Jean Piaget (1896-1980) Was A Cognitive Constructivist

Jean Piaget (1896-1980) was a cognitive constructivist born in Neuchatel, Switzerland. He played a huge role in how we view child development and how we can apply it to teaching in our classrooms. A set of cognitive developmental stages were developed by Piaget to explain how, when and where a child’s development takes place. Cognitive development is crucial, if a child does not develop cognitively then he or she would not be able to reason, interpret, speak, think, understand, remember etc. However, it is important to remember that cognitive development happens over time and that it cannot be forced onto a child. Piaget believed that human beings build ‘schemes’ (actions or action patterns that deal with the environment) that allow us to†¦show more content†¦An infant’s scheme, during this stage, is limited to what he or she can explore through their senses. This stage is called the sensori-motor stage. It is also divided into sub-stages such as reflexes(an action or movement performed without conscious thought as a response to the stimuli), primary circular reactions(exploring the environment by repeating a pleasurable action centred around his or hers own body, such as sucking their thumb), secondary circular reactions(an intentional act is acted out with an object outside of his or body in order to receive a response from the external environment), coordinated secondary scheme(the infants actions become more goal specific in order to overcome obstacles), tertiary circular reactions(when an infant would start experimenting with different actions in order for them to observe what the different possible outcomes would be), symbolic thought(the infant would use an object to try and recreate a moment or event of the past), imitation(children will start their exploration of their environment and will often copy or follow someone or something) and object permanence(an important ability needed to be able to construct a mental representation. An understanding that objects exist in the environment whether they are able to see them or not and is acquired gradually over a period of time. However, object permanence is not fully mastered before the age of 18months). TheShow MoreRelatedWgu Fht Task 11675 Words   |  7 PagesGovernors University Student ID 259630 FHT4 - Task 1 Cognitive Development refers to the construction of the thought process that includes problem solving, remembering and the ability to make decisions, from childhood up to the adulthood stage. Cognitive/Intellectual Development is the ability to learn, reason, and analyze the fact that a process begins from infancy and progresses as the individual (Educational Psychology). Cognitive Development contains events that are logical, like thinkingRead MoreJean Piaget s Theory Of Psychology956 Words   |  4 PagesJean Piaget (1896-1980) was one of the most influential researchers in the area of developmental psychology during the 20th century. 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