CMU Psychology Department

Here are some additional questions that I'd like us to discuss at tomorrow's class session:

Chapter 2: Piaget's Theory I

1. Why has Piaget's theory endured so long?

2. How did Piaget's philosophical ideas shape his theory?

3. What does Piaget mean when he says a child is in a particular stage?

4. What evidence indicates that a child is in a particular stage?

5. What are the strengths and weakness of Piaget's proposed change mechanisms of assimilation, accommodation, and equilibration?

6. How has use of new methods influenced our views of the accuracy of Piaget's descriptions of children's thinking?

7. What are the implications of findings of early competence for Piaget's theory?

8. In what senses does children's thinking show qualitative changes and in what senses doesn't it?

9. How broad are the regularities in children's thinking at a given age?

10. How well do Piaget's general characterizations, such as preoperational stage children being described as egocentric, fit children's thinking?