Criticisms of Piaget's Theory of Preoperational Thought

Solution Preview

According to Jean Piaget, preschoolers are in the stage of development which is characterized by an inability to use logic in solving problems. Unidimensional thinking, egocentrism, irreversibility, and perception-based reasoning are typical in this period (see Trawick-Smith, 2000).

The main criticisms of Piaget's theory, especially those of Preoperational Thought in preschoolers are:

1. Piaget's studied children of Western backgrounds and, thus, his findings may not apply to other cultures.

2. Faulty research methods, including small sample sizes are another area of criticism. Piaget was without the benefit of the sophisticated laboratory techniques available today, and some samples were as small as three children per study. However, he often replicated the results of these ...