Piaget's theory of cognitive development

A set of expectations or ideas we have about a certain concept, these act like a mental blueprint and help transition from one cognitive stage to the next.

• Schemas

• Accommodation

• Conservation

• Memories

The first stage of cognitive development. At this stage children develop object permanence and process the world through their senses and by developing their motor skills.

• Birth - 2 years

• Preoperational

• Sensorimotor

• Concrete operational

Understanding that quantities remain the same even when their appearance changes. For example, a child at this stage realizes that water poured from a short, wide glass into a tall, narrow one is still the same amount, despite the new shape.

• Conservation

• Abstract Thinking

• Decentrism

• Egocentrism

At what stage of development does conservation occur?

• Sensorimotor

• Preoperational

• Concrete operational

• Formal operational

What was the age range of the 100 children that Piaget used in his 3 mountains study?

• 4 years - 12 years

• 6 years - 9 years

• 7 years - 12 years

• 4 years - 6 years

Which of the following was not a trial in Piaget's 3 mountains study?

• Selecting a picture to represent the doll's view.

• Rearranging cards to represent the doll's view.

• Children asked to draw an image to represent the doll's view.

• Moving the doll to represent a picture of the mountains.

At what age did the children show signs of decentrism by inconsistently selecting the image that represented the doll's view?

• 4 - 6 years

• Preoperational

• 7 - 9 years

• Concrete operational

Which of the following is considered a strength of Piaget's 3 mountains study?

• The study used children from different ages.

• Standardised procedures were used, allowing easy replication and internal reliability.

• The study was conducted in a laboratory.

• The study used a doll to test egocentrism.

Which of the following is a criticism of Piaget's 3 mountains study?

• The laboratory conditions help control extraneous variables that may affect the children.

• The use of a doll and 3 mountains is considered abstract, which doesn't develop until the formal operational stage.

• Using a laboratory is too controlled to be considered a realistic environment for children.

• Using a doll may not be considered a valid method of assessing egocentrism.

How do the findings from Hughes' two police dolls study challenge Piaget's findings?

• He showed the children could show decentrism as young as 3 years old.

• He showed that children are still egocentric at 10 years old.

• He conducted a field experiment to test natural behaviour and found different results to Piaget.

• He found that children could show abstract thinking in the preoperational stage of development.