Piaget’s Sensorimotor Stage: Cognitive Development
Cognitive Development – Piaget: The sensory stadium speaks of intelligence. It utilizes DLS to capture information through the senses and acts on it with motor skills. Up to 2 years, it’s the only known reality. It is divided into 6 substages:
Substages of the Sensorimotor Stage
- Substage 1 (Birth – 1 month): Neurons constitute intelligence. A way of interacting with the external world is the fundamental characteristic of exercising innate schemes. The infant uses them unconsciously, exhibiting the same behavior in different contexts, for example, sucking.
- Substage 2 (1 month – 4 months): Voluntary adaptations and amendment of initial schemes. The infant learns behavior through experience. They use objects in their behavior. There is a thin notion of circular reaction (action repeated for pleasure and discovered casually, and repeated until it is perfected, losing interest).
- Substage 3 (4 months – 8 months): The infant can influence their environment with conduct. There is a notion of secondary circular reactions (also primary, but with objects and persons, voluntarily).
- Substage 4 (8 months – 12 months): Improvement of achievements, behaviors toward goals, understanding of the relationship and effect on their conduct, and acquisition of object permanence.
- Substage 5 (12 months – 18 months): Tertiary circular reactions (amending different actions). This is the “little scientist” stage, as the infant sees what happens through experimentation. As explained in the reading module, Mon 3 CN is the game where cause and effect are acquired.
- Substage 6 (18 months – 24 months): Symbolic thought begins, but experiments can be completed in the preoperational stage. It happens mentally. Language is important for the appearance of symbolic representation. They begin to depend more on mental thought and a more autonomous and flexible world.
Preverbal Language Development
The mother-child relationship allows the appearance and evolution of preverbal language. From birth, language is prepared, but it is missing external stimulation and social contact. Milestones are achieved from birth until 2 years:
- a) Birth – 2 months: Differentiation of sounds, syllables, intonation, and first sounds (cries, laughs).
- b) 2 months – 6 months: Babbling, formed by vocalizations.
- c) 6 months – 10 months: Babbling (reduplicated) vowel and consonant sounds (ma-ma-ma).
- d) 10 months – 12 months: Acquisition of sounds, intonation, and gestures intentionally. Babbling appears (combining different syllables).
- e) 12 months – 18 months: With babbling, vocabulary produces 1-2 words, used erroneously. At 18 months, around 50 words are acquired: names of people, objects, verbs.
- f) 18 months – 21 months: Explosion of language learning, 100 words per month. Rapid semantic adjustment and fast vocabulary acquisition.
- g) 21 months – 24 months: Language expansion, 2-word phrases (+ pa).
Attachment Theory
An affective loop disorder, or animal form, between oneself and another concrete person bound in a loop that lingers over time. Phases:
- 1st (Birth – 2 months): Indiscriminate sensitivity, if not to the mother.
- 2nd (2 months – 7 months): Major interest in persons who will care for them, not in strangers, but no fear.
- 3rd (8 months – 24 months): Control condition, one is related to known individuals, intense fear of strangers.
Attachment is given to the second, shrinking afterward, but not disappearing.
Different Types of Attachment
- Secure (65%): Explores with the mother.
- Insecure-Ambivalent/Resistant (10%): Distressed and rebellious, not far from the mother, but angry.
- Insecure-Avoidant (25%): Ignores the mother.
Determinants of Attachment
Secure attachment: Mother-son care. Insecure attachment: Poor care. According to the stage, there can be important consequences, such as poor babbling. The type of care influences attachment to the father. Personality is the proper way of thinking, feeling, mood, and acting. It encompasses the state, opinions, etc. It is characterized by innate differences in every person.