Cognitive Development, Theory of

The theory of cognitive development developed by Swiss psychologist Jean Piaget (1896–1980) is one of the most influential theories in the fields of educational and developmental psychology. Piaget described his theoretical orientation as one of “genetic epistemology” focused on the emergence, growth, and evolution of knowledge. Piaget’s theory of cognitive development is premised on the notion that thinking and learning are adaptive; our cognitions allow us to adapt to and function effectively within our environments.

Starting from this fundamental premise, Piaget explored the ways in which scientific thinking and reasoning develop, and how our interactions with the physical and social world shape our thinking. Piaget, along with other early psychologists such [Page 307]as William James and B. F. Skinner, contributed to the evolution of psychology as an empirical, rather than a purely theoretical, science. This entry discusses the development of Piaget’s theory of cognitive development, its major constructs, the stages of cognitive development, and how the theory has been evaluated, applied in education, and built on by other researchers.

Piaget’s theory is a general theory, based on the premise that disparate aspects of cognition develop together, undergoing similar changes. In his research, Piaget explored many aspects of children’s thinking, including beliefs about the physical, biological, and social worlds. Piaget argued that cognitive development consists of a set of discrete stages and that thinking in different stages is qualitatively different. Piaget viewed cognitive development as driven by four critical factors: maturation, the physical environment, social interaction, and equilibration.

Piaget argued that children learn and understand through action. For young children, this action is generally physical (e.g., grasping and manipulating objects), whereas for older children, the action may be physical or mental (performing logical cognitive actions, termed operations). In contrast to earlier theorists who generally viewed children as relatively passive recipients of instruction, Piaget thought of children as “little scientists” who were constantly developing and testing hypotheses about the world around them. Piaget believed knowledge was a process and not a state and wanted to learn not just what children knew but how they knew it. Thus, he employed research methods that allowed him to study children’s cognitive processes, including responses that might be considered incorrect or mistaken from an adult point of view.