Cognitive Development Theories

Cognitive development theories have helped me to better understand my early life events. An understanding of Piaget's preoperational stage has given me a broader understanding of learning to finger paint as a four year old preschooler. Similarly, Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development and Scaffolding has helped clarify my experience of reading with teacher in kindergarten.

Piaget's preoperational stage provides a useful understanding of my cognitive development in preschool. In this case, my cognitive-related life event centers around learning to finger paint at the age of four. I distinctly remember the teacher putting the apron on me, showing me the paints and paper, and putting my hand in the paint.

Piaget's preoperational stage takes place from approximately two to seven years of age. In this stage, children can solve concrete and practical problems, and are often illogical and magical in their thinking (Slater, 2003).

In this personal example, my social interaction with the teacher played an important role in my development. The teacher's interest in reading with me, and the pride I felt in being singled out, likely played an important part in my future development as a reader and in my social development as well.

Similarly, I recall noting that the sun that I painted was happy. This is a clear example of childish animism in thinking that is common during the preoperational stage. In my case, I attributed a life-like quality, happiness, to an inanimate object, the sun.

Vygotsky's upper limit, or level of additional responsibility a child can accept with the help of a competent teacher (Moll, 1992), is also illustrated in this example. I was able to achieve a much higher level of reading with the teacher's assistance than I would have achieved on my own.

Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development, which focuses on how culture contributes to development (Butterworth, 1