Schemes are mental structures or programs that guide a developing sequence of thinking. Assimilation and accommodation are two basic processes that play important rules in cognitive growth. In assimilation, new information is fit into what is already known in existing schemes. Stages of Cognitive Development. The sensorimotor stage occurs during the first year, when the infant's sensorimotor sequences of sucking, grasping, looking, and manipulating are improved, combined, coordinated, and integrated.
Egocentrism is the inability to imagine the world from any perspective other than one's own.
Animistic thinking involves imagining inanimate objects have life and mental processes. The concrete operational stage lasts from ages 7 to 11. Conservation is the understanding that physical properties do not change even though appearances may change. C. Moral Development. D. Social and Emotional Development 1.