Author Question: Piaget's theory has been the foundation of cognitive developmental theories for many years, but it ... (Read 95 times)

asd123 · **on:** Jun 22, 2018

Piaget's theory has been the foundation of cognitive developmental theories for many years, but it is not without its critics. List at least three of the criticisms that are identified by your textbook.

What will be an ideal response?

Question 2

Describe the cognitive characteristics of the concrete operational child.

What will be an ideal response?

huda · **Reply #1 on:** Jun 22, 2018

Answer to Question 1

The textbook identifies four different areas of criticism of Piaget's theory. The adequate answer will list and discuss at least three of the following:
(a) The theory underestimates the cognitive competence in infants and young children and overestimates cognitive competence in adolescents.
(b) Piaget's theory is vague with respect to the processes of change.
(c) Piaget's stage model does not account for variability in children's performance
(d) Piaget's theory undervalues the influence of sociocultural environment on cognitive development

Answer to Question 2

The thinking of the concrete operational child is characterized by reversibility. The child is able to think forward
(such as using addition) and backward (such as using subtraction). The child's thinking is considered flexible
because she can focus on multiple aspects of a problem at the same time (decentration) and can understand
complex relationships between objects (transitivity). Children in the concrete operations stage are also able to
place objects in order based upon certain characteristics (seriation).