Piaget’s Theory of Cognitive Development
Preoperational stage is the stage of child development where a child thinks in symbolic form and not through cognitive form. The preoperational stage starts from when a kid is two years until they are seven years. The stage involves two sub stages that include the symbolic and thought sub stages. It means that the kid has developed a language and they can think and describe the object even in their absence. During the preoperational stage the child does not develop some cognitive skills such as conservation, classification, and reversibility (Meadows Sara). Classification stage according to Piaget’s theory of cognitive development is where a kid can identify and group the objects in various categories. Classification involves identifying the properties of various groups and the ability to compare the different categories using the different properties, and also the ability to solve problems using the categorical data. The classification stage also involves the ability to group objects together depending on their color, density, shape, and many other features.
The reversibility stage is where a kid can identify objects or numbers and return then in their original state. Reversible thinking refers to the ability of reason situation from different perspective. It involves solving complex problems using various perceptions from different positions and perspectives. The kids in this stage develop logical thinking since they can make appropriate decision depending on various situations and scenarios. For instance a kid in this stage has the ability to recognize that a deflated ball can be refilled with air and be used again like it was before (Syarifah et al.264). Reversibility stage enables kids to solve problems that can be easily returned in their original state. Kids in preoperational stage lack reversibility skills since their mind have not developed to such thinking capacity. Conservation as described in the Piaget’s theory of cognitive development involves having rational thinking. The kids can recognize that certain elements or situations remain the same even if the other conditions changes. The conservation tasks states that kids can understand things depending on their stages of development. In preoperational stage, kids lack conservation skills due to their weakness in the way they think.
The cognitive differences of children in preoperational stage versus those in concrete operational stage include; in the preoperational stage the kids develop language and can symbolically identify objects using images and words. It is the stage where the children develop logical thinking, and there is no technical thinking involved just the basic interpretation of objects and images (Ningrum Cucu). Preoperational stage is vital as it allows the kids to develop a mature language that involves imagination and memory. They can recognize the activities that occurred in the past and those happening now, and decide on what to believe in. on the other hand concrete operational stage is where the kids have the ability to conserve, reverse, classify, and transude. The kids can solve their problems logically but they lack hypothetical thinking. The kids in this stage can follow rules unconsciously (Syarifah et al.267). They can recognize that things remain the same if nothing is added or subtracted from such numbers, and they are able to solve simple arithmetic. The kids can made judgment from a logical perspective way beyond the changes in physical appearances.
Development is crucial in each stage, and therefore maximum support should be given to the kids to ensure that they receive the appropriate growth. It will ensure that the kids develop accordingly and no aspects are left out in any of the stages.
Works Cited
Meadows, Sara. “An assessment of Piaget’s theory of cognitive development.” Developing Thinking. Routledge, 2017. 7-25.
Syarifah, Ety, et al. “DEVELOPING A MODEL OF DISCOURSAL STORIES FOR CHILDREN IN THE CONCRETE OPERATIONAL PHASE.” The Journal of Educational Development 5.2 (2017): 263-268.
Ningrum, Cucu Ardiah. “Psychology of Children’s Cognitive toward Language Development.”