Piaget Developmental Theory Essay

Piaget’s Developmental Theory Case Study Piaget is one of the most well-known theorists in psychology. While he was working with Alfred Binet he noticed that children of the same age got many of the same questions incorrect. It was during this time that Piaget theorized that humans develop cognitively in four stages; sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational. As infants we begin in the sensorimotor stage, and chronologically proceed through the stages as we grow and develop with age. Piaget also presented the concept of schemas, which is a way in which we organize information. Piaget hypothesized that as we are exposed to new experiences that we build upon our schema by assimilation, accommodation, and equilibration. …show more content…
When we assimilate information we note characteristics and categorize that information into our preexisting schema. In assimilation we do not change our schema but merely fit new information into our schema. In our example, Billy’s mother reads a sign that is about fossilized dinosaur poop. In this instance Billy assimilates the information and categorizes this information into a preexisting schema that is about dinosaur poop. Billy’s ability to assimilate new knowledge into his schema of poop give him the ability to quickly access information and communicate facts to his …show more content…
We can simply pinpoint what stage five year old Billy is in by observing his actions and following his thought process. We can dissect his schemas and understand how individuals adapt to new information. Understanding schemas helps us communicate across regions and within society. Without Piaget’s contribution we might have still lived in a society in which we believe children can think like adults. These stages help us track development in all individuals around the world. In a time where we are divided by differences maybe the fact that we all develop in the same cognitive way can help us find