Jean Piaget: Life, Theory, And Methodology Essay, Research Paper

Biography

Jean Piaget was born of August 9, 1896 in the town of Neuchatel, Switzerland. His male parent was a university history professor, and his female parent was a steadfast Calvinist homemaker. Prior to 1930, many of his Hagiographas dealt with spiritual issues acquired from this background. From early childhood, nevertheless, Piaget was chiefly interested in the Fieldss of scientific discipline. At age 10, Piaget published his first scientific paper on the topic of Zoology in Le Rameau de sapin, a Swiss magazine. The three paragraph article was based on an experience with an albino sparrow which immature Jean had seen in the park. By age 16, Piaget s scientific research focused on molluscs, and had been published in both the Journal de la conchycologie, and Revue suisse de zoologie. His involvements in natural scientific discipline led him to the University of Neuchatel, where, in 1918, he obtained a doctorate grade.

However, Piaget s initial scientific involvements were broader that rigorous scientific discipline, embracing doctrine, sociology, faith, and psychological science. Piaget one time said, & # 8220 ; For my portion, I decided to give myself to philosophy every bit shortly as I discovered it. & # 8221 ; ( Cohen ) His initial work with juvenile concluding led to a place with J.J. Rousseau Institute in Geneva in 1921. Piaget besides interned in Eugen Bleuler s psychiatric clinic in Zurich and Alfred Binet s laboratory school in Paris. In the latter, he was engaged in standardised mental testing. In 1923, the Language of Thought of The Child, his first book, was published.

Finally, Piaget became a professor of both psychological science and the doctrine of scientific discipline. He taught in a broad scope of colleges and universities throughout France and Switzerland. In 1941, Piaget became the co-director of the Institute of Educational Sciences for the University of Geneva, in Switzerland. While in Geneva, he besides founded the International Center of Genetic Epistemology in 1955. Piaget besides held the place of the co-director of the International Bureau of Education. He retired from this station in 1975. Jean Piaget died shortly after his eighty-forth birthday on September 17, 1980, in Geneva Switzerland.

Theory

Piaget s theories developed from the footing that, & # 8220 ; thought arises from action, & # 8220 ; ( Small ) or nature is dominant over raising. Piaget proves this in his phases of cognitive development, the first of which is the sensorimotor phase. The sensorimotor phase lasts form birth until two old ages of life. During this period, & # 8220 ; the baby s motions, physical and rational deficiency preciseness and her activities and attending are dominated by external stimulation. & # 8221 ; ( Sigel & A ; Cocking ) . Piaget viewed this as a strictly physical phase in which kids depend about wholly on their physical senses: sight, gustatory sensation, touch, and hearing. During the sensorimotor phase some of import developments do occur. Children develop two developmental mileposts, object permanency and alien anxiousness. The sensorimotor phase, like Piaget s other phases, emphasizes that our inherent aptitude and personality are inborn, by de-emphasizing parental influence.

One of Piaget s most of import theories occurred during the sensorimotor phase. It was during this clip period when Piaget observed the childhood development of object permanency. Object permanency is the construct which states that when a spring object passes behind another it still exists. Children under age eight monthes do no seem to possess this construct. Piget proved this through extended experimentation with his 2nd kid, Laurent. Piaget would turn over a ball back and Forth in forepart of Laurent. Then he would turn over it under a shock absorber. Laurent would non merely lose involvement in the game, but act as if the ball no longer existed. Piaget proved that this was the norm for most kids, non merely Laurent. Finally, at approximately 10 months, the kid does get down looking for the object, and begins appreciation at object permanency.

Piaget s 2nd developmental phase is the preoperational phase. This phase continues from age 2 until age 6. & # 8220 ; It is non until the 2nd phase, preoperations, that kids have mental representations of object, independent of actions on the objects. & # 8221 ; ( Small ) During this period, immature kids can get down to stand for things with word and images. However they lack the logical logical thinking possessed by an grownup to analyse higher constructs. An of import cause of this is Piaget s theory that, & # 8221 ; the kid is egoistic, utilizing herself as the criterion of judgement and unable to take the point of views of other people. & # 8221 ; ( Sigel & A ; Cocking ) This egoism does non allow higher degree thought. The presence of these features are born with, and hence normal to, the human being.

Logical thought begins to take topographic point during the 3rd phase of Piaget s theory of cognitive development, the concrete operational phase. & # 8221 ; the phase of concrete operations is defined by the ability to run on and consistently pull strings these mental representation. & # 8221 ; ( Small ) The logic gained during ages 7 to 11 makes it possible to execute

new and more progress mental complexnesss, such as mathematics and analytical statements. “Classes, dealingss, figure, preservation of quantitative in discrepancies, logical illation, and chance, in add-on to the related infralogical constructs covering with infinite, geometry, clip, speed and motion, and distance, ” ( Klausmeier ) besides become comprehendible to kids in the concrete operational phase. It is of import to observe that Piaget believed that this were natural abilities for people in this age group.

The concrete operational phase is besides the place of birth of an of import Piagetian theory. During this period, Piaget deduced that kids gained the rule of preservation. Conservation is the rule that measure stays the same despite alterations in the form of the objects container. Piaget would demo kids a liquid in a little, chunky container. Then, in forepart of their faces, he would pour it into a tall, thin container. Piaget would so present a inquiry to the kids. Which container possessed more liquid. It was non until approximately age seven, the beginning of the concrete operational phase, that kids could comprehend that the sum in the flasks were equal.

Piaget s concluding phase in cognitive development is the formal operational phase. At this clip, approximately age 12, abstract logical thinking is added to logical thought. Abstract believing encompasses imagined worlds and symbolism. Piaget besides named this as the phase when kids, & # 8220 ; become capable of work outing conjectural propositions and infering effects: If this, Then that. This provided a major unfavorable judgment of Piaget s work. Writers have cited kids every bit immature as age seven capable of such basic, deductive logical thinking.

Methodology

Piaget s methodological analysis is comparatively simple. He emphasized what a individual did over what they said. He besides based much of his research on logic. This logic manifested itself in the hypothitico-deductive method, a relic from Piaget s authoritative scientific discipline yearss. Piaget believed in hypothesizing, and the riddance of hypothesis to infer a decision. However, much of Piaget s work has been criticized for his failure to follow his ain rules. Some of his work on scheme has been found to be straight contradictory to earlier work on kid development. Yet, he did non decide the issue by extinguishing the first hypothesis.

Much of Piaget s methodological analysis was developed in late 1925, upon the birth of his first girl, Jacqueline. Piaget charted much of his research with Jacqueline in The Origins of Intelligence in Children. His first observation signifier this work is as follows:

Observation 1: From birth, one observes an effort to such even when there is nil to suck. Impulsive motions of the lips accompany motions of the lingua while the weaponries carry out irregular gestures that are more or less, rhythmic and the caput moves laterally. When the custodies by chance brush the lips, the suction physiological reaction is besides triggered. ( Cohen )

Piaget s initial observation of the sucking physiological reaction illustrates some of his cardinal methodological techniques. First, Piaget utilized a playfully insouciant ambiance with his research topic. This can break by seen in his cogent evidence of permanency with his boy, Laurent. In this instance, as with Laurent s, his experimentation was done at place. He besides tended to build simple experiments, such as this one on the suction physiological reaction. Later experiments with Jacqueline and other kids seldom proved more advanced. In one experiment, a wrist watch was placed in Jacqueline s manus while her manus was hidden from her. The ticker could non be identified as set in her had when revealed to her. Thus Piaget deduced that his girl s manus, & # 8220 ; is still non felt as belonging to her. & # 8221 ; ( Piaget )

Because of Piaget s house belief in the nature rule, his work ignored some cardinal elements of modern psychological science. The kids he researched were non examined harmonizing to their societal category for one. Therefore, much of his work could hold been tainted in the eyes of modern psychologists. The nurture side of the nature-nurture argument emphasizes childhood societal environments. However, Piaget did non take this into history. His research grouped kids as a whole, individualistic class, while disregarding many of the distinguishable differences acquired via societal category.

Bibliography

Cocking, Rodney R. ; Sigel, Irving E. Cognitive Development from Childhood to Adolescence: A

Constructivist Perspective. New York: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 1977.

Cohen, David. Piaget: Review and Reassessment. New York: St. Martin s Press, 1983.

Corsini, Raymond J. Encyclopedia of Psychology. New York: John Wiley & A ; Sons, Inc. , 1994.

Klausmeier, Herbert J. Cognitive Learning and Development: Information-Processing and the Piagetian Perspectives. Cambridge, MA: Ballinger Printing Company, 1979

Myers, David G. Psychology. New York: Deserving Publishers, 1995.

Small, Melinda Y. Cognitive Development. San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, Publishers, 1990.