Child Development

Cognitive Development Theory: Developed by Jean Piaget, this theory explains development as occurring in four main periods of a person’s life. As the person moves through each period, he uses “schemes”, or mental maps, to build upon his knowledge and understanding of the world around him. Piaget believed that each stage incorporates elements from previous stages and that the sequence of the stages does not change. They are:

Sensorimotor Stage: Birth to 2 years of age – During this stage, children learn through sensory impressions and motor activities. Infants learn how to control the movements of their bodies and objects. They learn to differentiate between themselves and objects and understand that an object still exists even if it isn’t visible or physically present. The game of peek-a-boo is an example of this ability, which is referred to as object constancy.

Preoperational Stage: 2 to 7 years of age – Children at this stage are not capable of abstract thought. They begin to use language to represent objects with words and one object can be used to represent another in pretend play.

Concrete Operations Stage: 7 to 11 years of age – As physical experiences accumulate, children begin to formulate logical explanations for them. They can use abstract problem solving skills to add, subtract, count, and measure. Children at this stage are learning to recognize situations from another’s perspective.

Formal Operations Stage: 11 to 15 years of age – Children are now capable of thinking like adults through the use of reasoning and consideration of hypothetical situations, including the future. They understand cause-and-effect relationships. Abstract concepts and moral values become as important as concrete objects.