Question

Using research findings, evaluate Piaget’s assumption that cognitive development during the first two years depends on sensorimotor activity.

Answer 1

Piaget's theory of cognitive development describes how a child constructs a mental model of the world. The sensorimotor stage is the first stage of your child’s life, according to Jean Piaget’s theory of child development. It begins at birth and lasts through age 2. During this period, your little one learns about the world by using their senses to interact with their surroundings. They touch things, lick them, bang them together and put them into their mouths. They also begin to develop fine motor skills.He disagreed with the idea that intelligence was a fixed trait, and regarded cognitive development as a process which occurs due to biological maturation and interaction with the environment. According to Piaget, children are born with a very basic mental structure on which all subsequent learning and knowledge are based. Here are the three basic componenets of piagets cognitive theory. Three stages of Cognitive Development are sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, formal operational. Piaget emphasized the importance of schemas in cognitive development and described how they were developed or acquired. A schema can be defined as a set of linked mental representations of the world, which we use both to understand and to respond to situations. The assumption is that we store these mental representations and apply them when needed. Piaget believed that newborn babies have a small number of innate schemas even before they have had many opportunities to experience the world. These neonatal schemas are the cognitive structures underlying innate reflexes. These reflexes are genetically programmed into us. Each child goes through different stages of life , and child development is determined by biological maturation and interaction with the environment. Piaget considered the concrete stage a major turning point in the child's cognitive development because it marks the beginning of logical or operational thought. This means the child can work things out internally in their head.

During sensory motor stage , spending time interacting with your child is key. Holding, feeding, and bathing your child are all essential activities that promote bonding and development — but you can also take other steps to help maximize your child’s cognitive growth.