Log out Go to App
Go to App

Learning Materials

Features

Discover

Chapter 5: Problem 2

Describe Piaget's sensorimotor stage of cognitive development. During the sensorimotor period (birth to about two years) with its six substages, infants progress from the use of \(\operatorname{sim}-\) ple reflexes, through the development of repeated and integrated actions that gradually increase in complexity, to the ability to generate purposeful effects from their actions. By the end of the sixth substage of the sensorimotor period, infants are beginning to engage in symbolic thought.

Short Answer

Expert verified
The sensorimotor stage, occurring from birth until around 2 years, is the initial stage of cognitive development according to Piaget. This stage is marked by significant growth and change. Progressing through six substages, infants develop their understanding of the world from simple reflexes to the ability to form basic symbolic thoughts. By the end of this stage, infants can represent the world through mental representations and symbols.

Step by step solution

01

Introduction

The sensorimotor stage is the first stage of Piaget's theory of cognitive development. It spans from birth to approximately 2 years of age. During this stage, an infant's knowledge of the world is limited to their sensory perceptions and motor activities. Behaviors are limited to simple motor responses caused by sensory stimuli.
02

Substages

The sensorimotor stage is divided into six substages. The first is the use of simple reflexes (0-1 month), where infants understand their environment purely through the reflexes they are born with. In the second substage (1-4 months), the infant starts to coordinate sensations. In the third substage (4-8 months), they begin to become more object-oriented, moving towards the objects they want. In the fourth substage (8-12 months), they start to show signs of curiosity and experimentation. In the fifth substage (12-18 months), they can engage in trial and error to achieve goals. In the final sixth substage (18-24 months), they start to develop symbolic thinking.
03

Conclusion

By the end of the sensorimotor stage, infants are beginning to engage in symbolic thought and can represent objects through symbols and mental images. This sets the fundamentals for the further cognitive development processes that follow in the next stages.

Unlock Step-by-Step Solutions & Ace Your Exams!

  • Full Textbook Solutions

    Get detailed explanations and key concepts

  • Unlimited Al creation

    Al flashcards, explanations, exams and more...

  • Ads-free access

    To over 500 millions flashcards

  • Money-back guarantee

    We refund you if you fail your exam.

Start your free trial

Over 30 million students worldwide already upgrade their learning with Vaia!

One App. One Place for Learning.

All the tools & learning materials you need for study success - in one app.

Get started for free

Most popular questions from this chapter

Summarize the fundamental features of Piaget's theory of cognitive development. According to Piaget, all children pass gradually through the four major stages of cognitive development (sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational) and their various substages when they are at an appropriate level of maturation and are exposed to relevant types of experiences. In the Piagetian view, children's understanding grows through assimilation of their experiences into their current way of thinking or through accommodation of their current way of thinking to their experiences.

Describe how children influence adults" language. Adult language is influenced by the children to whom it is addressed. Infant- directed speech takes on characteristics, surprisingly invariant across cultures, that make it appealing to infants and that probably encourage language development. Adult language also exhibits differences based on the gender of the child to whom it is directed, which may have effects that emerge later in life.

Describe how infants process information according to information processing approaches to cognitive development. Information processing approaches to the study of cognitive development seek to learn how individuals receive, organize, store, and retrieve information. Such approaches differ from Piaget's by considering quantitative changes in children's abilities to process information.

Summarize the arguments both in support of and critical of Piaget's theory of cognitive development. Piaget is respected as a careful observer of children's behavior and a generally accurate interpreter of the way human cognitive development proceeds, though subsequent research on his theory does suggest several limitations.

Describe how infant intelligence is measured using information processing approaches. Traditional measures of infant intelligence, such as Gesell's developmental quotient and the Bayley Scales of Infant . Development, focus on average behavior observed at particular ages in large numbers of children. Information processing approaches to assessing intelligence rely on variations in the speed and quality with which infants process information.
See all solutions

Recommended explanations on Psychology Textbooks

Eating Behaviour

Read Explanation

Individual Differences Psychology

Read Explanation

Psychological Treatment

Read Explanation

Scientific Foundations of Psychology

Read Explanation

Data Handling and Analysis

Read Explanation

Biological Bases of Behavior

Read Explanation
View all explanations

What do you think about this solution?

We value your feedback to improve our textbook solutions.

Study anywhere. Anytime. Across all devices.

Sign-up for free