Verified Document

Piaget's And Bruner's Theories For Cognitive Development Essay

Piaget's And Bruner's Theories For Cognitive Development Cognitive theory, to some extent, is complex and multipart proposition. It puts forward the idea that development in humans is a function of an interaction with their upbringing, surroundings and individual understanding and experiences. Jean Piaget and Jerome Bruner are the two great theorists who constructed cognitive theories (William). Both theories have some similarities and differences which would be discussed in the paper.

Piaget's and Bruner's Cognitive Theories: Similarities and Differences

According to Piaget, the cognitive development of a child depends on four factors. These are genetic maturation, familiarity with the physical environment, understanding of the social environment and equilibration. His cognitive theory also gives an explanation of the four stages of cognitive development. The Sensory Motor Stage (Birth -- 2 years). During this stage, children act impulsively. They demonstrate an egocentric behavior and are indifferent to the needs, wants and interests of others around them. The second stage is Pre-Operations Stage (2yrs-7yrs) in n which the primary focus of children is present. Though at this stage, they can't think logically but their thought processes continue to develop. The third stage of Piaget's cognitive theory is Concrete Operations Stage (7yrs-11yrs) during which the social and linguistic development occurs. It is during this stage that the thought process becomes more balanced, based on reason, "grown-up" and operational (William)....

The fourth and final stage is Formal Operations Stage (11yrs-16yrs) during which children "can think of abstract ideas and compare reality to the ideal" (William).
Bruner's Theory of Cognitive Development proposes that children are learners who behave, create and think by using inquiry and experience. He has developed three modes of representation (not stages) known as enactive, iconic, and symbolic. If compared with Piaget's, this cognitive theory is not age-specific (Cherry 2004). The enactive representation is comprised of the use of motor skills. A baby's actions become automatic when he repeats the actions again and again. When human beings grow up, they learn to do things through repetition for instance, driving, swimming, etc. The Iconic representation involves the acquisition of knowledge through visual or auditory images and things. Last but not the least, the Symbolic representation allows a child to think beyond images. They start using symbols, words or numbers to modify knowledge into a code. According to Bruner, learning in not influenced by age but by the environment. He emphasizes that it is the surroundings and experiences of an individual that slows down or accelerate the process of one's learning (William).

The most remarkable resemblance between the theories of Piaget and Bruner is that both are constructivist in nature. Both the theories emphasize on the point that children are active learners who use constructivism to create or think much of what they gain knowledge of and comprehend. Piaget's theory…

Sources used in this document:
References

Cherry G. 2004. An Overview of Jerome Brunner His Theory of Constructivism. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.odu.edu/educ/roverbau/Class_Websites/761_Spring_04/Assets/course_docs/ID_Theory_Reps_Sp04/Bruner-Cherry.pdf [Accessed 26 May 2012].

Seta, C.E., Seta, J., Paulus, P., & Andrews, E.A. 2001. Study Guide for Psychology, Third Canadian edition, by Baron, R., Earhard, B., & Ozier, M. Toronto, ON: Pearson Education Canada Inc. [Print].

William, R.T. Social Cognitive Theories of Jean Piaget and Jerome Bruner., [Online]. 41, 117-123. Available at: http://www.takamatsu-u.ac.jp/library/06_gakunaisyupan/kiyo/no41/41_117-123_williams.pdf [Accessed 26 May 2012].
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Piaget Cognitive Development
Words: 883 Length: 3 Document Type: Research Paper

Piaget Harry James Potter was born in 1980, the son of James and Lily Potter. Both of Harry's parents died when Harry was an infant. The murder of his parents literally left Harry Potter scarred for life: his lightening bolt-shaped scar is one of his most distinguishing physical features. The orphaned Harry was forced to live with distant family relatives who are Muggles, and culturally distinct from Harry. Harry Potter studies

Cognitive Development Theory
Words: 1458 Length: 5 Document Type: Term Paper

Cognitive Development In the many different veins of cognitive development research, certain themes and assumptions seem to run throughout. Most of the background beliefs common to the field are truly taken for granted to such an extent that they become largely unspoken and perhaps never even considered. For example, most cognitive research theory assumes without question the theory of human minds which claims that ones fellow humans are not automata but

Bruner and Piaget Theorists the Purpose of
Words: 861 Length: 3 Document Type: Term Paper

Bruner and Piaget Theorists The purpose of this work is to examine the theorists Jerome Bruner and Jean Piaget in the context in which they wrote and to identify their major influences which helped shape the major themes within their work. Further this work will juxtapose the theories of Bruner and Piaget, identify the points of agreement and disagreement and finally to through an example to demonstrate how each of the theoretical

Congnitive Development
Words: 2333 Length: 8 Document Type: Essay

Essay Topic Examples 1. The Influence of Sociocultural Factors on Cognitive Development:     Explore how children�s cognitive development is shaped not only by their biological makeup but also by the sociocultural context in which they are raised. Discuss theories such as Vygotsky's, which emphasize the role of social interaction and language in cognitive development. 2. The Stages of Cognitive Development as Proposed by Jean Piaget:     Examine the four critical stages of cognitive development according to

Language Acquisition the Language Theory According to
Words: 2692 Length: 10 Document Type: Essay

Language Acquisition The language theory According to Krashen 'communication' is the purpose of a language. Focusing on communicative abilities is just as important. The relevance of 'meaning' is also stressed upon. According to Terrell and Krashen, a language has its very own lexicon. The stress on vocabulary is apparent here and language is seen as a means to 'communicate meanings' as well as 'messages'. 'Acquisition' takes place in case where people

Compare and Contrast Piaget and Vygotsky
Words: 1651 Length: 5 Document Type: Research Paper

Paiget and Vygotsky Compare and Contrast Piagets and Vygotsky Understanding is assumed to be the process which is involved when it comes to mental activity and thinking, for instance memory, problem solving and attention. In this paper which is basically on the cognitive development it will explore things by comparing and contrasting the theories of Piaget and Vygotsky, both of whom were very influential in coming up with a more scientific

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now