Out of Sight, But Not Out of Mind My article is about the different stages of cognitive development. Jean Piaget was the most influential scientist in developing and describing the different stages of development. He stated that there are four stages. The four stages are sensori-motor, preoperational, concrete operation, and formal operation. He has come under criticism since most of theory was based on his own children. Piaget state that a person needs to have developed object permanence before they can advance to next stage of cognitive development.
Method and Results Piaget recorded his observations of his children in notebooks. He played different games with children and recorded
what they did. He was amazed that those in the same age groups came to the same conclusions. He decided that there are different substages in the first 2 years of life. Stage 1 occurs from birth to 1 month, Stage 2 is from 1-4 months, Stage 3 is from 410 months, Stage 4 is from 10-12 months, Stage 5 is from 12-18 months and Stage 6 is from 18-24 months. Stage 1 is primarily reflexes that deal with feeding and touching. During Stage 2 the baby purposely repeats actions to cause the result. They will look at the same spot where an object disappeared. Stage 3 the infant will manipulate an object with purpose and intent. Stage 4 is when the child will search for the object or person that disappears. During Stage 5 a child will start to look in the last place they saw
an object. Stage 6 is when a child finally develops object permanence.
Discussio n Piaget claimed that his age groups were an approximation. Researchers since have agreed and proven Piaget’s claims with the different stages and age groups. Piaget claims that these stages universally across all households and countries. He also claims that no stage can be skipped. Piaget’s theory is being used by researchers across various fields of study. As different methods are developed to observe and document a child’s reaction to stimuli Piaget’s theory is being questioned.