... accepted and some objections have been raised. This essay will discuss Piaget's theory of cognitive development. First, it will outline Piaget's stage theory of development. Second, it will explore the mechanisms of development in Piaget's theory. Finally, it will evaluate the pros and cons of Piaget's theory. The concept of cognitive structure seems to be central to Piaget's theory. Cognitive structures are sets of physical or mental operations that underlie specific acts of intelligence and correspond to stages of child development (Smith, Cowie, & Blades, 2003). These are called schemas. Schemas develop from the child's own interactions with the environment. There are four primary cognitive structures (i.e., development stages), which are sensorimotor, preoperations, concrete operations, and formal operations. These four stages are described below. Piaget labeled the first two years of life as the sensorimotor stage. During this time, a child at this stage is busy discovering the relationships between ...

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