization that people and objects exist even when they cannot be seen. Signup and view all the answers

What does mental representation refer to in Substage 6?

An internal image of a past event or object. Signup and view all the answers

What is deferred imitation in Substage 6?

Imitating a person who is no longer present after witnessing a similar act. Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Piaget's Sensorimotor Substages Overview

The sensorimotor stage is Piaget's initial major stage of cognitive development, spanning from birth to approximately 2 years of age.
This stage is divided into six substages, each representing a different aspect of cognitive growth.

Substage 1: Simple Reflexes (First Month of Life)

Reflexes, such as sucking, are central to the infant's interactions with their environment.
The sucking reflex prompts infants to suck on any object placed in their mouth.

Substage 2: First Habits and Primary Circular Reactions (1 to 4 Months)

Infants begin integrating separate actions into cohesive activities.
Actions include combining grasping with sucking or staring with touching.

Substage 3: Secondary Circular Reactions (4 to 8 Months)

Infants shift focus from self to external environment, demonstrating cognitive growth.
Example: A child repeatedly shakes a rattle, modifying their actions to observe sound changes.

Substage 4: Coordination of Secondary Circular Reactions (8 to 12 Months)

Infants develop goal-directed behavior, coordinating multiple schemes to solve problems.
Object permanence develops, understanding that objects continue to exist even when not visible.
Example: Infants may push one toy aside to reach another that is partially hidden.

Substage 5: Tertiary Circular Reactions (12 to 18 Months)

Deliberate variation of actions occurs, with infants conducting "mini-experiments."
They seek to discover changes in outcomes rather than merely repeating previous actions.
Example: A child drops a toy repeatedly from different heights to observe where it falls.

Substage 6: Beginnings of Thought (18 Months to 2 Years)

Major achievement is the development of mental representation or symbolic thought.
Infants can imagine the location of unseen objects and plot their trajectories.
Example: A child predicts where a ball will emerge after rolling under furniture.

Key Concepts

Goal-Directed Behavior (Substage 4): Combining schemes for problem-solving.
Object Permanence (Substage 4): Understanding that objects exist even when unseen.
Mental Representation (Substage 6): Internal images of past events or objects.
Deferred Imitation (Substage 6): Imitating actions of absent individuals based on prior observations.

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Description

Explore Piaget's six substages of the sensorimotor stage of cognitive development. This quiz focuses on the early reflexive actions and the development of habits in infants from birth to 4 months. Understand how these stages influence an infant's interaction with their environment.