Which psychologist is associated with cognitive theory?
Prior to Piaget's theory, children were often thought of simply as mini-adults. Instead, Piaget suggested that the way children think is fundamentally different from the way that adults think. Show
Piaget's theory had a tremendous influence on the emergence of developmental psychology as a distinctive subfield within psychology and contributed greatly to the field of education. He is also credited as a pioneer of the constructivist theory, which suggests that people actively construct their knowledge of the world based on the interaction between their ideas and experiences. In a 2002 survey of 1,725 American Psychological Society members, Piaget was named the second most influential psychologist of the 20th century. Best Known For
Biography of Piaget's LifeJean Piaget was born in Switzerland on August 9, 1896, and began showing an interest in the natural sciences at a very early age. Early LifeBy the time he was 11, Piaget had already started his career as a researcher by writing a short paper on an albino sparrow. Piaget continued to study the natural sciences and received his doctorate in zoology from the University of Neuchâtel in 1918. During this time, he published two essays that provided a foundation for his future thoughts and theories. While his early career consisted of work in the natural sciences, during the 1920s he began to move toward work as a psychologist. Personal LifePiaget married Valentine Châtenay in 1923 and the couple went on to have three children. Piaget's observations of his own children served as the basis for many of his later theories. Later YearsIn 1925, Piaget returned to the University of Neuchâtel as a professor of psychology, sociology, and philosophy. From 1929 to 1967, he served as the Director of the International Bureau of Education in Geneva. He also taught at the University of Geneva. Piaget founded the International Center for Genetic Epistemology in 1955. He died in 1980 and was buried in Geneva. Piaget BiographiesThere have been numerous biographies written about Piaget's life, including "Conversations With Jean Piaget" by Jean-Claude Bringuier (1980) and "Jean Piaget, the Man and His Ideas" by Richard Evans (1973). Piaget also wrote his autobiography for a chapter in "History of Psychology in Autobiography," volume 4, published in 1952. Piaget's Career and TheoriesPiaget had several ideas or theories about cognitive development throughout his career. Intellectual DevelopmentPiaget developed an interest in psychoanalysis and spent a year working at a boys' institution created by Alfred Binet. Binet is known as the developer of the world's first intelligence test, and Piaget took part in scoring these assessments. Roots of KnowledgePiaget identified himself as a genetic epistemologist. In his paper Genetic Epistemology, Piaget explained, "What the genetic epistemology proposes is discovering the roots of the different varieties of knowledge, since its elementary forms, following to the next levels, including also the scientific knowledge." Epistemology is a branch of philosophy that is concerned with the origin, nature, extent, and limits of human knowledge. Piaget was interested not only in the nature of thought but also in how it develops and how genetics impact this process. His early work with Binet's intelligence tests led Piaget to conclude that children think differently than adults. While this is a widely accepted notion today, it was considered revolutionary at the time. It was this observation that inspired his interest in understanding how knowledge grows throughout childhood. SchemasPiaget suggested that children sort the knowledge they acquire through their experiences and interactions into groupings known as schemas. When new information is acquired, it can either be assimilated into existing schemas or accommodated through revising an existing schema or creating an entirely new category of information. Stages of Cognitive DevelopmentToday, Jean Piaget is best known for his research on children's cognitive development. Piaget studied the intellectual development of his own three children and created a theory that described the stages that children pass through in the development of intelligence and formal thought processes. The four stages of Piaget's theory are as follows:
Additional ReadingFor further exploration of Piaget's ideas, consider reading some of the source texts. The following are a few of Piaget's best-known works.
Piaget's Contributions to PsychologyPiaget contributed to psychology in various ways. He provided support for the idea that children think differently than adults and his research identified several important milestones in the mental development of children. His work also generated interest in cognitive and developmental psychology. Piaget's theories are widely studied today by students of both psychology and education. In the case of the latter, he once said, "The principle goal of education in the schools should be creating men and women who are capable of doing new things, not simply repeating what other generations have done." Cognitive Developmental Milestones Piaget's Influence on PsychologyPiaget's theories continue to be studied in the areas of psychology, sociology, education, and genetics. His work contributed to our understanding of the cognitive development of children. Piaget helped demonstrate that childhood is a unique and important period of human development. In their 2005 text, "The Science of False Memory," authors C.J. Brainerd and V.F. Reyna wrote of Piaget's influence: "In the course of a long and hugely prolific career, he contributed important scholarly work to fields as diverse as the philosophy of science, linguistics, education, sociology, and evolutionary biology. Above all, however, he was the developmental psychologist of the 20th century. For two decades, from the early 1960s to the early 1980s, Piagetian theory and Piaget's research findings dominated developmental psychology worldwide, much as Freud's ideas had dominated abnormal psychology a generation before. Almost single-handedly, he shifted the focus of developmental research away from its traditional concerns with social and emotional development and toward cognitive development." Influence on PsychologistsPiaget's work influenced other notable psychologists including Howard Gardner and Robert Sternberg.
Influence on EducationPiaget's work continues to influence education. He advocated for the following principles, which are still often used in classrooms:
Jean Piaget Quotes A Word From VerywellJean Piaget helped shape our foundational knowledge of childhood cognitive development. His theories have influenced not just the field of developmental psychology, but also other fields, including sociology, education, and more. Frequently Asked Questions
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