The Stage 1 Psychology class have been learning about Human Psychological Development.  In this topic, we learn about how the brain develops and how thought processes change from infancy to adulthood. The Renmark High School year 11 students have been developing their own investigation based on the research from Piaget and Erikson. This week we went to the Renmark Children’s Centre with a range of activities to see the cognitive processes in children ranging from 2 years old to 4 years old. These activities tested the children’s Preoperational Stage of Piaget’s theory. In this stage, the child uses language and symbols, including letters and numbers. Conservation marks the end of the Preoperational Stage, and this is what the students focussed on. To do this, they used a range of resources such as the levels of water in glasses, how big a roll of playdough is and the value of a range of coins.

Next week, we go to Renmark Primary School to work with older children  and see if the mindset changes.

Lucinda Yates, Psychology Teacher.