Critical Analysis: Shortcomings and Limitations of Piaget's Theory

This essay critically examines the shortcomings of Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development. It addresses criticisms related to the stages of development, highlighting research that suggests children may acquire abilities earlier than Piaget proposed. The essay discusses the potential underestimation of individual differences in children's cognitive development and the gradual, rather than distinct, nature of cognitive stage transitions. Furthermore, it explores the theory's limitations in considering the role of external objects, abstract concepts, and cultural influences on cognitive development. The essay also points out the lack of clear definitions for key operational terminologies within Piaget's framework, making it difficult to replicate and understand the findings. Overall, the essay provides a comprehensive analysis of the limitations of Piaget's theory.

Running head: SHORTCOMINGS OF PIAGET'S THEORY 1
Shortcomings of Piaget's Theory
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SHORTCOMINGS OF PIAGET'S THEORY 2
Piaget's theory has contributed much to the understanding of education and psychology
disciplines even more to the understanding of children development. However, it has been faced
with criticism on various aspect including methodology and the stages involved in child
development.
One of the limitations of the theory is in the stages of development that the theory
postulates. The order of the phases of mental development might be erroneous, for example,
Dunn, Weiten, & Houska (2015) shows that development of children is undervalued. Research
has found out that some kids have the ability earlier than Piaget thought (Harris, 1983). Flavell et
al. (1982) showed that even a three-year-old infant notices that an adult from the other side of a
held card will have a different view of the same card. It can also be argued out that individual
differences in children age will widely vary across the phases of development.
The cognitive theory puts a clear distinction between the various stages of child
development to mean that each stage is marked by a new type of thinking. In every stage a child
is to have different abilities, contrastingly children development tend to be slow and gradual.
Gray &Toll (1994) provides an example of conserving of numbers that are understood by most
children at the age of five compared to substance conservation, understanding that most them
develop at around the age of eight.
Piaget's theory focuses on the belief that manipulation of external objects s vital to
cognitive development. It can be noted that this is not always the case since physically
challenged children lack an outward action ability but still have the ability for cognitive
development. On the same, the theory comes short in explaining how children understand an
abstract word that doesn't necessarily have a connection with the physical object.

SHORTCOMINGS OF PIAGET'S THEORY 3
The subjects in Piaget's research were raised in Geneva, an environment of the western
culture where children attend schools and are taught on various forms of thinking. In this theory,
the influence of culture on cognitive development was overlooked. The cognitive ability and
reaction to the environment were assessed by individual intellect of the kids. The intellectual
development has been found to relate to a greater extent with formal education (Woodhead,
1999).
The operational terminologies used by Piaget such as assimilation and accommodation in
his theory are not defined. Both terms are used to imply a change that has occurred in the child
but does not specify the change. It’s hard for the findings of to be understood and replicated by
another researcher. The cause and effect among Piaget's variables cannot be established.

SHORTCOMINGS OF PIAGET'S THEORY 4
References
Carlson, N. R., & Buskist, W. (1997). Stress and Health. Psychology the Science of Behavior,
USA: Allyn and Bacon.
Dunn, D. S., Weiten, W., & Houska, J. A. (2015). Introductory Psychology. The Oxford
Handbook of Undergraduate Psychology Education.
Flavell, J. H. (1982). On cognitive development. Child development, 1-10.
Gray, E. M., & Tall, D. O. (1994). Duality, ambiguity, and flexibility: A" proceptual" view of
simple arithmetic. Journal for research in Mathematics Education, 116-140.
Harris, S. L. (1983). A Family Systems Approach to Behavioral Training with Parents of Autistic
Children. Child & Family Behavior Therapy, 4(1), 21-35. doi:10.1300/j019v04n01_03
Woodhead, M. (1999). Reconstructing developmental psychology—some first steps. Children &
Society, 13(1), 3-19.