The Critique of Piagets Theories Essay - 1620 Words

The Critique of Piagets Theories Jean Piaget (1896 – 1980) was a constructivist theorist. He saw children as constructing their own world, playing an active part in their own development. Piaget’s insight opened up a new window into the inner working of the mind and as a result he carried out some remarkable studies on children that had a powerful influence on theories of child thought. This essay is going to explain the main features and principles of the Piagetian theory and then provide criticism against this theory. Cognitive development refers to way in which a person’s style of thinking changes with age. Piaget argued that cognitive development is based on the development of schemas.†¦show more content†¦The stages theory is open to criticism as they are too rigid and neglects individual differences such as memory span, motivation etc. Piaget also underestimated the age at which children could do things. This maybe due to his failure to distinguish between competence and performance. Piagets studies tested performance and then he assumed that a child who failed simply lacked the underlying cognitive structures that he believed were needed to succeed on that task. Subsequent research suggests that a child may have these competencies earlier than Piaget suggested. However, simply to focus on age limits is to miss the central point of Piaget’s theory that universal, qualitative, biologically regulated cognitive changes occur during development. This is supported by cross -cultural research that has replicated Piaget’s findings (Smith et al, 1998). Another criticism relates to the concept of biological maturation or ‘readiness’. If the development of cognitive structures is related to maturity, then practice should not improve performance. In other words, if a person is not biologically ready to move on to the next stage then no amount of practice should get them there. However, there is evidence to suggestShow MoreRelatedIs Conceptual Critiques Relevant for Psychology?1472 Words   |  6 PagesWe shall consider Skinner’s Operant Conditioning theory as another type of example on Conceptual Critiques (Skinner, 1963). His theory states that the best way to understand a behavior is to look at the association made between the behavior and the consequence of that behavior. Although Skinner’s primary interest was in human behavior, most of his research was done on animals using laboratory apparatus well known as the Skinner box. Hence, in his experiment, Skinner placed rats in the Skinner boxRead MorePiaget s Theory Of Cognitive Development1096 Words   |  5 Pagesto take on account the individual differences between children in development. The focus of this essay is on Piaget’s theory because it is one of the most influential theories. 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I will briefly outline and explain Piaget’s four stagesRead MorePiaget s Stages Theory And Evaluate Its Appropriateness For Explaining How Children Develop Mentally1726 Words   |  7 PagesThe aim of this essay is to briefly explain Piaget’s Stage Theory and evaluate its appropriateness for explaining how children develop mentally. His theory states that children develop in four different stages from the ages 0-12. There are varying sub-stages for these and each has its own description with experiments to test which stage an infant is in. Although Piaget is a credited t heorist this particular theory is often criticised and this essay will explore the reasons for this as well as providingRead MoreHow Children Cope With Peer Provocation1413 Words   |  6 Pagestheir research rights subsequent to the debriefing. The piece or component (e.g. proposed theory) of the research study that I will analyze is the contention that children can assent to research involvement and effectively understand their research rights is commonly guided by philosophical perceptions about children and the reference to the development theory of Jean Piaget. Critique of the Research In the vigorous challenge of the concept of whether children can freely assentRead MoreHow Do the Major Theories of Child Development (Known as the ‘Grand Theories’) Explore the Importance of Social Experiences?1675 Words   |  7 PagesHow do the major theories of child development (known as the ‘grand theories’) explore the importance of social experiences? Social experiences play a vital role in the development of children. Theories of child development have been created to help us to understand how children’s minds develop, taking into account the differences between cultures around the world. Some of these theories explore the possibility that children gain knowledge, develop new concepts and bridge new ideas through interactionRead MoreThe Physical Development Of Children1739 Words   |  7 PagesThis essay consists of a critique of the major theories in relation to the development of children from birth to three years and if they apply to all children’s development. The physical development of children is explored by Freud. His theory displays children at a very young age, showing interest in their own bodies, as he believes they receive pleasure from exploring their genital area. This sexual fixation is started at infancy when the infant takes nourishment and pleasure from suckling milkRead MoreThe Theory Of Innate Language Acquisition994 Words   |  4 Pagesof the brain is specifically used to apply these skills and that it is an inbuilt commodity that we are born with. However, no proof in within science has been found to agree or disagree with this idea. A differing view that contrasts the Nativist theory of innate language acquisition is from the theorists Sapir and Whorf. The two never wrote the hypothesis together, but due to similarities in the thesis they are often cited together (Whorf was a student of Sapir). Their concept is based upon anRead MoreEarly Childhood Care And Education Affect Cognitive Development762 Words   |  4 Pagesdevelopmental trajectories across the various cognitive domains. They also did some research on Piaget’s perspective taking which was complete and accurate. The authors even provided good examples with the use of graphs on Piaget’s observation of children communicating egocentrically. Furthermore, the authors provided critiques such as Donaldson, versus Piaget’s work with more examination of Piaget’s theory.