Child Development Theory
by Jennifer Fisher
1. Assimilation and Accommodation
1.1. Terms developed by Piaget
1.1.1. Assimilation refers to new experiences that a child develops that fit into the understanding and views of the world around them
1.1.1.1. Accommodation refers to changes that schema or the view of the world in order to include new experiences
2. Children are motivated and active learners
3. A child’s understanding of the world becomes more assimilated and established over time
4. The method of equilibration avoids to develop progressively intricate levels of thought
5. Jean Piaget (1896-1980)
5.1. Explored stages of early cognitive stages of early child development.
5.2. Believed that children go through 4 basic stages of cognitive development.
5.3. Believed children learned from interacting with environment
6. 4 Stages of Cognitive Development
6.1. Sensorimotor Stage: Birth- about 2 years of age.
6.1.1. Children explore environment through their senses.
6.1.1.1. Begin to understand cause and effect
6.1.1.1.1. Develop object permance
6.2. Preoperational Stage: 2 years-7 years of age
6.2.1. Develop speech and language abilities
6.2.1.1. Develop numerical abilities
6.2.1.1.1. Still have egocentric mindset
6.3. Concrete Operational Stage: 7 years-11 years of age
6.3.1. Increase abilities in abstract reasoning
6.3.1.1. Able to perform concrete tasks
6.4. Formal Operational Stage: 12 years-15 years of age
6.4.1. Able to perform test hypothesis
6.4.1.1. Able to organize information
6.4.1.1.1. Develop scientific reasoning