Cognitive Development Theory

Cognitive Development in Adolescence: The Usefulness of Piaget’s Theory, Kohlberg’s Theory of Moral Reasoning, and Fowler’s Stages of Faith in assisting children to reach their Potential
Janet Johnson
In this paper, I will compare the cognitive development of adolescences using the concepts of Piaget’s Theory, Kohlberg’s Theory of Moral Reasoning, and Fowler’s Stages of Faith. In looking the different concepts of each of the theories, I will look for similarities, differences. I will look at how these concepts apply in helping to understand the overall development of the child and how this understanding might help those adults who interact with children assist children in reaching their potential.
The key concepts of each theory
Piaget’s Theory is based on the concept of a schema. A schema could be described as the path to understanding and knowing both the physical actions and the mental. Schemas are categories of knowledge. The breaking up into categories can assist us in interpretation and understanding the world. Piaget looked at a schema as both a category and a process of obtaining knowledge. Assimilation, the process of taking in new information into our previously existing schema is known as assimilation. Altering existing ideas to fit into categories is called accommodation, another part of adaptation. Trying to Balance assimilation and accommodation was described by Piaget as Equilibration. This accounts for new knowledge fitting into old behaviors. Either the knowledge must be changed to fit the behavior or the behavior must change to fit the knowledge. Piaget breaks learning into these three pieces, but he further breaks the pieces down into maturation levels. Sensorimotor Stage, birth to age 2, Preoperational Stage, between the ages of two and six, Concrete Operational Stage, age 7 to 11, and Formal operational stages, age 11 until adulthood. (Papalia, D.E., Olds, S.W., Feldman, R.D., 2008)
Kohlberg’s theory of Moral Reasoning is based on the idea that moral reasoning follows a predictable pattern, adjusting as the child learns information (schema) and assimilates that information. He describes three main levels of moral reasoning. Level 1 is Preconventional Morality, where children act under external controls (obey to avoid punishment or to get rewards. , ages 4-10). Level 2 is described as Conventional Morality, where people have internalized the standards of authority. They want to be good, please others and fit into social norms. (ages 10 until Level Three is reached or until adulthood) In Postconventional morality, children recognize conflicts between moral standards and make judgements on the basis of principles of right, fairness, and justice. (generally early adulthood). (Papalia, D.E., Olds, S.W., Feldman, R.D., 2008)
Fowler describes Stages of Faith with Stage 1 being Intuitive-Projective faith, fantasy-filled, imitative phase where a child can be permanently influenced by examples, moods, actions, and stories of the apparent faith of his family. (ages three to seven) Stage 2 is characterized by taking the stories, beliefs and observances that symbolize belonging to his community and giving them literal interpretations, Rules. Stage three, adolescence, is preceded by a realization that the stories don’t always match their experience or the experiences of others, then the relationship with God becomes a choice made, and therefore quite conformist. Stage three people have a personal myth of how they came to identify themselves with their faith. Finally Stage four, Individuative-Reflective faith, the burden of responsibility is taken for his own commitments, lifestyle, beliefs and attitudes. (Papalia, D.E., Olds, S.W., Feldman, R.D., 2008)
Major points of similarity:
All three of these break the development down into neat predictable steps. Generally, it is desired for one to flow from one step to the next in the stages of Piaget’s Higher Moral Reasoning, in Kohlberg’s Moral Stages, and in Fowler’s Stages of Faith. They use the normal progress of reasoning to explain and describe how intelligence, morality and religion evolve into the thinking and reasoning skills of a mature adult.
The first stage
Piaget’s Approach begins with the Sensorimotor stage, birth until age two, but for the purposes of comparison in this paper I will begin focus with the Preoperational Child, a stage which lasts from about ages 2 until about 7. Great expansion in the use of symbolic thought but still lack the ability to use logic is key in this stage. Also prominent is the egocentrism, where a child will assume that everyone thinks, perceives and feels exactly like he does. (Papalia, D.E., Olds, S.W., Feldman, R.D., 2008) In his moral development theory, Piaget called this stage rigid obedience to authority, he held that children at this age will be either right or wrong, an that all offense is deserving of punishment.
Kohlberg’s Level 1 is called Preconventional morality. From ages four to until about ten, children act the way that they do from external controls. The major motivational factors are avoidance of punishment, seeking rewards, or pure self-interest. (Papalia, D.E., Olds, S.W., Feldman, R.D., 2008)
Fowler’s cooresponding stage is Stage 1: Primal or intuitive-projective faith, about age 2 until 7 years. Children this age have a basic trust in the very powerful adults in their lives. They try to understand their world, fit their personal experience with the stories that they are told by their parents. They mainly think of God in terms of obedience and punishment. (Papalia, D.E., Olds, S.W., Feldman, R.D., 2008)
All of these stages follow the early development of the child’s reasoning skills, it assumes that the child will progress into some growth emotionally, physically and mentally, where reasoning will improve. Parents’ influence will be greatest at these early stages.
The second stage
Piaget’s Third Operational Stage (the second one we are utilizing for the purposes of this paper) is called the stage of concrete operations. It is defined as the stage in which they can use mental operations to solve concrete problems, but they still lack the abstract thinking of adults. Children in this stage have a better grasp of space, are able to find their way to and from locations. They can understand maps and models and can communicate about spatial relationships. Also prominent in this stage is the newly developed ability to categorize information. Children at this stage can use inductive reasoning, but not deductive reasoning. (Papalia, D.E., Olds, S.W., Feldman, R.D., 2008) In his moral reasoning stages, Piaget characterized second stage moral reasoning as increasing flexibility. This is based on the child’s sense of fairness and equal treatment for all. They can consider many aspects of situations and can make more subtle moral judgements.
Kohlberg’s Second
Major points of difference
Piaget‘s focused on qualitative development. As children move from one level to another, they can see that there are fallacies and inconsistencies in their thinking and reasoning. Therefore the child will look for a better way of approaching the subject. Kohlberg‘s Theory, though, assumes at each level that the child sees and understands, without a doubt, that his perception is not only correct, but is shared by all, not just his same aged peers. Fowler‘s Theory sees the child moving through the steps in a choppy sometimes unconvinced manner. The nature of Faith, taking on a belief without having the facts to back it up, insist that a child take his newfound skills of reasoning and often suspend them. The only evidence he has at times is the observable behavior of his parents and community and the faith that more understanding will come later. Responsibility for choosing a faith, under most cultures, is put off until the final stage where acceptance and responsibility go along with the role in the Church and Religious community.
Discuss the interaction of cognitive, physical and emotional development on the overall development of the child.
Explain why the understanding of normal child and adolescent development is important in assisting each child to reach their potential.
These final two sections are as yet incomplete.
References
Papalia, D.E., Olds, S.W., Feldman, R.D. (2008) A Child’s World, Infancy through Adolescence, McGraw
Hill Company
Paulist, (1986), Stages of Faith, Women’s Spirituality: Resources for Christian Development, pp. 226-232
Steve Harlow, Rhoda Cummings, Suzanne M Aberasturi. (2006). Karl Popper and Jean
Piaget: A Rationale for Constructivism. The Educational Forum, 71(1), 41-48. Retrieved
July 28, 2008, from ProQuest Education Journals database. (Document ID:
1152484721).