Circular reaction
The term circular reaction (also called circular reaction ) describes a pattern of thought and action that occurs several times in the development of a child and is characteristic of the corresponding stage of development. It is a term from developmental psychology that became known through the psychologist Jean Piaget .
Piaget distinguishes between primary, secondary and tertiary circular reactions. The circular reactions are important elements of the sensory-motor development stage, which can be observed between birth and the second year of a child's life. According to Piaget, the sensorimotor development stage is followed by the preoperational, the concrete operational and the formal operational development stage.
Primary circular reaction (aged 1 to 4 months)
Primary circular reactions are actions taken as a result of reflexes: the child repeats an action. However, they are self-centered actions that are not performed with a particular result in mind in the environment. (Example: through random movement, the child comes across a rattle that is hanging within reach of their cot. The touch creates a sound that the child enjoys. The child does not understand that this touch is causing the sound, but repeats the movement , the noise also recurring from time to time).
Secondary circular reaction (4th - 8th month)
A secondary circular reaction is the repetition of an action that has already been taken to the satisfaction of the child. The child cannot yet anticipate the effect achieved, but already distinguishes between the object and itself. It perceives its environment. The actions produce results that were previously accidentally obtained. (The child perceives the rattle as an object and learns that touching it triggers a pleasant feeling. However, the child has not yet understood that the noise generated comes from the rattle and is caused by the touch, which triggers the pleasant feeling).
Tertiary circular reaction (12th-18th month)
The third stage (tertiary circular reaction) occurs when the child performs the action in a different environment with other objects in order to achieve the desired effect. The child actively plays with the object and can distinguish between object, action and himself. The object takes on a substantial thing character ( object permanence ). (The child looks for the rattle and combines the sound with the object. Even if the rattle is not visible, it still exists for the child).
literature
- R. Murray Thomas and Birgitt Feldmann: The development of the child . Beltz Taschenbuch, Weinheim and Basel 1986, ISBN 3 407 22114 2 .