Comparing Piaget's cognitive stages with Wilber's conventional development framework

Developmental Theory

Developmental theories are often collectively simple, in that they offer a system that designates who, when where and how development will occur in the majority of a "normal" population. Developmental stages, set benchmarks that are then met or failed to be met by individuals as they grow and develop. It is also important to note that developmental theories are frequently based upon a certain set of principles:

Systematic observers of children have typically commented upon three characteristics of development: (a) there is a remarkable correspondence among normal children with respect to the general behaviors and capabilities that develop; (b) the appearance and transformation of those abilities tend to occur along a quite similar timetable and sequence in most children; and - there is a tendency for deviations and deflections from the normal course of development to be short-lived and of temporary influence with respect to a developmental trajectory. All of this appears to occur despite seemingly wide variations in the environments in which children grow and develop. The facts of such universalities have greatly informed and helped shape the major theoretical efforts of James Mark Baldwin, Arnold Gesell, Jean Piaget, and Heinz Werner. Each sought to understand human development in the context of inherent biological characteristics that provide a basic template for forming and guiding the behavioral development of the child

Horowitz 29)

This work will briefly explore via compare and contrast the cognitive stages of Jean Piaget and the convention schemas of Ken Wilbur to see how they are different and how they are similar in applicability and developmental theory.

Among these principles is a demonstrative way to observe and describe essential development often through steps or stages. In an interesting world view type of developmental theory of western thought is a stepped progressive stage theory that supersedes age, and can even be applied to global actions. This theory developed or espoused by Ken Wilber. His operational steps include preconventional, concentional and post conventional as the only stages of thought and process. These ideas can be basically described using an analogy, in preconventional thinking on say speech a child (or even an adult learning a new language) demonstrates the idea of using the rules and schemes of the process with sounds, symbols and grammatical rule learning, then the language becomes conventional as he or she becomes conversational in the language, then finally when the language is no longer needed or falls into disuse, as a result of it no longer being used the actions of it become post-conventional and require recal or historical thought to engender. This schema can be utilized to describe historical processes as well as individual development.

Scotton, Chinen, and Battista 62)

To apply this idea to other developmental theories is useful, as it gives an even more static representation of how behavior and memory work, in an even broader context. To illustrate this these schema will be applied to a developmental theory, of a seminal figure in developmental psychology, Jean Piaget.

No one has had more impact upon mainstream developmental psychology in the last 30 years than Jean Piaget. From the perspective of the discussions of developmental theory to the dominance of studies on cognitive development, the literature reflects his extensive and profound influence.

Horowitz 38)

Piaget unlike many other developmental theorists did not think of stages or steps to development as discrete and in fact limited his model to stages only in cognitive development.

Piaget...considered the fixed sequence as one of the criteria for designating stages. Piaget, was inclined only to grant stages to the domain of cognitive development (Piaget, 1977b). This is an important point because the Piagetian model has been claimed to epitomize an evolving, comprehensive organismic approach to the development of the child -- indeed, as representing a major paradigm shift in developmental psychology. Piaget's notions of stages and structures

Horowitz 41)

The essential role of stages in Pieget's cognitive stage theory, though not as encompassing as Wilbur's broader theory demonstrates one of the first examples of accommodations by theorists to variations in the norm of development, even among "normal" subjects. A brief description of each of Pieget's cognitive stages follows:

Concrete: (about first grade to early adolescence)

During the concrete stage the idea of something is very literal, rather than based on ideals and/or fantasies and the individual experiences excessive need for boundaries order and rule following (conventional). He or she has not yet accepted the idea that his or her learning is flexible and can be bent to meet future needs. He or she believes and acts as if all individuals should have, know and follow the same set of rules. He or she is also capable of better conceptualizing things which are physically present and able to be touched used and felt. He or she is learning how to manipulate information through external clues.

Formal Operations: (adolescence)

Cognition, according to Piaget is completed in growth at this stage and the individual can let some concrete ideas and standards fall by the wayside (post-conventional) as he or she believes he or she sees fit to do so. The individual at this point may seek to rebel against concrete rules and standards that just a few years ago he or she believed everyone should follow. The possibilities for change are endless as he or she is capable of accepting and conceiving of many outcomes and/or possibilities to what would seem single questions.

Horowitz 41)

Though not exact the two developmental theories are in the least similar in that they offer explanations for "normal" and deviations from it. Pieget, unlike Wilbur is focused on age or at least age grouping as a general guide, where Wilbur's schemas have just as much applicability to individuals as they do to social and/or cultural groups. In each theory of development there is some application of a generalized, or requisite stage of adaptation to learning, as people become more aware of multiple options they are much more willing to reject and therefore allow conventional actions to become post-conventional. Grasping the variations of how one idea or action might impact a group that is completely separate from one's self is an aspect of both formal operations and post-conventional actions and thought. In other words, to be able to develop formal reasoning one must be able to conceive of more than the individual outcome and post-conventional standards and developments are not possible until an individual or group accepts the fact that the outcome they see, is not the whole impact of an action or standard. Both Pieget and Wilbur offer diverse perspectives to how post-conventional thought works, especially with regard to changes that are made in on a global or personal level to alter the outcome of events. For example Piaget's formal operations require and individual to understand that his or her friend has a varied perspective and is affected by his or her actions differently than him or herself, while social change as associated with post-conventional thought is applicable to adult actions in groups that are good for one group but bad for another, and how to change the later.