Introduction
Many parents perceive that their children learn something new and develop relatively quickly. Psychologists, including Jean Piaget, attempted to systematize different stages of a child’s growth. Many theories explain the developmental phases, but their conceptual foundation is that each stage is characterized by specific, distinctive characteristics or a child’s abilities. Although Piaget’s theory faces particular criticism, it still provides insights into vital aspects of children’s development.
Jean Piaget, a well-known Swiss psychologist, created a theory of children’s cognitive development. The scholar suggested that children go through “sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operations, and formal operations stages” until adulthood (Babakr et al., 2019). The discussion will touch on the preoperational stage, as it possesses a range of peculiarities.
Description of the Preoperational Stage and Examples of This Stage in Early Childhood Thinking
Mental Representations of Events
According to the theory, this phase begins in children aged two to seven (Babakr et al., 2019; Sanghvi, 2020). The formation of “mental representations of events and ideas” is one of the central features of the preoperational stage (Sanghvi, 2020). For example, when a child sees a parent putting on a coat, it will make the child ask whether they are going for a walk. Thus, children rely on mental representations rather than sensorimotor activities to discover the world (Sanghvi, 2020). Nevertheless, children develop imagination and other cognitive capabilities at this age that shape the foundation for further development.
Conservation
Other essential aspects peculiar to this developmental stage include conservation, centration, and egocentrism. Conservation can be characterized by the ability of the child to recognize that a particular quantity will remain the same regardless of physical appearance or changed arrangement (Sanghvi, 2020). For instance, one takes short and tall glasses and pours water from the short one into the tall one. Then, the question of whether there is more water in the tall glass is followed, and the child’s answer must be negative (Sanghvi, 2020).
Centration
Centration refers to the tendency of the child to focus on “one aspect of a stimulus” (Sanghvi, 2020). For example, if the child sees two sets of circles, where one is arranged and the other is spaced out, the child will point to the latter when they hear the question of which set contains more circles (Sanghvi, 2020). This suggests that the child focuses on superficial characteristics but not the number of circles, which is distinctive at this stage.
The examples provided also invite the assumption that supports opponents and criticism of Piaget’s theory. It has been stated that although the psychologist considers the role of cultural influence and social interaction, he does not emphasize it as one of the determinative factors (Sanghvi, 2020). Danovitch (2019) claims that nowadays, children are more engaged in the online environment, which can have a detrimental effect on cognitive development.
‘Googling’ some information instead of asking other people is a contemporary tendency. Although the learning process using internet-based devices can be comparable to learning from television or books, its impact is still under-investigated (Danovitch, 2019). However, the scholar suggests that one of the potential effects is the inability to develop memory strategies due to the unlimited access to information and, thus, the absence of the necessity to remember (Danovitch, 2019). Given this, the tight interaction with the Internet may affect the aspects of conservation and centrism.
Egocentrism
The last peculiarity of this stage, namely, egocentrism, does not mean that a child is selfish. This aspect refers to the inability to see from the point of others (Sanghvi, 2020). For instance, if a single mother raises a child, they assume that their classmates also have only a mother. Egocentrism will disappear as the child grows and understands that other people see the world from a different perspective.
Conclusion
Finally, despite the criticism, Piaget’s theory allows an understanding of some distinctive peculiarities of the cognitive development of children aged between two and seven. The main aspects of the preoperational stage are forming mental representations, conservation, centration, and egocentrism. Piaget’s theory may appear inconsistent with modern challenges caused by access to the Internet. Spending time online may cause adverse outcomes, such as the inability to develop memory strategies.
References
Babakr, Z., Mohamedamin, P., & Kakamad, K. (2019). Piaget’s cognitive developmental theory: Critical review. Education Quarterly Reviews, 2(3), 90-96. Web.
Danovitch, J.H. (2019). Growing up with Google: How children’s understanding and use of internet‐based devices relates to cognitive development. Human Behavior and Emerging Technologies, 1(2), 81-90. Web.
Sanghvi, P. (2020). Piaget’s theory of cognitive development: A review. Indian Journal of Mental Health, 7(2), 90-96. Web.