Examining Piaget's Theory: Cognitive Development and its Critiques

This essay provides a critical review of Jean Piaget's cognitive theory, which outlines four distinct stages of mental development in children. It highlights Piaget's focus on how children develop into individuals capable of reasoning and thinking through hypotheses, emphasizing the importance of experience and maturation. The essay also addresses criticisms of Piaget's work, including his focus on European white or American children and the underestimation of infants' abilities due to motor skill limitations. Furthermore, it acknowledges critiques regarding the lack of consideration for universal values like love and wisdom in generalizing the theory to diverse populations. The essay concludes by referencing relevant bibliography entries that support the analysis of Piaget's cognitive development theory. Desklib offers more solved assignments and study resources for students.

Running head: KAREN’S IR2
KAREN’S IR2
Name of the student
Name of the university
Author’s Name

1KAREN’S IR2
The cognitive theory of Jean Piaget indicates that children move through four distinct
phases of mental development. His concept is not only about knowing how children gain
knowledge, but also about knowing the essence of intelligence. I agree with the post of cognitive
development. In the post, it is shown that Piaget believed that mental development required
experience and maturation and they both work in synchrony with each other. Piaget’s goal was
to understand the steps by which the children can develop into a person capable of reasoning and
thinking through hypotheses.
Piaget’s main focus was on European white or American children. His theory relies on
cognitive development. Piaget thought schemas were essential to the growth of cognition.
Assimilation is whereby implementing a scheme to a fresh scenario and fresh component are
attached to current schemas. Accommodation is where a scheme for dealing with a fresh scenario
has been altered. Piaget's trials lack 'common sense’; he underestimates the period at which kids
acquire constancy of elements.
I also agree with the critiques that have been provided in the post. Few critiques are on
developmentalists like Piaget and Gessell and others where a series of universal values such as
love, truth, wisdom and other factors have not been brought into consideration when it relates to
generalising to the remaining of the population. Piaget conducted certain studies on the babies of
4 months old. His study's weaknesses are that babies under 4 months of age did not look for the
toy not for other causes, they simply lacked the motor skills needed to chase for it.

2KAREN’S IR2
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Lourenço, O. M. (2016). Developmental stages, Piagetian stages in particular: A critical
review. New Ideas in Psychology, 40, 123-137.
Mcleod, S. (2019). Jean Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development | Simply
Psychology. Simplypsychology.org.