Stages In Jean Piaget's Theory Of Cognitive Development

As humans we go through different stages of development throughout our lives, we grow a little bit older each day from birth to old age. Our cognition matures as we begin to use concepts regularly. When exposed to the same information a child and an adult will come to different conclusions because they both perceive the information differently. According to Piaget, in assimilation no changes are made to the existing schema when adding the new instance. For example, a child knows birds have wings, feathers, and can fly. When the child learns about another animal of the same specie, such as a hawk, the child will assimilate the new information into the existing bird schema. As for accommodation, it is the process of having to adapt to include …show more content…
Since this bird is unable to fly it doesn’t fit into the existing schema, which assumes that all birds can fly. The four stages in Jean Piaget’s theory of cognitive development are: the sensorimotor stage, the preoperational stage, the concrete operational stage, and the formal operational stage. The first stage begins at birth and ends at the child’s second birthday. This stage’s name reflects on the child’s existence in the present, it doesn’t focus on the past or future. Once the child is able to crawl, they begin to move through the environment at a fast pace. One achievement that occurs during this stage is object permanence, which is the ability to form a mental picture of an object that is no longer there. A baby under …show more content…
Each stage is characterized by either a positive outcome and less than desirable outcome. Being an adolescence challenges teens to find a sense of identity, which is a positive outcome. If all else fails, the result is the less desirable outcome. There are eight stages of social development in adolescence. Stage one begins at birth and ends at eighteen months. During this stage the infant challenges trust and mistrust because they view the world as a safe, dependable place. Stage two begins at eighteen months and ends at three years old. This is when a child begins to challenge autonomy versus shame and doubt because they begin to explore the environment. Stage three begins at age three and ends at the age of six. At this age, children usually begin to challenge initiative versus guilt because they begin to act on the world. Stage four begins at age six until the age of twelve. This is when a child starts getting a better understanding of self-confidence. Stage five begins in a child’s adolescence years. Teens start to question their identity and when they are unable to get a stable answer they begin to get confused. Stage six begins with young adulthood. This stage is when some young adults begin to form stable, intimate relationships while others experience feelings of loneliness and isolation. The seventh stage begins during midlife. Midlife adults begin to find value in their lives. They