Piaget's theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Piaget's theory - Essay Example ntelligence was active; and that children are not passive recipients of information, rather that they actively construct and reconstruct their knowledge of the world. Cognitive disequilibrium and the child’s action and interaction with the physical environment fuel the development of the cognitive system towards more advanced psychological structures (Fisher & Lerner, 2004). This paper will evaluate Piaget’s theory of the four stages of cognitive evolution in child development. Further, similarities and differences will be identified between Erikson’s theory and Piaget’s theory of child development, with respect to the development of identity. According to Piaget’s theory, the development of intelligence and cognitive functioning in children progresses through a series of four stages based on age and concurrent biological changes and maturation. This leads to the child demonstrating a higher level of functioning at each successive stage, as compared to the previous stage (Videbeck, 2007). The stages of development are not universal, since cultural differences exist. However, the mechanisms that underlie cognitive development are considered to be universal (Pressley & McCormick, 2007). 1. The sensorimotor stage: This extends from birth to two years. The child develops a sense of self, differentiated from the environment, and develops the concept of object permanence. That is, a perception of the existence of tangible objects even when they are out of sight, that they do 3. The concrete operations stage: Between six to twelve years the child begins to apply logic to thinking, understands spatiality and reversibility, is increasingly social and able to apply rules; however, thinking is still concrete. 4. The formal operations stage: From twelve to fifteen years and beyond, the child learns to think and reason in abstract terms. Further, there is development of logical thinking and reasoning, and the achievement of cognitive maturity in the child