Provided by David Satcher, M.D., Ph.D.
Surgeon General of the United States of America
Chapter 2
Overview of Development, Temperament, and Risk Factors
Piaget: Cognitive Developmental Theory
Jean Piaget formulated one of the most influential theories of
cognitive development (Inhelder & Piaget, 1958). Its focus was on cognitive
(intellectual) development, that is, the processes by which children come to
know and understand the world. Other aspects of human growth, both physical and
emotional, are beyond the scope of his theory. Piaget posited that each step of
cognitive development proceeds from the previous step in a fixed pattern,
beginning at birth and ending in the teen years.
Piaget had a seminal influence on the discipline of cognitive psychology.
Although empirical research has called into question some of the specifics of
his theories, the broad outlines remain widely accepted.
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