| Chapter 4: Development Used to believe children were like small adults, just with less knowledge. Piaget's theory of cognitive development: Stage theory: go through predictable series of changes Constructivist theory: child is active thinker Sensori-motor stage (0 to 2 y.o.): learn basic cause-effects relations by interacting with environment Object permanence: understanding that objects still exist even when we don't see them Preoperational stage (2 to 7 y.o.): form mental images, not tied to immediate environment Pretend play, animistic thinking Egocentrism: do not understand others perceive the world differently Theory of mind: understanding that what you know may be different from what people know. Centration: consider only one aspect of reality at a time Problems of reversibility and conservation Concrete operational stage (7 to 11 y.o.): think logically about concrete objects Formal operational stage (after 11): think logically about abstract things |
 |