PCN-518 Topic 1: Piaget's Sensorimotor And Preoperational Co

PCN-518 Topic 1: Piaget's Sensorimotor and Preoperational Cognitive De

Conduct an analysis of the significant developments in a child related to each stage of Piaget’s sensorimotor and preoperational stages. Describe the significant developments and provide an example, using complete sentences, with the information gleaned from your analysis. Include scholarly references as appropriate using in-text citations and the reference list on page two.

Paper For Above instruction

Jean Piaget’s theory of cognitive development remains foundational in understanding how children develop thinking skills from infancy through early childhood. Focusing on the sensorimotor and preoperational stages, this paper explores the critical cognitive milestones children achieve during these phases, providing detailed examples to illustrate these developments.

The sensorimotor stage, which occurs from birth to approximately 2 years of age, is marked by a child's increasing ability to coordinate sensory experiences with motor activities. During this period, infants learn about their environment through their senses and actions, forming basic understanding of the world around them. One of the most significant developments during this stage is the progression from reflexive actions to intentional behaviors. For instance, a newborn initially reflexively sucks on objects, but over time, infants intentionally grasp objects or search for a toy they see, demonstrating their ability to adapt and explore their environment (Berk, 2018).

An essential milestone in the sensorimotor stage is the emergence of object permanence, around the age of 8-12 months. This is the understanding that objects continue to exist even when they are out of sight. A typical example is a toddler searching for a hidden toy or understanding that a blanket covering a toy does not mean the toy has vanished; rather, the child recognizes that the toy still exists beneath the blanket (Piaget, 1952). This development signifies an important cognitive shift from their limited immediate perception to a more comprehensive understanding of objects as independent entities.

Moving into the preoperational stage, which spans from approximately 2 to 7 years of age, children begin to develop symbolic thinking. They start to use language and mental images to represent objects and experiences, enabling pretend play and more complex interactions. For example, a young child might use a broomstick as a pretend horse or talk to a doll as if it were a real person. This ability to use symbols allows children to play imaginatively and understand the world from their own perspective (McLeod, 2018).

However, during this stage, children also display cognitive limitations, such as egocentrism and centration. Egocentrism refers to the difficulty in seeing things from perspectives other than their own. A typical example is the "three-mountain task," where a child cannot accurately describe what another person sees from a different vantage point (Piaget, 1956). Centration involves focusing on one salient aspect of a situation while ignoring others; for example, a child might focus solely on the height of a glass, incorrectly believing that the longer glass contains more liquid, despite the amount being the same (McLeod, 2018).

Understanding these cognitive developments provides insight into how children perceive and interact with their surroundings, laying the foundation for more complex reasoning skills. The progression from simple sensorimotor interactions to symbolic and egocentric thought reflects the natural trajectory of cognitive growth during early childhood (Fischer et al., 2018).

References

• Berk, L. E. (2018). Child development (9th ed.). Pearson.
• Fischer, K. W., Hirsh-Pasek, K., Golinkoff, R. M., & Berk, L. E. (2018). A science of learning: How to learn about infants’ early development, cognition, and social-emotional understanding. Child Development, 89(2), 306–319.
• McLeod, S. (2018). Piaget’s theory of cognitive development. Simply Psychology.
• Piaget, J. (1952). The origins of intelligence in children. International Universities Press.
• Piaget, J. (1956). The child's conception of the world. Routledge & Kegan Paul.