Piaget's Theory of Infant Development
Piaget's Theory of Infant Development
Author: Elizabeth Purling
Renton Technical College
Developmental Psychology
Instructor: Leta Berkshire
May 30, 2007
Piaget's Theory of Infant Development
At almost 32 weeks gestation, my little one constantly brings about questions and ideas about what my life will be like when I become a parent. What will she look like? Will she be a loud baby or a quiet one? How long before she sleeps through the night? What cognitive abilities does she have now, in the womb? How will she grow and change as her life progresses?
Many of these questions cannot be answered anytime soon but I have been trying to learn as much as I can before she is born. It is this reason that I chose to write about Piaget's Theory of Infant Development.
In short, Jean Piaget's theory consists of schemes that organize knowledge as a person seeks an understanding of the world around them. The theory consists of four stages and I will focus on the first of those: sensorimotor development. This stage has six substages which help categorize an infant's development from birth to two years of age.
Jean Piaget was a developmental psychologist who lived from 1896-1980. Born in Neuchâtel, Switzerland, Piaget was the son of a professor of medieval studies and a strict Calvinist. He had an early interest in the scientific study of nature, and even published a short note at the age of ten in hopes of getting the local librarian to stop treating him like a kid. He went on to earn a doctorate in Zoology but developed an interest in psychology after moving to Zurich following World War I. (Papert, 1999).
Piaget proposed his cognitive developmental theory in 1954. He believed that children go through four basic stages of development during childhood: sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational (Huitt & Hummel, 2003). In the sensorimotor stage, infants develop an understanding of their environment by matching
Author: Elizabeth Purling
Renton Technical College
Developmental Psychology
Instructor: Leta Berkshire
May 30, 2007
Piaget's Theory of Infant Development
At almost 32 weeks gestation, my little one constantly brings about questions and ideas about what my life will be like when I become a parent. What will she look like? Will she be a loud baby or a quiet one? How long before she sleeps through the night? What cognitive abilities does she have now, in the womb? How will she grow and change as her life progresses?
Many of these questions cannot be answered anytime soon but I have been trying to learn as much as I can before she is born. It is this reason that I chose to write about Piaget's Theory of Infant Development.
In short, Jean Piaget's theory consists of schemes that organize knowledge as a person seeks an understanding of the world around them. The theory consists of four stages and I will focus on the first of those: sensorimotor development. This stage has six substages which help categorize an infant's development from birth to two years of age.
Jean Piaget was a developmental psychologist who lived from 1896-1980. Born in Neuchâtel, Switzerland, Piaget was the son of a professor of medieval studies and a strict Calvinist. He had an early interest in the scientific study of nature, and even published a short note at the age of ten in hopes of getting the local librarian to stop treating him like a kid. He went on to earn a doctorate in Zoology but developed an interest in psychology after moving to Zurich following World War I. (Papert, 1999).
Piaget proposed his cognitive developmental theory in 1954. He believed that children go through four basic stages of development during childhood: sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational (Huitt & Hummel, 2003). In the sensorimotor stage, infants develop an understanding of their environment by matching
Cited: · Papert, S (1999, March 29). Time 100: Jean Piaget. Retrieved May 27, 2007, from Time Magazine Web site: http://www.time.com/time/time100/scientist/profile/piaget.html · Santrock, J (2007). Life-Span Development. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. · About Piaget. Retrieved May 21, 2007, from Jean Piaget Society Web site: http://piaget.org/aboutPiaget.html · Boeree, C. G. (1996). Piaget. Retrieved May 27, 2007, from Shippensburg University Web site: http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/piaget.html · Huitt, W., & Hummel, J. (2003). Piaget 's theory of cognitive development. Educational Psychology Interactive. Valdosta, GA: Valdosta State University. Retrieved May 29, 2007, from http://chiron.valdosta.edu/whuitt/col/cogsys/piaget.html