Although there are substantial differences between the t of Piaget and Vygotsky They are not opposed since they share a conception of development that distances itself equally from traditional empiricist and rationalist conceptions. Piaget’s theory of cognitive development is a comprehensive theory about the nature and development of human intelligence. It was first created by Swiss developmental psychologist Jean Piaget (1896-1980). …Child-centered classrooms and “open education” are direct applications of Piaget’s views.
Piagetian Theory
It is considered the most elaborate to date and the one with the greatest influence within the field: which is explained in art by the great breadth of its claims:
- Piaget aims to develop a Genetic Epistemology, that is, a “theory of knowledge” based on the explanation of its “genesis and psychological development.”
- In this endeavor, he maintains that what essentially characterizes knowledge is its “creative” nature, which implies an “active” subject: to “know” he not only perceives and reacts to objects without having to “act” on them by transforming them.
Piaget extends the biological model of the growth of an organism to the psychological problem of the development of intelligence: it is a complex process that involves “adaptation” to the middle (external plane) and “organization” psychological (internal level):
- The adaptation It occurs through two types of complementary processes, between which “balance” must occur: The asimilationwhich occurs when the subject tries to interpret and incorporate the information from the environment based on the schemes already available.
- The accommodationwhich involves the modification of these previous schemes to make them consistent with new experiences. the internal organization reflects the structures and changes that occur within the organism’s natural tendency towards higher levels of balance: Synchronous or horizontal organization: it is the structural result of the adaptation achieved at each moment (each “stage” of development: sesoriomotor, preoperative , concrete operations, formal operations) Diachronic or vertical organization: translates the qualitative changes that occur in intellectual structures (“transition” between stages: continuity and change of general sequence, universality and order of succession)
The basic mechanism The reason why they explain such changes is “balance”:
- “Balance” is conceived as an internal and self-regulating factor that guides the processes of adaptation to the environment, allowing one to progressively achieve “more adapted”, more balanced cognitive structures (organized structures), in their relationship with the environment.
- These overall structures, to the extent that they assume a certain norm of stable equilibrium (to a certain point), are what allow us to define and characterize the different successive stages (forms of organization) of development.
- Balance is not the result of a fortuitous balance between opposing forces, but rather a goal actively sought and achieved by the organism itself.
Piagetian theory It has undoubted merits, but it has also received serious criticism.
- Generally, most of them refer to aspects that are commonly considered “neglected” by the theory.
- In particular, it is worth highlighting the denunciation that has been made of the limited role that Piaget seems to attribute to language and social factors in development.
Post-Piagetian models on the mechanisms of change
Explanatory proposals of the ontogenetic change which have in common their ability to be formulated in a precise and operational manner, through a computational model.
Production rule systems. The PI approach as formulated by David Klahrpostulates a basic cognitive structure that does not change with age in its aspects fundamental, and which is described by production systems. A production is a condition-action rule, that is, from the fulfillment of a certain condition it establishes the performance of a certain action. Actions can modify the knowledge state of the system by adding, removing or changing existing elements; Actions can also correspond to perceptual or motor interactions with the environment.
Klahr proposes the existence of a set of innate productions from which, and through self-modification, the system learns and develops by acquiring new productions. To achieve this objective, the system has a series of specific mechanisms such as resolution of conflicts, discrimination and generalization. The explanatory capacity of this approach is reduced to the explanation of quantitative changes in specific tasks and knowledge domains.
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