The sensorimotor stage of development according to Piaget

Parents, teachers and, in general, anyone who has lived with children for long periods of time has observed the development process that takes place in the first years of life. It is precisely this cognitive progress that is reflected in Piaget’s theory of development.whose initial phase (the sensorimotor stage) we will address below.

The psychologist Jean Piaget described one of the most relevant theories of child development in recent times. It is divided into four stages through which children develop their cognitive abilities. However, the first of them (which covers from birth to two years of age) stands out for the rapid expansion of knowledge that is produced.

What characterizes the sensorimotor stage of development?

Exploration and discovery of the environment

In these first years of life, children begin to explore and learn about the environment through their senses. In this regard, Piaget highlights assimilation and accommodation as the main learning processes. However, to understand these concepts we must know that The child’s brain works based on mental schemes that are modified based on experience.

So, Assimilation would take place when the child uses his or her existing schemas to relate to a novel object or event.. For example, when sucking the bottle for the first time, repeating the movement that allowed him to feed from the mother’s breast.

For his part, Accommodation occurs when the reality that the child faces does not fit into their pre-existing schemes and therefore they have to modify them.. This is the case of that child with a family concept based on father, mother and children who knows a family in which the father has died.

Egocentrism

Another of the fundamental elements of this sensorimotor stage is childhood egocentrism. This refers to the child being unable to perceive other people’s points of view. That is to say, the little one assumes that everyone else sees, thinks and feels the same as him. Then you will have to learn to understand yourself as an individual being, separated from reality and from others.

Object permanence

One of the greatest milestones reached by the infant during the sensorimotor stage is object permanence. That is to say, learning that objects, people and events continue to exist even when he cannot see them, hear or perceive them in any way.

At the end of this stage the child will be able to understand, for example, that his mother continues to exist even when she is out of his reach and perception. Before this milestone he would think that when she left, she had simply disappeared.

Substages of the sensorimotor stage

At each moment of this stage you can observe the mechanisms that the child is using. to develop cognitively. Broadly speaking, they are the following:

Until the first month, The baby relates to his environment mainly through reflex actions that respond automatically to stimulation. From one to four months, primary circular reactions appear; that is to say, the child intentionally repeats body movements that generate pleasure (for example, thumb sucking). Up to 1 month, babies they repeat stimulating actions that may or may not have to do with their own body. For example, intentionally kicking the squeaky toy placed at the foot of his crib. They are called secondary circular reactions. From 10 to 12 months the little one will be able to apply their skills to achieve a goal. For example, he will move away the cushion that is covering the doll he wants to play with. Tertiary circular reactions occur between 12 and 18 months of age. Here the baby will begin to vary the behaviors that you already know to, through trial and error, discover new cause-effect relationships. Finally, between 18 and 24 months the ability to construct mental representations of objects is achieved. Basic skill to reach the milestone of object permanence.

Sensorimotor stage: the beginning of a fascinating journey

Definitely, This first phase lays the foundations for the infant’s future cognitive development.. The learning and skills acquired in these years allow the child to begin to function in the world. Therefore, it is a very important stage in child development. However, once this stage has been passed, the child still has a long and fascinating road ahead.

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