(a) , a branch of philosophy, is the study of knowing.(b) The method, used by Piaget, is characterized by asking a child a series of
carefully worded questions.
(c) development refers to the development of the way in which the child
thinks.Answers: (a) Epistemology; (b) phenomenological; (c) Cognitive.According to Piaget, there are four stages of cognitive development: (1) the
sensorimotor stage, (2) the preoperational stage, (3) the concrete operations stage,
and (4) the formal operations stage.
The sensorimotor stageis associated with infancy (birth to two years old).
During this stage the infant has consciousness, but not self-consciousness. He or
she is, of course, aware of the environment. There are reflexes. A stimulus induces
a patterned, predictable motor response. This provides a clue to the term sensori-
motorand why Piaget chose it. The infant senses the world and, without reflection
or analysis, acts in response to his or her impressions.
In the older infant there is even a certain amount of intentional behavior. But
the infant does not know that he or she exists in the same way that an older child
or an adult knows that he or she exists. There is no way to establish these asser-
tions beyond doubt, because a verbal interview with an infant is impossible. How-
ever, an infant acts as if self-consciousness is absent. For example, one-year-old
James is shown his reflection in a mirror. He is curious, of course, and reaches out
to touch the reflection. But he does not seem to know that he is seeing himself.
There appears to be no sense of recognition. A postage stamp is lightly stuck to
his forehead. He touches it in the mirror, but doesn’t peel it off of his forehead.
Tested again, when he is a little over two years old, James immediately recognizes
that the stamp is on his own forehead, and, using the mirror, peels it off. He has
developed self-consciousness, a characteristic not of infancy, but of the next stage.(a) During the sensorimotor stage the infant senses the world and, without or
, acts in response to his or her impressions.
(b) During the sensorimotor stage the infant has consciousness, but not.Answers: (a) reflection; analysis; (b) self-consciousness.The preoperational stageis associated with toddlerhood and the preschool
age (two to seven years old). The term preoperationalis used to suggest that during
this stage the child has not yet grasped the concept of cause and effect. Instead, the
child tends to think in magical terms. Magical thinkingis characterized by an
absence of the recognition of the importance of the laws of nature. Four-year-old
Daniel sees no problem when a magician instructs a carpet to fly.164 PSYCHOLOGY