Piaget s Genetic Epistemology & Sensorimotor Intelligence Cognitive Revolution: Jean Piaget & Genetic Epistemology Genetic Epistemology Integration of Development with Philosophy (Biology & Psychology) Large Community of Collaborators 3 Key Concepts Action & Adaptation Logic: Source of Necessary Truth Stage & Epigenesis Stages & Equilibration How Do We Come to Know, In Development and History? An Epigenetic Framework Key Figure: Defining Issues for Field Psychology 1202/H134 Kurt Fischer Genetic Epistemology Piaget s Talent at Observation "Genetic" as in Genesis: Development "Epistemology": The Study of Knowledge Amazing Number of Surprising Findings that Replicate! Example: Conservation Link to Kant & Baldwin: Universals of Knowledge Come from Acting in World. Universals are not simply innate but constructed by people. 1
Method: Clinical Interview Method: Clinical Interview Qualitative Method Goal: Relating to Individual Piaget as Master Interviewer Early Theory: Social Foundations of Development in Perspective Taking 3 Key Concepts 1. Action: controlled transformation in world (or represented in mind) Adaptation: Hand Grasping Pencil importance of Adaptation of action to objects/events adapted action 2
Adaptation in Knowing Person & World Are In Relationship. generalizing (assimilation) generalizing (assimilation) Person Using Using Scheme Scheme Object Person Using Scheme Object particularizing (accommodation) particularizing (accommodation) His Personal Background Personal Background: Religious Crisis Born in 1896 in Neuchatel, Switzerland. Distant Cousins Founded Famous Piaget Watch Company. Logic replaces Religion. Died in 1980 in Geneva at age 84. Over 60 years of research and theory on genetic epistemology. 3
Logic replaces Religion as source of TRUTH If P, then Q. 5 + 7 = 12 12-7 = 5 Building His System 1. Biology & Philosophy 2. 5 early books: "Working Papers -The Child s Conception of the World -The Moral Judgment of the Child -The Child s Conception of Number -The Origins of Intelligence in Children -The Child s Construction of Reality 3. Theory built later, starting with Origins of Intelligence 4. Wealth of Observations Collaborations Key Concepts Good at Spotting Important Ideas, Discoveries Public Collaborators: Inhelder, Sinclair, Bovet Hidden: Valentine Piaget, Alina Szeminska 2. Logic: a system that is internally consistent (& reversible) & so avoids contradiction reversing 5 + 7 = 12 12-7 = 5 4
Intelligence is Logic of the Mind Key Concepts 2 + 3 = 5 5-2 = 3 3. Stage descriptive slices of development stage 4. formal-operational int. stage 3. concrete-operational int. consistency reversibility stage 2. preoperational intelligence stage 1. sensorimotor intelligence or stronger meaning of Stage Epigenesis: Major Transformation major reorganizations achieving a new Equilibrium arising from a new Logic reversing 5 + 7 = 12 12-7 = 5 5
as in construction of a new skill: 1 development 2 3 4 periods (stages) 4 Sensorimotor Intelligence Based in Actions & Perceptions Action Mammals & Birds Have S-M Intelligence. 6
Perception Preoperational Intelligence based in Representations (internalized actions & perceptions) "I see" Representations Include Language, Pretend, Images (Internalized Imitations) Pick up teddy. See teddy. Child makes teddy walk, eat, talk. Child pictures or imitates teddy in his mind. Concrete Operational intelligence based in Operations (internalized reversible actions), including arithmetic: reversing 5 + 9 = 14 14-9 = 5 7
example: example: Multiplication of Classes Triangles Squares Circles Conservation (Multiplication of Relations/Amounts) Narrow Wide Red High = Not Blue Low Not = Yellow Formal Operational intelligence based in Operations on Operations Example: Variable X is an unknown operation, such as adding a number to get a sum. Algebra involves operating on X to determine values. One of Piaget s Favorite Examples of Operations on Operations All possible combinations: Operating on the obtained combinations (concrete operations) to figure out all possible ones. Such as combining coins: penny, nickle, dime, quarter. You must go systematically through all possibilities: 1,2, 3, & 4 at a time. If you do it by trial and error, like an 8-year- old, you leave out some. 8
example: Operation on Operation (proposition about proposition) Yesterday, scientists found a 3-year old skull of an animal with 5 feet & 2 heads that died 100 years ago. Equilibrium for Each Stage? Logic Provides Strong Equlibrium: Sensorimotor: Logic of Action Preoperational: NO Logic, But Prototype of Non-logic (Illogic) Concrete Operational: Logic of Experienced World, Concrete Formal Operational: Logic of Hypothetical, Abstract, Formal What's wrong with this statement? Dynamic Development Equilibration: Person Acts to Coordinate & Regulate Many Factors & Attains Equilibrium. Before, Many Scientists Found Concept Fuzzy & Ill Defined. Now Makes Sense in Terms of Dynamic Systems Van Geert (Psychological Review, 1991, 1998) Formal Equilibration Model Produces Stages Van der Maas & Molenaar (Psychological Review, 1992) Stages as Catastrophes Piaget: Action & Logic in Cognitive Development Piaget & Genetic Epistemology Integrating Philosophy with Development (Biology & Psychology) Building Collaborative Community Cognition Based in Activity Equilibration between Person & World Basis of Intelligence in Logic & Mathematics Epigenetic Stages 4 Main Stages Equilibria of Logic 9
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