Development Across the Life Span, Essay Example

Abstract

The topic of the paper is Development Across the Life Span. The topic of Piaget’s stages of development is discussed. The paper utilizes information from two peer-reviewed journal articles to discuss the most significant aspects of Piaget’s stages and applicable theory. Piaget’s stages of learning are identified. The issues of universality and the probability of different developmental pathways are evaluated. A brief comparison of Piaget’s theory to Skinner’s theory of operant conditioning is provided.

Piaget’s Stages

Piaget’s theory is one of the most successful conceptualizations of child development. Through the prism of Piaget’s stages, professionals and scholars can better understand how children develop and what factors influence their cognitive maturation. According to Piaget’s theory, children’s development is better understood by looking at their actions and words (Onchwari, Onchwari & Keengwe, 2008). The four stages of Piaget’s theory demonstrate how children grow in their understanding of the world, and while the experiences children use to construct their knowledge are different, the process of cognitive sophistication is basically universal (Onchwari, Onchwari & Keengwe, 2008). The four stages of Piaget’s theory include:

• sensomonitor stage (from birth to the age of 2): the child learns more about himself and the world through motor reflexes and actions;
• preoperational stage (between 2 and 7 years of age): the child begins using symbols to define objects but finds it difficult to conceptualize abstract notions like time and space;
• concrete stage (between the first grade and the first years of adolescence): the child develops abstract thinking abilities and learns to make rational judgments; and
• formal stage (adolescence): the child develops deductive and hypothetical thinking (Anonymous, 1990).

Piaget’s vision of children’s development as a universal sequence of operational structures and intelligence solutions has long been the object of scholarly criticism (Psaltis, Duveen & Perret-Clermont, 2009). Professionals in psychology and education assume that alternative pathways of cognitive development are possible, and different experiences will influence children in different ways (Psaltis, Duveen & Perret-Clermont, 2009). B.F. Skinner’s theory of operant conditioning presents a different view on children’s development: changes in children’s behavior are the product of their response to external events and experiences (Siegler, 1991). According to Skinner, four different forms of operant conditioning are possible: positive or negative reinforcement, punishment, and extinction (Siegler, 1991). The two former reinforce and strengthen behaviors, whereas the latter result in weakened responses to external stimuli (Siegler, 1991). In distinction from Piaget, Skinner’s operant conditioning theory provides professionals with a set of practical solutions, which they can use to reinforce the desired behaviors in children and reduce the probability of undesirable behavioral reactions. Nevertheless, both theories facilitate the process of education, learning, and knowledge delivery and support children in their way to meeting their learning objectives.

References

Anonymous. (1990). Piaget’s cognitive stages. Retrieved from http://honolulu.hawaii.edu/intranet/committees/FacDevCom/guidebk/teachtip/piaget.htm

Onchwari, G., Onchwari, J.A. & Keengwe, J. (2008). Teaching the immigrant child: Application of child development theories. Early Childhood Education Journal, 36, 267-273.

Psaltis, C., Duveen, G. & Perret-Clermont, A.N. (2009). The social and the psychological: Structure and context in intellectual development. Human Development, 52, 291-312.

Siegler, R. (1991). Children’s thinking. NJ: Prentice-Hall.