1.

Basic Cognitive Concepts

2. Piaget’s Stages of
Cognitive Development
COGNITIVE
"the mental action or process of acquiring
knowledge and understanding through
thought, experience, and the senses“.
BASIC COGNITIVE CONCEPTS
1. SCHEMA
Piaget used the term “SCHEMA” to refer to the
cognitive structures by which individuals
intellectually adapt to and organize their
environment. It is an individual’s way to
understand or create meaning about a thing or
experience. It is like a filing cabinet and each
drawer has folders that contain files of things he
has had experience with.
Schema example
2. ASSIMILATION
This is the process of fitting a new
experience into an existing or previously
created cognitive structure or schema.

3. ACCOMODATION
This is a process of creating a new schema.
Examples of Assimilation
Examples of Accomodation
4. EQUILIBRATION
Is achieving proper balance between
assimilation and accommodation. When our
experiences do not match our schemata or cognitive
structures, we experience COGNITIVE
DISEQUILIBRIUM. This means there is a discrepancy
between what is perceived and what is understood.
We, then exert effort through assimilation and
accommodation to establish equilibrium once more.
SHORT VIDEO CLIP PLEASE =)
 Was a Swiss clinical psychologist
JEAN PIAGET known for his pioneering work in child
development. Piaget's theory of cognitive
development and epistemological view
are together called "genetic
epistemology".
Piaget placed great importance on
the education of children. As the Director
of the International Bureau of Education,
he declared in 1934 that "only education is
capable of saving our societies from
possible collapse, whether violent, or
gradual." His theory of child development
is studied in pre-service education
programs. Educators continue to
incorporate constructivist-based
strategies.
 PIAGET’S STAGES OF COGNITIVE
DEVELOPMENT
STAGE 1. SENSORI-MOTOR
DEVELOPMENT ( 0 – 2 yrs old)
The first stage corresponds from birth to
infancy. This is the stage where the child who
is initially reflexive in grasping, sucking and
reaching becomes more organized in his
movement and activity.
OBJECT PERMANENCE - This is the ability
of the child to know that an object still exist
even when out of sight.
STAGE 2. PRE-OPERATIONAL STAGE
(2 -7 years old)
Covers from about 2 to 7 years old, roughly corresponding to
the preschool years. Intelligence at this stage is intuitive in
nature. At this stage, the child can now make mental
representations and is able to pretend, the child is now even
closer to the use of symbols. This stage is highlighted by the
following:
SYMBOLIC FUNCTION – This is the ability to represent
objects and events. A symbol is a thing that represents
something else. A drawing, a written word or a spoken word
comes to be understood as representing a real object.
EGOCENTRISM – This is the tendency of the child to only
see his point of view and to assume that everyone also has
his same point of view. The child cannot take the
perspective of others.
CENTRATION – This refers to the tendency of the child to
only FOCUS on one aspect of a thing or event and exclude
other aspects.

The child will answer they The child might say that
have the same amount of there is more water in the
water taller glass.
IRREVERSIBILITY – Pre-operational children still have
the inability to reverse their thinking.
ANIMISM – This is a tendency of children to attribute
human like traits or characteristics to inanimate
objects.
TRANSDUCTIVE REASONING – this refers to the pre –
operational child's type of reasoning that is neither
inductive nor deductive.
 INDUCTIVE – uses a number of specific examples to
arrive at a conclusion (finding a pattern)
 DEDUCTIVE – use fact, rules to reach conclusions
 STAGE 3. CONCRETE – OPERATIONAL
STAGE (8 – 11 years old)
This stage is characterized by the ability of the child to think
logically but only in terms of concrete objects. This covers
approximately the ages between 8 to 11 years or the
elementary school years. The concrete operational stage is
marked as the following:
DECENTERING – This refers to the ability of the child to
perceive the different features of objects and situations.
No longer is the child focused or limited to one aspect or
dimension. This allow the child to be more logical when
dealing with concrete objects and situations.
REVERSIBILITY – During the stage of concrete
operations. The child can now follow that certain
operations can be done in reverse.
CONCERVATION – This is the ability to know that
certain properties of objects like number, mass,
volume or area do not change even if there is a
change in appearance. The child progress to attain
conservation abilities gradually being a pre-
conserver, a transitional thinker and then a conserver.
 SERIATION - This refers to the ability to order or
arrange things in a series based on one dimension such
as weight, volume or size.

STAGE 4. FORMAL OPERATIONAL

STAGE (12-15 years old)
In the final stage of formal operations covering ages 12 – 15
years, thinking becomes more logical. They can now solve
the abstract problems and can hypothesize. This stage is
characterized by the following:
HYPHOTHETICAL REASONING – This is the ability to
come up with different hyphothesis about a problem and
to gather and weigh data in order to make a final decision
or judgment. This can be done in absence of concrete
objects. The individuals can now deal with “What If”
questions.
ANALOGICAL REASONING – this is the ability to
perceive the relationship in one instance and then use that
relationship to narrow down possible answers in another
similar situation or problem.
DEDUCTIVE REASONING – This is the ability to think
logically by applying a general rule to a particular or
situation.
SHORT QUIZ
I. MULTIPLE CHOICE (10 points)
1. The process of acquiring knowledge and
understanding through thought, experience, and the
senses.
a. Cognitive c. Schema
b. Assimilation d. Equilibrium

2. This is the process of fitting a new experience into an

existing or previously created cognitive structure or
schema.
a. Schema c. Accommodation
b. Assimilation d. Equilibrium
3. This is the stage where the child who is initially reflexive
in grasping, sucking and reaching becomes more
organized in his movement and activity.
a. Sensori - Motor Dev’t c. Concrete operational
b. Pre – operational d. Formal operational

4. This is the tendency of the child to only see his point of

view and to assume that everyone also has his same
point of view. The child cannot take the perspective of
others
a. Centration c. Egocentrism
b. Symbolic Function d. Reversibility
5. This is a tendency of children to attribute human like
traits or characteristics to inanimate objects.
a. Irreversibility c. Conservation
b. Seriation d. Animism

6. In this stage, they can now solve the abstract problems

and can already hypothesize.
a. Sensori - Motor Dev’t c. Concrete operational
b. Pre – operational d. Formal operational
7. This is the ability to know that certain properties of
objects like number, mass, volume or area do not change
even if there is a change in appearance
a. Seriation c. Animism
b. Conservation d. Transductive reasoning

8. This refers to the ability of the child to perceive the

different features of objects and situations. No longer is
the child focused or limited to one aspect or dimension. This
allow the child to be more logical when dealing with
concrete objects and situations.

a. Decentering c. Seriation
b. Centration d. Reversibility
9. Pre-operational children still have the inability to reverse
their thinking.
a. Reversibility c. Irreversibility
b. Inductive d. Deductive

10. This is the ability to perceive the relationship in one

instance and then use that relationship to narrow down
possible answers in another similar situation or problem.

a. Deductive Reasoning c. Hypothetical Reasoning

b. Transductive Reasoning d. Analogical Reasoning
II. ENUMERATIONS (10 points)
1-4 Piaget’s 4 Stages of Cognitive Development
5- 8 Basic Cognitive Concepts
9-10 Two types of Transductive Reasoning